2. Initiating the movement with your hips, squat down until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
3. Return to the starting position by straightening your legs.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Rectus femoris, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis, gluteus maximus, gluteus medius
Secondary:Erector spinae, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus, adductor magnus, adductor longus, adductor brevis, pectineus, sartorius, gracilis, transversus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique
SAFETY TIP
Improper squat technique is one of the leading causes of injuries during dryland or weight-room training. Be sure to start with a light weight and add weight only when you have become comfortable with performing the lift and have had a certified strength and conditioning professional review your technique.
Swimming Focus
Squats are a good all-around exercise because they recruit all major muscles groups of the lower extremity. Increasing the strength of the knee extensors transfers to improved force generation and endurance when kicking, regardless of stroke. Strengthening of the gluteal muscles, specifically the gluteus maximus, helps to improve the force that is generated with the extension of the hip during the breaststroke kick. Because of the similarities in the movements performed in squats and starts, particularly flat starts, squats should be a mainstay exercise for enhancing a swimmer’s start.
Extra caution should be used because of the potential for injury to the low back or knees. To protect the low back, beginners should start with just the bar until they are fully comfortable with the exercise. Emphasizing tightening of the core musculature, as described in the introduction to chapter 5, will also help protect the low back. The most common causes for injury to the knee are shifting of the knees forward past the toes or allowing the knees to collapse inward when squatting down.
VARIATION
Overhead Squat
Advantages of overhead squats are that they place a focus on maintaining an upright body posture and develop strength and confidence with the arms in an overhead position. Weight used is much less than in a traditional squat, so starting this exercise with a wooden dowel is best.
Single-Leg Squat
Execution
1. With a dumbbell in each hand, stand 2 feet (60 cm) in front of a flat bench and position your feet hip-width apart.
2. Reach back with one foot and rest your toes on the bench.
3. Initiating the movement with your hips, lower your body until the thigh of the standing leg is near parallel to the ground.
4. Return to the starting position by straightening your leg.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Rectus femoris, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis, gluteus maximus, gluteus medius
Secondary:Erector spinae, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus, adductor magnus, adductor longus, adductor brevis, pectineus, sartorius, gracilis, transversus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique
Swimming Focus
Like double-leg squats, single-leg squats target all the major muscle groups of the lower extremity. An advantage of single-leg squats is that they isolate one leg at a time, which can help address muscle imbalances that may exist between the legs. Targeting all the major muscle groups of the lower extremity improves kicking strength and endurance as well as strength with starts and turns.
During the exercise, you should use the back leg for balance purposes only. As your confidence and balance improve, you can substitute a physioball for a bench. Give extra attention to the positioning of your knee as you lower into the squatting position. Repeated inward dropping of the knee and forward translation past the toes are technique flaws. If you notice these flaws, modify either the weight or number of repetitions to reduce the intensity of the exercise.
Dumbbell Step-Up
Execution
1. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, stand facing a box.
2. Step up onto the box with one leg. Pressing through this leg, lift yourself upward until both feet are on the box.
3. Step down with the leg that initiated the exercise.
4. Repeat, initiating the exercise with the opposite leg.
SAFETY TIP
To protect the low back, you must maintain a tall, upright posture during the entire exercise. A common technique flaw is leaning the upper trunk forward.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Rectus femoris, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis, psoas major, gluteus maximus, gluteus medius
Secondary:Biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus, adductor magnus, adductor longus, adductor brevis, pectineus, sartorius, gracilis, gastrocnemius, soleus, transversus abdominis,
