opposed to the downbeat in freestyle. Backstroke also uses the dolphin kick off the start of a race and off each wall. The muscle recruitment patterns are the same in each case; the only change is in the direction because of the swimmer’s body position.
Breaststroke
As with the other strokes the arm movements that take place during breaststroke are categorized as a propulsive phase and a recovery phase. The propulsive phase begins with the shoulders and arms in an elongated overhead position. The first half of the underwater pull is similar to that used in freestyle and butterfly. The clavicular portion of the pectoralis major starts the movement, and the latissimus dorsi quickly joins in. During the second half of the pull, forceful contractions of the pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi pull the arms and hands into the midline of the body to finish the pull. The forces generated during the final phase are directed toward forward propulsion of the swimmer in the water and upward propulsion of the swimmer’s torso, which is aided by contraction of the paraspinal muscles. This movement brings the swimmer’s head and shoulders out of the water. Flexion and rotation at the elbow bring the hands to the midline of the body and mark the conversion into the recovery phase. To return the hands to the starting position, the arms must be returned from their position under the chest. This motion is carried out by recruitment of the pectoralis major, anterior deltoid, and the long head of the biceps brachii, which all function to flex the shoulder joint. At the same time, extension of the elbow by the triceps brachii results in completion of the recovery phase, and the arms return to their extended and elongated position.
As with the other strokes, the shoulder blade stabilizing musculature is crucial to creating a firm base of support for the movements and forces generated by the arms. Like the butterfly stroke, the breaststroke lacks a body roll component. Even so, the core-stabilizing musculature is important in ensuring an efficient linkage between the movement patterns of the upper and lower extremities.
Like the arm movements, the kicking mechanics can be divided into a propulsive phase, consisting of outsweep and insweep components, and a recovery phase. The propulsive phase begins with the feet hip-width apart and the knees and hips in a flexed position. The outsweep is initiated with outward rotation of the feet, which is accomplished by a combination of movements at the hip, knee, and ankle. After the foot has been turned outward, the outer sweeping motion is continued by extension of the hip and knee. The gluteal musculature and the hamstrings function to extend the hip, and the rectus femoris and quadriceps act to straighten the knee. At the transition from the outsweep to the insweep, the knees and hip are still not completely extended, so the respective muscle groups continue their action into the insweep component until the knees and hip are fully extended. At the start of the insweep the legs are in an abducted position, generating an opportunity for force production through rapid adduction of the legs. The legs are brought back together by contraction of the adductor muscles that run along the upper portion of the inner thigh. To minimize drag during the final portion of the insweep, the calf muscles are activated to bring the foot and ankle into a pointed position. Recovery is accomplished by recruitment of the rectus femoris and iliopsoas, which serve to flex the hip, and recruitment of the hamstrings, which serve to flex the knee.
Dryland Training Programs
Although this book is not intended to give full program design details and guidelines, it does provide you with an understanding of how each exercise can directly benefit you as a swimmer, which in turn can help you make better decisions when choosing exercises for a specific program design. For example, if your program calls for an exercise that targets the triceps, you have many to choose from in chapter 2. We will, however, lay out some general principles and ideas for training programs here.
You should be aware of several considerations when designing a dryland program. The repetitive nature of swimming predisposes swimmers to developing muscle imbalances. Muscles such as the latissimus dorsi and pectoralis major become overdeveloped in relation to the smaller muscles that make up the scapular stabilizers (particularly the middle and lower trapezius and the rhomboids). In the lower extremity the quadriceps and hip flexors often become dominant over weaker hamstrings and gluteal muscles. These muscle imbalances not only lead to strength imbalances but also may create flexibility and postural imbalances that can predispose you to injury and inhibit optimal performance. So when designing a dryland program you should include a flexibility component. Recent findings in the realm of flexibility training are that dynamic stretches and movement patterns are an effective way to prepare for an exercise session. Dynamic movements and stretches can be designed to incorporate whole-body movements that can serve as an effective low-intensity warm-up while also addressing areas of inflexibility. Further attention can be given to tight muscle groups through static stretching at the conclusion of the dryland program.
Careful consideration needs to be given to selecting the proper exercises. Two concepts that can help guide exercise choice are transference and isolation. Transference is the ability of an exercise to strengthen muscles in a manner that will benefit a certain skill or task, in this case swimming. Transference can be further divided into direct and indirect forms. Direct transference involves choosing an exercise because the associated movements are directly related to a certain component of one of the major strokes. An example would be using the physioball prone streamline exercise (see page 136), because it directly mimics the streamlined position that swimmers hold off their starts and walls. Indirect transference involves choosing a certain exercise because the targeted muscle groups are similar to those used during a phase of one of the major strokes or choosing a certain exercise because it can transfer to a certain stroke component. An example would be selecting the lat pull-down exercise (see page 120) because it targets the latissimus dorsi muscle, which is a prime mover of the arms in each of the major strokes. Isolation involves choosing an exercise that emphasizes a certain muscle or muscle group with the goal of strengthening an area that (1) may be underdeveloped because of muscle imbalances, (2) is important for injury prevention, or (3) has been identified as an area of weakness by something in the swimmer’s stroke profile.
Another choice concerns which model of dryland training to use—a traditional weight-training program or a circuit-based program. Traditional weight-training programs involve performing a certain number of sets and repetitions of one or two exercises at a time and then moving on to the next set of exercises. These programs are better reserved for swimmers near college age and older. In contrast, circuit-training programs involve a series of exercises performed one after another. After performing one set of an exercise, the person moves on to the next. Circuit programs are ideal when (1) the dryland program is being performed on a pool deck, (2) a large group of swimmers is participating in the program at the same time, or (3) a younger group of swimmers is training. An additional advantage of circuit programs is that they are time efficient, allowing a large number of exercises to be completed in a short time.
To maximize your gains when performing a traditional or circuit dryland program, give careful attention to the order in which you perform the exercises. All programs should begin with a 10-minute warm-up period consisting of dynamic flexibility exercises and low-intensity aerobics. Following the warm-up, you should incorporate several injury prevention and core stabilization exercises (choose from those in chapter 5). You should begin with total- body exercises that combine movements of the upper and lower extremities and progress to multijoint exercises and then isolation exercises. For example, when training the upper extremity and shoulder girdle, you could begin with a single-arm lawn mower (page 176), follow with a barbell flat bench press (page 70), and end with a dumbbell biceps curl (page 28). The underlying concept is to avoid performing the biceps curl first, which would fatigue the biceps brachii and decrease the overall weight that you could lift with the single-arm lawn mower exercise. A swimming analogy would be to avoid performing an exhaustive kick set before you perform your main quality freestyle set during a workout, because fatiguing your legs would limit your ability to get the full benefit from the freestyle set. Following completion of the main exercises, you can spend time on additional core stabilization exercises and static stretching and flexibility. Note that your final program should consist of more than three exercises; the limited number used in this case serve only as an example.
Another concept to consider is that of pushing and pulling exercises. Pushing exercises such as push-ups and bench presses primarily work the pectoral muscles and the triceps, whereas pulling exercises such as pull-ups and seated rows primarily work the lats and biceps. Because these types of exercises mirror each other in the muscle groups that they target, doing one after the other is often beneficial in a dryland program because the alternating nature of exercises allows one group to recover while the other is being exercised.
