The Achilles' Heal of Swimming
Swimming is a low-impact,
safe, fun, and challenging form of exercise. If you have a history of
injuries in your legs, then it's a great alternative form of cardio.
Studies show that swimmers live longer and are less prone to various
diseases, even compared to people who engage in other forms of exercise,
including running, rowing, and cycling. Swimming can counter some of
the negative effects of sitting and driving all day. It's a sport that
actually elongates the spine.
Swimming promotes flexibility in
many ways, but improving your shoulder health is crucial for optimal
performance. It takes some time to promote shoulder health, and many
swimmers often ignore it because they feel they don't have enough time.
The other problem is that a stretching routine will only prevent
injuries, so the benefits are subtle. But the cost of not doing it is an
injury. The benefits outweigh the investment of time. You'll perform
better, reduce the chance of injury and recover better.
Mike
Harris is an aspiring professional swimmer in Northern Virginia. Harris
was swimming everyday as an undergraduate college student for his team.
His typical distance per week usually hovered around 50-60,000 meters.
He felt strong but was always feeling sore in his shoulder after
workouts. He had no recovery plan and continued to push through the
pain. "I live for pain in the water, that's what I'm good at, but not
this kind of pain. Very little strength training was involved in my
routine. Almost all my training was done in the water along with the
occasional 'extended stretching and flexibility' I would do on my own
just to say loose.
He had been swimming his entire life since he
was the age of. None of his coaches had ever shown him basic exercises
to keep his shoulder healthy. While he learned some basic stretches that
swimmers usually do before diving into the pool, he never learned how
to properly recover from his long and intense workouts. Most of his
coaches were a poolside presence, and prescribed a few dryland
exercises.. Although he has a strong and large upper body, his shoulder
health was becoming a limiter to his performance.
When I met Mike I
introduced him to dryland exercises that he needed to do if he was
going to keep his shoulder healthy, and if he was going to ever realize
his dream of becoming a professional swimmer. These exercises were
totally new and completely foreign to Mike. "Immediately after Kevin
designed a dryland routine for me based on my personal workout load and
training needs, I felt more flexible and able to perform drills with
greater ease. Mobility is a must in my training schedule and is done
every day."
Before your implement this program, it's important to
have a basic understanding of the anatomy of the shoulder joint. The
glenohumeral joint actually comprises four muscles that surround the
joint, and are referred to as the rotator cuff: the supraspinatus, the
infraspinatus, the teres minor and the subscapularis. When they're
flexible and strong, you'll avoid any kind of injury
The following
program is the same one Mike uses to not only maintain his shoulder
health, but to feel even more flexible and stronger in the water. He
does them every day, including days he doesn't swim. He prefers to do
them right after workouts.
Of course, you're probably not a
professional swimmer. But even recreational swimmers and triathletes
should include this program if they want to continue swimming without
any problems. The program includes active-isolated stretching, a Swiss
ball routine, and some dumbbell exercises.
Active-Isolated Stretches
Created
by Aaron Mettes, the premise of active-isolated stretching (AIS) is
that prolonged static stretches greater than two seconds actually
decreases blood flow within tissue creating ischemia and lactate build
up. AIS allows the target muscle to optimally lengthen without
triggering the stretch reflex. AI stretching activates the opposing
muscles, which contract, and force the target muscle to elongate. The
body them remembers this new range of motion. Thus, the muscle is
activated in this new position and isn't just stretched and released.
AIS also increase blood flow and can increase core temperature.
Arm circles
Bend over and let your arms drop. Spin your arms in circles 10 times in each direction.
Horizontal Abduction
Bring your arms out and back. Hold stretch for 2 seconds and repeat 10-15 times. Extend your arms as far as you can.
Hyperextension.
Stand straight. Bring arms up behind body with fingers pointing towards ground. Hold for 2 seconds and repeat 10-15 times.
External Rotation
Stand
straight Lifts arms out to sides with elbows 90 degrees and hands
making a fist. Knuckles should be pointing towards the sky. Rotate
backwards and hold for 2 seconds and repeat 10-15 times
Internal Rotation
Stand
straight. Bend your elbows at 90 degrees. Knuckes should be pointing
towards the ground. Rotate shoulders fowward. Hold for 2 seconds and
repeat 10-15 times.
Horizontal Flexion
Stand straight. Bring
one arm across body. Place other hand on elbow that is crossing the
body. Hold for 2 seconds and repeat 10-15 times.
Horizontal Flexion
Stand
straight. Bring one arm across body and place it over your shoulder.
Place other hand on shoulder. Hold for 2 seconds and repeat 10-15 times.
Triceps stretch
Stand straight. Bring one arm up and back with elbow bent. Place other hand on elbow. Hold for 2 seconds and repeat 10 times
Posterior hand clasp
Stand
straight. Clasp hands in each direction. Try to grab the hands. If you
cannot, you can use a towel. Always strive to reach the hands. Hold for 2
seconds and repeat 10-15 times.
Ys
Lie on the stability
ball in a prone (face down) position. Place feet on the floor and
stomach on the ball. Hold light dumbbells (weighing no more than a
kilogram or 2.5 pounds), and lift the arms to form a Y. Bring the arms
towards the floor and then lift again. Lower your arms and repeat. Make
sure the top of your abs or on the middle of the ball. Retract your
shoulder blades down and back
Ts
In the same position, hold
the dumbbells straight down along the side of the ball. Lift the
dumbbells to your side and repeat Pul your shoulder baldes in toward
your spie and extend your arms to the sides. Keep your arms at 90
degrees. Lower your arms and repeat
Ws
In the same position,
hold the dumbbells straight down. Bring your hands towards your chest
and bend your elbows and repeat. Squeeze your elbows toward you ribs.
Take your thumbs and rotate them back toward the ceiling, squeezing your
shoulder blades together to form a W
Ls
In the same
position, hold the dumbbells straight down. Bring the arms up and bend
the elbows 90 degrees. Turn the forearms forward. Turn them backwards
and then drop the arms to the original position. Flex your elbows until
they are 90 degrees with your upper arm. Squeeze your shoulder blades
together to raise your upper arms so they're 90 degrees to your torso.
Once they form an L, externally rotate your upper arms so that the backs
of your hand stretch toward the ceiling
Side-Lying External Rotation
This
is a great exercises for the infraspinatus and teres minor, your
shoulder external rotators. Lie on your side and hold dumbbell in your
top arm. Your arm should be 90 degrees and the dumbbell should be just
above the floor. Rotate your elbow until your arm is parallel to the
floor. Slowly lower to the starting position.
Noticeable Benefits
Swimmer
usually ignore dryland exercises, because they don't perceive the
benefit or value. They simply don't think that stretching or strength
training will improve their times like the thousands of meters they swim
in the pool. But Harris disagrees: I believe that strength training is a
must for any athlete who wants to achieve next level success. Every
tool must be used in order to maintain a consistent level of peak
performance," Harris says. Without a detailed strength training plan, my
training intensity and load would steadily decline over time due to
fatigue and strain. It's comforting to know that I can get the most out
of every workout without losing a day to "being drained", or physically
tired."
While you certainly won't set a world record or double
your speed in the pool, that's not the point. A balanced strength and
stretching program could give you the extra edge in a sport where
hundredths of seconds separate 1st and 2nd place. "Times drop on a
consistent basis and muscle fatigue has drastically decreased, which is
great for any athlete to insure performing and drilling at the upper
levels of your ability every time," Harris says. For Harris, the lack of
stretching and strengthening was his
Achielle's Heel, and it might be
yours.
Kevin Burciaga is a personal trainer and head of Testosterone Lab, a personal training and nutrition service in Falls Church, VA. You can reach him at [http://www.testosteronelab.net] and automatically get a monthly
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