Swimming Anatomy

When returning to the starting position, lower your body in a controlled manner to avoid placing extra stress on the shoulders, which can occur if you allow your body to drop down quickly. Also, avoid hanging in the starting position for a prolonged period because doing this also places extra stress on the shoulders.

Pull-Up

Execution

1. Grasp the bar with your palms facing outward and your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Hold your knees in a bent position and cross one foot over the other.

2. From a hanging position pull your body upward, focusing on bringing your chest to the bar.

3. Pause at the top of the movement and then slowly lower to a hanging position.

Muscles Involved

Primary:Latissimus dorsi

Secondary:Lower trapezius, rhomboid major, rhomboid minor, teres major, biceps brachii, brachialis

SAFETY TIP

When returning to the starting position, lower your body in a controlled manner to avoid placing extra stress on the shoulders, which can occur if you allow your body to drop down quickly. Also, avoid hanging in the starting position for a prolonged period because doing this also places extra stress on the shoulders.

Swimming Focus

Like chin-ups, pull-ups are easy to add to a dryland program because they can be performed almost anywhere. The hand positioning, opposite that used in chin-ups (palms facing away instead of toward the body), decreases the emphasis on the elbow flexors but is more similar to the hand positioning used during the four competitive strokes. This exercise strengthens the muscles responsible for the initial portion of the pull phase by targeting the latissimus dorsi with the arms in an overhead and elongated position. The difficult nature of the exercise builds mental toughness. To help you reach your goal number of repetitions, a partner can assist by supporting your feet.

Jerking body movements and swinging of the legs at the start of the movement are discouraged because they are a form of cheating.

VARIATION

Wide-Grip Pull-Up

The wider positioning of the hands gears the exercise more toward breaststroke and butterfly swimmers who are trying to increase the strength of the midportion of the pulling phase.

Lat Pull-Down

Execution

1. Sit at the machine and use an overhand grip. Position your hands on the bar 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) wider than the width of your shoulders.

2. Pull the bar down to your upper chest, arching your back slightly.

3. Focus on tightening your lats and pinching your shoulder blades together.

4. Slowly return to the starting position.

Muscles Involved

Primary:Latissimus dorsi

Secondary:Lower trapezius, rhomboid major, rhomboid minor, teres major, biceps brachii, brachialis

Swimming Focus

The lat pull-down is a good all-around exercise for targeting the latissimus dorsi and has a beneficial effect on the pulling phase of all four competitive strokes. Although the body movements performed are similar to those used in pull-ups, lat pull-downs offer the advantage that the resistance is variable and does not depend on body weight. When performing the exercise, focus on keeping your elbows high to mimic more closely the catch position of the pull phase. Although arching your back slightly when bringing the bar down to your chest is OK, avoid leaning backward and using your body weight instead of your latissimus dorsi to pull the weight down.

SAFETY TIP

Perform the exercise as illustrated. The more traditional lat pull-down, in which the bar is brought behind the head to the base of the neck, places extra stress on the shoulder joints.

VARIATION

Single-Arm Lat Pull-Down

Isolating the exercise to one arm allows you to add a rotational trunk movement that more closely mimics the movements performed while swimming. Single-arm isolation also allows extra emphasis to be placed on scapular retraction.

Standing Straight-Arm Pull-Down

Execution

1. Stand facing the pulley machine. Using an overhand grip, position your hands slightly wider than the width of your shoulders.