Swimming Anatomy

As the number of joints and muscle groups recruited during an exercise increases, so does the specificity of the exercise. For example, a simple triceps extension isolates one joint, the elbow, and one muscle group, the triceps brachii. Comparatively, the burpee, an exercise described later in this chapter, is a total-body exercise that incorporates movements of the lower extremity and upper extremity and, in turn, multiple muscle groups. The differences between the two kinds of exercises are obvious; the question that arises concerns the comparative advantages and disadvantages of each. The primary advantage of the triceps extension is that it isolates a single muscle group. As a result, controlling the degree of resistance (by increasing or decreasing the weight) placed on the muscle is easy, and the focus can be directed to strengthening only the triceps. The main disadvantage is that the movement is not swimming specific because it involves only a single joint. On the other hand, the primary advantage of the burpee exercise is that multiple joints and muscle groups are involved and it emphasizes jumping into a streamline at the end of the exercise; it is a swimming-specific exercise. Other advantages are that it requires coordinated movements, activates the core musculature, and includes an explosive jumping component. Through the coordinated movements of the upper and lower extremities and activation of the core musculature, swimmers will find that these exercises help to improve the strength and efficiency of the strokes. A disadvantage of burpees and other total-body exercises is that because multiple muscle groups are recruited in unison, stronger muscles may compensate for weaker muscles. For example, an amazingly fast swimmer may also be the slowest kicker on the team if his or her upper-body stroke mechanics are strong enough to compensate for the lower-extremity kicking weakness. Although total-body exercises are important, you need to perform the more focused upper-body and lower-body multijoint movements and additional isolation exercises to have a comprehensive dryland program. Think of the total-body movements as your main set and the other exercises as the drills and technique work that fine-tune your stroke.

Besides having a total-body focus, several of the exercises emphasize explosive movements. The principle of specificity applies here. The best way to improve your ability to explode off the starting blocks and turn walls is to incorporate explosive exercises into the dryland program. The primary focus with these exercises is to help you learn to generate power through the lower extremity and core. The advantage of using exercise outside the pool to increase power production is that performing multiple repetitions in succession is easier, and technique feedback and corrections are more easily provided.

With these exercises come some special considerations. The first is that because these exercises incorporate multiple joint movements, the joint movements must be properly coordinated. An example of a poorly coordinated exercise would be to start the streamline before starting the jump when performing the burpee exercise. Initiating the streamline early removes the force-generating swinging motion of the arms that helps you jump higher. A swimming analogy would be to bring your arms into a streamlined position before initiating your jumping motion off the starting block. Lack of coordination can turn a total-body movement into several isolated single-joint exercises, decreasing the sport specificity. Additionally, because of the complicated nature of the exercises, technique perfection should be imperative. Therefore, when first using these exercises, you should focus on the quality of the movement, not the quantity. This advice is especially relevant with the jumping and explosive exercises, not only because uncontrolled explosive movements present a high risk for injuries but also because the associated landings place increased stress on the lower extremities. One way to ensure proper technique is to begin these exercises by using little or no weight to engrain proper technique before building strength or power. A final consideration is the importance of the core-stabilizing musculature when performing these exercises. The core stabilizers function not only as the link between upper- and lower-body movements but also as stabilizers and protectors of the upper and lower back. Therefore, you must set the core stabilizers at the start of every exercise. Chapter 5 provides a thorough overview of how to set the core stabilizers.