What are the best exercises for improving swimming-specific mobility?
The first exercise is to stand about 6 inches away from the wall, bring the ball up overhead and tuck your hips under for 5 seconds. The second exercise is to start on all fours, rock backwards and reach one arm over across the other while dropping back to stretch the lats and maximize shoulder range of motion. Transcript: "Is it great question on swimming specific mobility. And in this video, I'm going to show two different things that I use with my swimmers to help sort of maintain that full body length. The first one might feel more like a core exercise but it still is really going to help with. Like the isometric, lengthening of your body during swimming and then the second one will be more of that. Feel good sort of lat stretch opening. So on the first one, I'm going to stand about 6 inches away from the wall, bring the ball up overhead. Both hands almost into a streamlined position reach as far as you can. And then at that point of the height, you're going to notice that your but wants to kick out somewhat. So with hands into the pressure of the bowl, tuck your hips under, hold that position, For five seconds and then relax. So you're all the way overhead drawing. Your core in to make it a strong core base movement as you're pushing, that's going to work on length, throughout the whole upper body giving you that long streamline position without breaking body form. And then on the second exercise, which is the easier of the two e start on all fours, Rock backwards. Reach one arm over across the other. I'm going to do it the other way. So I'm reaching my left hand over across and then I drop back and I stretch all through here. So I'm anchoring my hands down one on top of the other and then lifting and reaching through there. So, I'm just rocking back and forth, stretching this whole line of the lats and maximizing shoulder range, of motion, which is going to be hugely important for swimming."
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2 Answers
Jim Heafner
Physical Therapist, Author
Is it great question on swimming specific mobility. And in this video, I'm going to show two different things that I use with my swimmers to help sort of maintain that full body length. The first one might feel more like a core exercise but it still is really going to help with. Like the isometric, lengthening of your body during swimming and then the second one will be more of that. Feel good sort of lat stretch opening. So on the first one, I'm going to stand about 6 inches away from the wall, bring the ball up overhead. Both hands almost into a streamlined position reach as far as you can. And then at that point of the height, you're going to notice that your but wants to kick out somewhat. So with hands into the pressure of the bowl, tuck your hips under, hold that position, For five seconds and then relax. So you're all the way overhead drawing. Your core in to make it a strong core base movement as you're pushing, that's going to work on length, throughout the whole upper body giving you that long streamline position without breaking body form. And then on the second exercise, which is the easier of the two e start on all fours, Rock backwards. Reach one arm over across the other. I'm going to do it the other way. So I'm reaching my left hand over across and then I drop back and I stretch all through here. So I'm anchoring my hands down one on top of the other and then lifting and reaching through there. So, I'm just rocking back and forth, stretching this whole line of the lats and maximizing shoulder range, of motion, which is going to be hugely important for swimming.
Dr. Brian Cunningham
๐บ๐ธ Olympic Swim Team Physiotherapist
Lucas. This is a pretty loaded question. I would want you to be a little bit more specific. Give me some background information regarding Age and, and, and whatnot, but generally in my experience, most swimmers don't necessarily it lack Mobility, they lack stability. One thing you might want to think about is, can you maintain the position? Shane. For the stroke and how long you can maintain that for. So, what I'm talking about is the line from your fingertips, through your head, your spine, down to your toes. Can you get into that position and there's the restrictions in any of that part of the kinetic chain? And doing some maybe activation exercises or foam rolling or lacrosse, ball or soft tissue? Work to the soft, tissue around the areas that you feel limited would be beneficial. You one earring that I think some swimmers need Mobility is in the thoracic spine in their chest which would help open up their shoulders but I don't Advocate just specific strength stretching exercises for that. What I would recommend you do is consult with a swim. List of PT like me or strength and conditioning or chiropractor, that can give you some more specifics on the areas that you are doing well in and areas that you need some help.