Strength

What're the best shoulder strength exercises for swimmers?

Maximize Shoulder Strength: Exercises for Strong Swimmers

Hi, Jude, best exercises for strength for shoulder strength. I think, we need to look a little bit to the little bit lower in a little bit further back, scapular, stabilizers. If we work backwards from the most common injuries in swimming. We're going to look at this incredible tightness and this over development on the front side of the shoulder for most swimmers. So we really want as the shoulder comes up and forward. We want all the musculature, the serratus, the lat, the rhomboids, everything that's going to help set the shoulders back. So that as I go for that big reach. I'm not actually getting way up here. So from a strength coaches perspective, the best shoulder, exercises, and strength, exercises, for swimmers is I want to give freedom for the rib cage to move a little bit. So I very rarely do bilateral, overhead presses, and I really like to do Ooh, unilateral pushing and pulling primarily pulling exercises. I also really like to work Crossing exercises and cross patterns. So they're from working on the left shoulder. I'm also working on the right hip so that those two can kind of work together to get that beautiful rotation, and the comfort, and the freedom in the body to move, in that nice rotation. If that's what the athlete needs. I'm not a swim coach, but when I swim coach comes to, Me and asks for more strength. I'm going to look for scapular stability and strength as well as overhead pressing with only single arm. If I'm pushing overhead and unilateral exercises, that connect the shoulders, perhaps in that Crossing pattern with the opposite glute. And so, we can't separate necessarily the upper away from the pelvis and the core talk soon. Hope it's hope. That's helpful.

The best shoulder exercises and strength exercises for swimmers to increase shoulder strength are unilateral pushing and pulling exercises, overhead presses with single arms, and cross pattern exercises which involve working the left shoulder while also working the right hip. These exercises create scapular stability and freedom in the body to move in a nice rotation.

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The best shoulder strength exercises for swimmers focus on the scapular stabilizers and the musculature that helps set the shoulders back. To address the common tightness and overdevelopment in the front side of the shoulder, it's important to work on the serratus, lat, and rhomboids.

From a strength coach's perspective, exercises that promote freedom of movement in the rib cage are beneficial. Bilateral overhead presses are rarely used, and instead, unilateral pushing and pulling exercises are preferred, with an emphasis on pulling exercises. Cross-pattern exercises that involve working on the left shoulder and right hip together can help improve rotation and overall body movement.

When swim coaches seek strength training, focusing on scapular stability and strength, as well as unilateral overhead pressing and exercises that connect the shoulders with the opposite glute, can be effective. It's important to recognize that the upper body cannot be separated from the pelvis and core.

Overall, these exercises aim to improve shoulder strength and stability for swimmers, addressing common issues and promoting optimal movement in the water.

What is one of the most under utilized lift or exercise in your opinion for swimmers?

Unlocking Swim Performance: The Underutilized Lift Swimmers Need

Hi, Doc Cunningham. Erin Carson here. I think that one of the most underutilized lifts or exercise for swimmers-- I think a lot of people really focus on the backside of the body, as do I, lat activation and strength. Core position and pelvic position is really, really important, and overall body awareness, especially with the lower body, with swimmers, because they are in an open position. They're not interacting with gravity the same way as most of my athletes. But one of my favorite things is a single-arm overhead press and sometimes a single-arm overhead press with rotation. So it's one of my favorite ones for swimmers. They seem to enjoy it. It helps add balance, and good shoulder function, and strength, that they do transfer well and feel in the water.

Single-arm overhead press with rotation is a great exercise for swimmers because it helps add balance, shoulder function, and strength. It transfers well to the water and has been well received by swimmers.

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In my opinion, one of the most underutilized lifts or exercises for swimmers is the single-arm overhead press, and sometimes incorporating rotation. While many swimmers focus on the backside of their body, such as lat activation and strength, it's important to also prioritize core and pelvic position, as well as overall body awareness, especially in the lower body.

The single-arm overhead press helps improve balance, shoulder function, and strength, which can transfer well to the water. Swimmers tend to enjoy this exercise and find it beneficial for their performance.

How does a lifting plan for hypertrophy differ from one for developing strength, explosiveness, or endurance?

Training Variables: Hypertrophy vs. Strength, Explosiveness, Endurance

Hey Lane, we're really looking at acute training variables. When we're talking about muscle hypertrophy pure strength power. You said explosiveness, same kind of vibe for me or endurance. So we're gonna start at the beginning, which would be strength endurance, which we get a lot of neurological development and skill development using strength endurance. We're going to go anywhere from 12 to 20. Reps understanding that the intensity or the the amount of load being lifted at the end of the set, you should be able to do. Three or four more reps, but you don't do them. And that's how you want to make sure that you have the right amount of load when we're training for endurance. We also want to have 20 to 30 seconds between sets. So we're not looking for a lot of time. Between sets. We're looking for a relatively accessible load and 12 to 20 repetitions when we're looking at hypertrophy. We're going to move up into 70 to 80% of what your one rep max. Now I kind of stopped doing a one rep max. Test because it's risky. Anyway, never want to put our athletes at risk. So we're going to take a few weeks or maybe a few sessions depending on the skill level of the athlete to figure out just how strong they are. And just how skilled they are. When we're looking to develop muscle and have that outcome be an increase in muscle size. And that acute training variable, is going to be 8 to 12 repetitions with 70 to 80% of that. One rep max said, another way. We might look to that when we finish the 12th rep, we maybe could have done one or two. To but we choose not to the time between sets for that is going to be 60 to 90 seconds. And that's really important because a lot of people out there trying to build muscle, who are actually taking far too much time between sets. So you're almost ready to go. But if you're if you don't need the time between sets the 90 seconds, you probably not going heavy enough. If you feel like you need more time between sets, you are probably going to heavy so that rest interval between sets is really, really important. Aunt, the next one is going to be pure strength, and that's kind of where I live with most of my endurance athletes. That's my goal is to get them to the point where their skill is high enough there. Knurled neural load is low enough that we can actually get these asks of them. So they're not so fatigued that they can safely get under pretty good significant amounts of weight in order to build tension strength in their connective tissue, as well as just get stronger without increasing muscle size. So that represents Change that I use is anywhere from two to six. Repetitions six. Being I know, I can add more load if they can comfortably get six reps. So, the the 90% of 1 rep max would be, we could probably leave one in the bank for that. So if you finish your sixth repetition, you could have done seven. We want to make sure that then we know, we're in the right place for Pure strength development. The time between sets there. That's where it becomes really interesting with endurance athletes. I think we can do. Stuff with that time. So the technical acute training variable would be 90 seconds between sets up to two and a half minutes and that's with pure strength. I can probably fit in some core training, some complimenting must muscle group or a and distracting muscle group. That would be on the other side of the body. So if we're doing a heavy push we might do some lighter poles during that rest period, to make sure we get the most of our time. When we start talking about power. We're really talking about one to four reps. Any time you get there? You start talking about risk and reward, and what are we really trying to accomplish with that athlete? So power is something that I saved for my most experienced athletes. I'm always looking for a long-term relationship with them so that we can, in fact, use that phase of training in a really productive way. So hopefully that gives you a really good outline of the acute training variables for the intended outcomes.

Acute training variables depend on the intended outcome. For endurance, use a load of 70-80% of your one rep max, do 12-20 reps with a rest period of 20-30 seconds between sets. For hypertrophy use 70-80% of your one rep max, 8-12 reps and a rest period of 60-90 seconds. For pure strength use 90% of your one rep max, with 2-6 reps and a rest period of up to 2.5 minutes. For power, use 1-4 reps but save it for experienced athletes as it carries a risk.

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When designing a lifting plan, the specific goals of hypertrophy, strength, explosiveness, or endurance will determine the differences in the plan. Here's an overview of the acute training variables for each goal:

1. Strength Endurance: This focuses on neurological development and skill improvement. The rep range is typically 12 to 20, with the intensity allowing for three to four more reps at the end of the set. Rest periods between sets are around 20 to 30 seconds.

2. Hypertrophy (Muscle Growth): The goal here is to increase muscle size. The rep range is 8 to 12, with the intensity set at around 70 to 80% of the one-rep max. Rest periods between sets are longer, ranging from 60 to 90 seconds.

3. Pure Strength: This aims to build tension strength in connective tissues and increase overall strength without significant muscle size gains. The rep range is lower, typically 2 to 6 reps, with the intensity around 90% of the one-rep max. Rest periods between sets are longer, ranging from 90 seconds to 2.5 minutes.

4. Power: Power training is reserved for experienced athletes due to the risk involved. The rep range is usually 1 to 4 reps, focusing on explosive movements. The goal is to optimize the risk-reward balance. Rest periods between sets may vary based on the specific exercises and goals.

It's important to note that these guidelines provide a general framework, and individual variations and specific training needs should be considered when designing a lifting plan.

Any specific weight training for 50m sprinters?

Maximize Sprinting Performance with Complementary Weight Training

Weight training for 50 meters printers. I'm going to assume that this is for swimming because there's not a 50-meter sprinting event on the track per se. So for a 50 meter, sprinting, freestyle athlete. We're going to try and create a program that strengthens everything that the athlete isn't using while sprinting in the pool freestyle. So we want to work external rotation of the shoulder scapular retraction depression. So that the position of the The arm in the overhead position is in a really healthy position. We also want to make sure that the pelvis can remain remain neutral so that we can maintain that. Nice flat back the neutral pelvis will also accommodate the lower body action of kicking. I'm not a one to duplicate the motion asked of the sport so we're looking for the complementary muscle groups that allow the athlete, the freedom to perform at their highest level.

For an effective weight training routine for a 50m freestyle sprinter, focus on strengthening the external rotation of the shoulder, scapular retraction and depression, as well as keeping the pelvis in a neutral position. This will help maintain a healthy overhead position and allow for more efficient kicking.

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When it comes to weight training for 50-meter sprinters, I'm assuming this is for swimming since there isn't a 50-meter sprinting event on the track. For a 50-meter freestyle swimmer, the goal is to strengthen the muscles that aren't used as much during the sprint in the pool.

One focus should be on exercises that target external rotation of the shoulder and scapular retraction and depression. This helps maintain a healthy position of the arm overhead. Additionally, it's important to work on maintaining a neutral pelvis, which allows for a flat back and accommodates the lower body action of kicking.

Rather than duplicating the exact motions used in the sport, the aim is to target complementary muscle groups that provide the athlete with the freedom to perform at their highest level.

How should amateur athletes balance S&C with their other triathlon training? How many sessions, etc.?

Optimizing Training: Balancing S&C for Amateur Athletes

Hey said Sid great question. The most important thing for an amateur athlete to recognize is where is their opportunity to improve. We want to break down our training into five specific areas. Number one, preparation for training number two strength endurance and Mobility. Number three, generals strength, and just bringing everything. You have to the next level. Number four, a little bit of speed and power. And number five, the ability to recover from those. Sessions. So there's many different things to take into consideration when planning but generally speaking, we want to look for the athletes opportunities and then fill in the training objectives around those opportunities. So if an athlete can show me even just some of their results from their last race or some of the feelings that they felt during the swim during the bike, during the runner, even just during transition. Did they have a hard time? I'm getting down to their shoes, to tie the shoes up. That would be important thing. So, I have a lot of questions to be able to ask to optimally load, load something up for somebody. But the most important thing is to recognize where your opportunities are fill in those gaps. And then in conjunction with your Swim Bike Run training, we definitely want your hard days to stay hard and your easy days to stay easy. I think one of the biggest mistakes people make is they do Jim. Work on their off days because they tend to have more time on those days and that is not allowing them to fully recover. Remember those five key areas. We want to consider. Do I need help setting myself up for Success using a pre-flight or pre Mobility session. Do I need more strength endurance that would help my pelvis stand in neutral position or perhaps open up my thoracic spine and help me move a little bit better. Do I need just to get stronger so that I can compete on hills and run downhill faster or Or uphill faster or just generally get stronger and faster at the same time. So that that pure strength is really important power speed and rate of force production. That's really really important as well. So different people have different objectives. They have different specific needs. I'm sorry. I can't give you the exact right answer, but it's worth digging deeper for everybody.

The most important thing for an amateur athlete to recognize is where their opportunity to improve lies. We want to break down training into five areas: Preparation for training, Strength and Mobility, General Strength, Speed and Power, and Recovery from Sessions. It's important to recognize opportunities and fill in the training objectives around those opportunities. Additionally, it's important to keep hard days hard and easy days easy. Depending on the athlete, different objectives may be needed such as pre-flight or mobility sessions, strength endurance, strength, power, speed and rate of force production.

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When it comes to balancing strength and conditioning (S&C) with other triathlon training, amateur athletes should focus on identifying their areas for improvement. Training can be broken down into five specific areas: preparation for training, strength endurance and mobility, general strength, speed and power, and recovery.

To plan effectively, athletes should consider their individual opportunities for improvement. This can be done by reviewing race results, assessing performance during each discipline (swim, bike, run), and even evaluating transitions. Identifying areas of weakness or difficulty will help determine the training objectives.

In conjunction with Swim, Bike, Run training, it's important to maintain a balance between hard and easy days. One common mistake is doing gym work on rest days, which can hinder full recovery. It's crucial to allow the body time to rest and recuperate.

The specific number of S&C sessions will vary for each athlete based on their needs and goals. Some key considerations include incorporating pre-flight or pre-mobility sessions for optimal setup, focusing on strength endurance to improve posture and movement, building overall strength for better performance on hills or challenging terrain, and developing power, speed, and rate of force production.

Ultimately, each athlete will have different objectives and specific needs. It's important to dig deeper, ask relevant questions, and tailor the S&C training accordingly to ensure optimal performance and progress.

Do you think deadlifts are risky?  What are some safer alternatives that offer similar strength gains in legs and posterior chain?

Master the Deadlift: Safer Alternatives and Longevity Secrets

He's got air in here. Let's talk. Really quick about it. Deadlift, first and foremost. It's probably the most important exercise that one can learn to do throughout a lifetime. The most important thing about athletic performance might be longevity even in a young athlete. So learning to hip hinge which is one of the fundamental Place pieces of a deadlift is going to be one of the most important things you can do. Do and that's being able to just hinge at the hip rather than round the spine and be able to accept load as you bring that up. So the overall risks would be compression that you can't actually support the lift because you don't have enough tents egg ready or core lift in your body. That's probably one of the most unique things about how I train athletes is to pull the ribs in the hip support and actually work on core tense. Gritty and lift. So that's the first thing. The second thing is really working on that hip hinge and being able to push the hips back while maintaining the Integrity of the spine, some of the ways that we can create alternative lifts. If you're not strong enough or your hip, hinge is just not there yet. We might start with some low body strength in a very very safe environment may be using a leg press or a machine based that's going to support the core but allow you to build strength in your lower leg. Lower body. You can do step UPS. You can really do anything. That is a very traditional exercise in the gym to build lower body strength before really attempting a deadlift. I think, when we envision a deadlift, we're really looking at some Olympic lifting when it's very, very heavy. And that's not what we're after with a deadlift. You can do lighter deadlifting, and you can use straight leg dead lifting. And there's just so many ways to approach it, but it's going to be worth the journey.

Deadlifting is an important exercise that should be learned by athletes to improve their performance and longevity. One of the most important aspects of deadlifting is learning to hip hinge and having the core strength to support the lift. If you are not strong enough, there are alternative exercises such as leg presses and step-ups that can help build up lower body strength before attempting a deadlift. There are also lighter versions of deadlifts such as straight leg deadlifts.

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Deadlifts are not inherently risky if performed with proper form and technique. Learning to hip hinge and maintain the integrity of the spine is crucial for safe deadlifting. The main risks associated with deadlifts are compression and the inability to support the lift due to insufficient core strength.

To build strength in the legs and posterior chain while minimizing risk, there are several safer alternatives. Starting with low body strength exercises in a supportive environment, such as using a leg press or machine-based exercises, can be effective. Step-ups and other traditional lower body exercises can also help build strength before attempting deadlifts.

It's important to note that deadlifts don't necessarily have to be heavy or involve Olympic lifting. Lighter deadlifts and variations like straight leg deadlifts can be utilized. There are numerous approaches to deadlifting, and it's worth embarking on the journey to learn and master this important exercise for long-term athletic performance and overall strength gains.

Neither AnyQuestion nor its Experts provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment or otherwise provide professional healthcare services.

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Erin is a Colorado-based strength coach. She is the co-owner of RallySport, a Boulder training facility and health club, and head coach for ECFIT. Her clients include world champions and everyday athletes seeking excellence. Previously, Erin attended the University of Colorado on a basketball scholarship and played professionally in Europe. She has multiple masters degrees, is certified by NSCA, NASM, EXOS, PTA Global and is a Foundation Training and Titleist Performance Coach. Erin is also an accomplished triathlete placing 6th in her age group at the 2016 70.3 World Championships and has multiple podium finishes.