Training Tips to help improve your Swimming
Gym Exercises That Can Boost Your Swimming Performance
There are different exercises for different purposes. Exercise for the pool performance is the most satisfying kind of exercise. It gives you a low level of resistance and full body workout. Hence, you could see clearly the advantages of your gym sessions while swimming as you would swim longer distances that previously were not quite possible.
Different Types of Exercises
There are some key gym exercises for your pool performance along with the benefits which trainers might incorporate into the weight room sessions.
Squat Jumps
It is the very first exercise that is mostly recommended that is squat jumping. You can achieve them with the bodyweight or even these are weighted by just holding the dumbbells. These would work the glutes, quads, & calf muscles. Hence, they help you in exploding off the blocks as well as walls after some tumble turn.
Pull-Ups
Pull-ups have so many benefits: A stroke while swimming can create a full extension through the legs, back, wrist, and shoulders. Hence, the pull-up properly done mimics these kinds of movements. It also allows swimmers to actually strengthen the pull when swimmers glide through water.
Triceps extension
Triceps are small in stature as compared to the biceps. Triceps is a quite essential arm muscle. They are used in every kind of stroke. Whilst sitting, take your dumbbell in both hands individually & keep your hands behind the head. Plus, your elbows must be in line properly with the back. They must point upwards. Then, you will have to extend weight above the head. Now, hold & just bring them back down to the starting position. This must be done in the smooth motion. Although the triceps would fatigue speedily, this makes a quick recovery.
Lateral Lunge
The lateral lunge opens your muscles of hips and groin. It ultimately assists swimmers in improving their hips rotation. This is of utmost importance. Thus it is recommended by many trainers. There are a lot of distance swimmers who actually end up depending on the hip rotation. It allows them for taking long as well as strong strokes. They can pull more and more water. It is great while swimming long races.
Deadlift
It is a kind of hard exercise. So, it’s tough to master. This also works for the lower posterior chain that is the hamstrings, lower back, and glutes. It can give you more leg strength along with a great body position while swimming. While this comes to weight then you need something which would leave you tired at the end of this exercise. When you feel comfortable then start increasing the weight.
Dumbbell Press
The dumbbell press is great for promoting your shoulder stability even without putting more pressure onto your joints. You shoulder stability is of utmost importance. Many swimmers put so much stress on the shoulders while they swim lap after lap. In case you are succeeded in building the strong shoulder stability then you are able to reduce the chances of having any shoulder problems later in the swimming career including tendonitis.
Hanging Crunch
There are many swimmers who actually hate this. Hanging crunch is a very good exercise for the swimmers. All you need to do is hold on to the pull-up bar and just leave the body hanging down. Then, lift up your knees up the chest & come back to the straight-leg position.
This kind of exercise helps you in types of strokes as this does work greatly. Plus, strengthening the core is a key as it makes you able to assist the legs at a high position while swimming. It ultimately gives you a good position along with less level of resistance in the water.
You have to hold your body still as it is important while doing the hanging crunch. In the start, there can be a little tendency for the body to swing as you have not achieved the control yet.
Mini Band External Rotation
The mini band external rotation is very good. This exercise assists you in strengthening the hips as well as glutes. It ultimately provides you much power in the swimming pool. You know well how strong are the kicks of a swimmer that are generated from the swimmer’s hips. Hence, when you have strong hips, it would definitely lead to powerful kicks. It is especially significant or those swimmers who do swimming in the sprint races that include Caeleb Dressel. The swimmers generate a lot of power from the kicks in order to move in the pool.
Overhead Squat
The overhead squats assist you a lot with the quads and glutes. It ultimately helps with the kicks, starts & turns while swimming. Plus, when you keep arms above the head throughout then you are actually forced to handle the stability of core & the arms a little more. This helps with streamlining if you push off a wall and also improves your position while swimming.
All you need to do is just try to keep the feet at a wider distance than with the usual squat. And, in case you have not done overhead squatting ever before then just start off by using a stick and you will get the exact technique. When you are mastered in this, start building up your weight by using barbells, dumbbells or any medicine ball. You can choose whatever suits you the best.
Kneeling Superman’s
While swimming, you are using the opposite sides of the body, in case you are doing backstroke or front crawl, the left arm will work along with the right leg & vice versa. This kind of exercise helps you great in getting used to multitasking; many swimmers know that they’ve 1 side a bit weaker than the other one.
When you are extending the left leg back then you have to extend the right arm forward. Now, hold this position for a couple of seconds and then repeat this with the other side. Kneeling Superman’s works your lower & upper back and glutes & abs.