Seated Physioball Abdominal Hold
Execution
1. In an upright seated position on a physioball, set your abdominal muscles.
2. Slowly lean backward until your upper torso is at a 45-degree angle to the floor.
3. Lift one arm forward until it is in a streamlined position.
4. Lower and then repeat with the opposite arm.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Rectus abdominis, rectus femoris, iliopsoas
Secondary:Serratus anterior, internal oblique, external oblique, transversus abdominis
Swimming Focus
It is easy to visualize how this exercise can contribute directly to strengthening the core stabilizers as they are used while swimming backstroke. The addition of trunk rotational movements similar to those performed while swimming backstroke emphasizes the internal and external obliques. By moving both arms in unison and holding a streamlined position, the focus of the exercise shifts to strengthening the core muscles as they contribute to maintaining a streamline during both starts and turns.
While performing this exercise, the main focus must be placed on (1) maintaining the set abdominal position during the entire exercise and (2) performing the arm and trunk movements in a slow, controlled manner.
Russian Twist
Execution
1. From a seated bent-knee position, tighten your abdominal muscles, lean backward, and lift your feet 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) off the ground. Hold a medicine ball in your hands at your chest.
2. Moving only with your trunk, rotate to one side. Quickly reverse the movement and rotate to the opposite side.
3. Continue until you have completed the set number of repetitions.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique
Secondary:Psoas major
Swimming Focus
The main focus of this exercise is the internal and external obliques, which are extremely important in linking the movements of the arms and legs during freestyle and backstroke, especially when you are in an elongated position. The upper-trunk rotational movements are similar to those performed during open turns for both butterfly and breaststroke, so this exercise can also be used to improve the speed at which you can complete a turn and get off the wall.
To keep the focus of the exercise on the abdominal musculature, hold the medicine ball close to the chest. If you hold the ball away from your chest and emphasize touching it to the ground, you may compensate by using the shoulder muscles instead of the abdominal muscles.
Kneeling Chop
Execution
1. Position yourself so that when you are kneeling, the high pulley is diagonally behind your shoulder.
2. Reaching up and back, grasp the handle with both hands.
3. Initiate the movement with your abdominal muscles. The arms should act as an extension of the torso.
4. Using an arcing movement, guide the handle downward toward the opposite knee.
5. Reverse the movement to return to the starting position.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique
Secondary:Serratus anterior, latissimus dorsi, pectoralis major
Swimming Focus
Because it starts with the arms and trunk in an elongated and stretched position, this exercise helps swimmers develop confidence and strength in their stroke during the initial portion of the pulling phase of all four strokes. Another key to this exercise is that the actions performed recruit the latissimus dorsi and pectoralis major, which helps to link their activation with that of the involved abdominal muscles. This coordination in muscle activation helps swimmers generate more power with their arm movements by linking them to the core.
When performing the exercise, the head should follow the movements of the hands. This action links the movements of the arms to the movements of the torso, which in turn targets the abdominal muscles. Not doing this poses the risk that the movements will be performed predominantly with the arms rather than the trunk, thus negating most of the benefits of the exercise.
Physioball Prayer Roll
Execution
1. Using your forearms, support your upper body on a physioball. Support your lower body with your knees and toes.
2. Set your abdominal muscles to stabilize your spine in a neutral position.
3. Roll the ball out slowly, allowing your arms to move with the ball and your knees to straighten.
4. Pause in the ending position and then return to the start.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique, transversus abdominis
Secondary:Latissimus dorsi, serratus anterior, gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus
Swimming Focus
This core-strengthening exercise is particularly useful for breaststrokers. It can help them develop confidence when the body is in an elongated position at the start of the pulling phase. Additionally, the exercise targets the abdominal muscles in a way that will carry over to strengthening the undulating body movements that occur during breaststroke and butterfly.
To get the maximum benefit out of performing this exercise, you must stabilize the spine in a neutral position for the entire time. Dropping the hips and arching the back is a sign that this control has been lost. The difficulty of the exercise can be modified by altering the starting forearm placement on the physioball. If the starting position of the hand and forearms is lower on the ball and closer to the floor, the exercise becomes more difficult because you will be able to roll the ball farther away from the body.
Physioball Upper-Trunk Rotation
Execution
1. Sit on a physioball and slide down into a bridge position with your neck and shoulders balanced on the ball. Point your arms toward the ceiling.
2. While keeping your hips straight and your spine in a neutral position, rotate your upper body to one side.
3. Pause and then rotate to the opposite side.
Muscles Involved
Primary:External oblique, internal oblique, transversus abdominis