The erector spinae muscle group is extremely important in maintaining proper horizontal body alignment in the water, especially during backstroke. Whenever a swimmer has difficulty holding a tight streamline in the water or allows the hips to drop while swimming backstroke, the erector spinae should be near the top of the list of suspected areas of weakness. The erector spinae muscle group produces the extension of the spine that takes place with the undulating body movements performed with underwater dolphin kicking, butterfly, and breaststroke. The erector spinae muscle group also plays a vital role in the starting motion of all four strokes. During starts performed from the blocks, it is one of the primary muscle groups responsible for creating the streamlined body position. During backstroke starts, contraction of the erector spinae leads to the arching motion that allows the swimmer to get off the wall and into the water quickly.
Chin-Up
Execution
1. Grasp the bar with an underhand grip, with the palms facing your body. Your hands should be slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Hold your knees in a bent position and cross one foot over the other.
2. From a hanging position pull your body upward, focusing on bringing your chest to the bar.
3. Pause at the top of the movement and then slowly lower to a hanging position.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Latissimus dorsi
Secondary:Biceps brachii, brachialis, lower trapezius, rhomboid major, rhomboid minor, teres major
Swimming Focus
Chin-ups are a great addition to any dryland program because they can be done wherever a chin-up or pull-up bar is available. In comparison with the hand positioning for pull-ups, the hand placement for chin-ups emphasizes the elbow flexors (biceps brachii and brachialis). By targeting both the latissimus dorsi and the elbow flexors, this exercise benefits all swimmers by strengthening the pulling phase of their strokes. Because chin-ups are generally a challenging exercise for most swimmers, they are useful for building mental toughness. To help you reach your goal number of repetitions, a partner can assist by supporting your feet.
Make sure that your body movements are slow and controlled during the exercise. Excessive jerking and swinging of the legs is a form of cheating.
SAFETY TIP
When returning to the starting position, lower your body in a controlled manner to avoid placing extra stress on the shoulders, which can occur if you allow your body to drop down quickly. Also, avoid hanging in the starting position for a prolonged period because doing this also places extra stress on the shoulders.
Pull-Up
Execution
1. Grasp the bar with your palms facing outward and your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Hold your knees in a bent position and cross one foot over the other.
2. From a hanging position pull your body upward, focusing on bringing your chest to the bar.
3. Pause at the top of the movement and then slowly lower to a hanging position.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Latissimus dorsi
Secondary:Lower trapezius, rhomboid major, rhomboid minor, teres major, biceps brachii, brachialis
SAFETY TIP
When returning to the starting position, lower your body in a controlled manner to avoid placing extra stress on the shoulders, which can occur if you allow your body to drop down quickly. Also, avoid hanging in the starting position for a prolonged period because doing this also places extra stress on the shoulders.
Swimming Focus
Like chin-ups, pull-ups are easy to add to a dryland program because they can be performed almost anywhere. The hand positioning, opposite that used in chin-ups (palms facing away instead of toward the body), decreases the emphasis on the elbow flexors but is more similar to the hand positioning used during the four competitive strokes. This exercise strengthens the muscles responsible for the initial portion of the pull phase by targeting the latissimus dorsi with the arms in an overhead and elongated position. The difficult nature of the exercise builds mental toughness. To help you reach your goal number of repetitions, a partner can assist by supporting your feet.
Jerking body movements and swinging of the legs at the start of the movement are discouraged because they are a form of cheating.
VARIATION
Wide-Grip Pull-Up
The wider positioning of the hands gears the exercise more toward breaststroke and butterfly swimmers who are trying to increase the strength of the midportion of the pulling phase.
Lat Pull-Down
Execution
1. Sit at the machine and use an overhand grip. Position your hands on the bar 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) wider than the width of your shoulders.
2. Pull the bar down to your upper chest, arching your back slightly.
3. Focus on tightening your lats and pinching your shoulder blades together.
4. Slowly return to the starting position.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Latissimus dorsi
Secondary:Lower trapezius, rhomboid major, rhomboid minor, teres major, biceps brachii, brachialis
Swimming Focus
The lat pull-down is a good all-around exercise for targeting the latissimus dorsi and has a beneficial effect on the pulling phase of all four competitive strokes. Although the body movements performed are similar to those used in pull-ups, lat pull-downs offer the advantage that the resistance is variable and does not depend on body weight. When performing the exercise, focus on keeping your elbows high to mimic more closely the catch position of the pull phase. Although arching your back slightly when bringing the bar down to your chest is OK, avoid leaning backward and using your body weight instead of your latissimus dorsi to pull the weight down.
SAFETY TIP
Perform the exercise as illustrated. The more traditional lat pull-down, in which the bar is brought behind the head to the base of the neck, places extra stress on the shoulder joints.
VARIATION
Single-Arm Lat Pull-Down
Isolating the exercise to one arm allows you to add a rotational trunk movement that more closely mimics the movements performed while swimming. Single-arm isolation also allows extra emphasis to be placed on scapular retraction.
Standing Straight-Arm Pull-Down
