For swimming enthusiasts: Try these exercises to enhance your speed
What's the story
Mastering your prone swimming technique can give you a huge advantage in the water.
This article details five exercises that specifically strengthen the muscles used in prone swimming, enabling you to swim faster and more efficiently.
By including these exercises in your training routine, you can build strength, endurance, and flexibility, all key components for perfecting your prone swimming technique.
Core
Core strengthening for better stability
A strong core is crucial for keeping your body aligned and stable in the water.
Planks are a great way to develop that essential core strength.
Start with 20-second holds and build up as you get stronger.
Try to do planks three times a week and you'll soon notice a big difference in your stability while swimming.
Shoulders
Shoulder mobility for efficient strokes
Good shoulder mobility is key to generating efficient and powerful strokes.
By including shoulder rotations in your warm-up, you can significantly improve flexibility.
Stand with your arms extended out to the sides at shoulder height, and make small forward circles gradually increasing to larger circles.
After one minute, reverse the direction.
Regular practice can greatly enhance shoulder mobility over time.
Legs
Leg strength for powerful kicks
Strong legs = powerful kicks = you glide through the water with way less effort.
Squats are your friends when it comes to building leg strength.
Start with two sets of 10 squats. Make sure you're doing them right - back straight, knees behind toes as you lower down like you're sitting on a chair.
Get stronger? Awesome! Add more sets and reps or grab some weights for extra resistance.
Flexibility
Flexibility for smooth movements
Flexibility is key for seamless transitions between strokes and preventing injuries.
Include dynamic stretching in your routine before workouts or swims to enhance flexibility across various muscle groups involved in prone swimming.
Think leg swings and arm sweeps that mirror swimming motions. These get your body ready by boosting blood flow to muscles.
Endurance
Endurance training outside the pool
Building endurance outside the pool is key to increasing your ability to sustain effort over longer swimming sessions.
By doing cardiovascular exercises (running or cycling) at least three times a week, you'll significantly boost your stamina and endurance.
These exercises strengthen your cardiovascular system without overtaxing the muscles used in swimming, resulting in improved performance and less fatigue during extended periods in the water.