Last Updated on November 28, 2017 by MarcyPro
Competitive swimmers put a lot of physical exertion into their sport. They can spend up to 20 hours a week in the pool for their warm-ups and practices. With that kind of workload, it might seem like more exercise isn’t really necessary anymore. However, a dry land exercise routine can also be beneficial to these athletes.
With the right dry land exercise program, a swimmer can reduce the chance of injury by improving joint stability and can improve lower body strength to benefit jumps off the block and wall push offs. If you’re a competitive swimmer, you need the best home exercise equipment and the right routines. So here’s what you can do:
Lateral Lunge
Performing lateral lunges can help open up the muscles in the hips and groin which can improve your hip rotation, a vital asset to have in swimming. So to perform the movement, start from a standing position, stepping to your right. Remember to keep your toes pointed ahead and your feet flat on the ground.
Squat onto your right leg, keep the left leg straight. Squat as low as possible, and hold this position for up 2 seconds, then return to the starting position and switch sides. Do this for about 10 reps.
Physioball Leg Curl
The physioball leg curl helps extend the hips and targets the hamstrings which can help you improve your diving ability and posterior strength. To do the routine, lie face up on the ground. Keep your legs straight and heels on the physioball.
Brace your shoulders and relax your neck. Squeeze your glutes and raise your hips as you pull the ball towards you. Don’t lower your hips as the ball comes closer, extend the legs again then repeat the curls 10 times. Your hips must not touch the ground while you’re performing leg curls.
Pull-ups
To carry out a proper swim stroke, the lats, back, shoulder, and wrists have to work together to propel a swimmer in the water. By doing pull-ups, you can mimic the stroking motion in the water and work those areas.
Use an underhand or overhand grip, pull your shoulder blades back and down to lift your body up then pull with your arms. Fully extend your position after each rep. Perform three sets with 12 reps each.
These are just some of the routines you can opt to do. These routines target key areas such as the shoulders and legs. If you’re looking for the equipment to perform these exercises, check out MarcyPro.com today!