Offseason Training: Arms

As we near the end of the year I am always hearing people say that for their New Year’s Resolution they plan to finally commit to working out multiple times a week. Some people stick with this plan for a couple mouths others stick with it for a couple weeks. The truly dedicated stick to this resolution all year and get amazing results. You can be any one of these people but if your resolution is to start working out again and you need an idea for a workout, then here is a great one to start the year off with.

The Workout:

·        30 close-grip bench presses

·        25 medicine ball chest passes

·        20 Tate presses

·        15 Dumbbell bicep curls (on each arm)

·        15 forward dumbbell deltoid raises (on each arm)

·        20 T raises

·        20 concentration curls

Favorite of the day

Concentration Curl:

This exercise is primarily working on your biceps and can help strengthen any stroke. You’ll want to sit on the end on a bench with a weight of your choosing in one hand with your elbow pressed against the inside of your leg, then begin to curl upwards. For swimming focuses this exercise helps a swimmer strengthen their pull.

Close-Grip Bench Press:

This workout can help strengthen any stroke. It focuses on the triceps and the pectorals which in breaststroke are incorporated with the pulling aspect of the stroke. The stronger these muscles are the quicker my pull becomes. Most people know what a bench press is and how to execute it, but maybe not the purpose. The main purpose is to put more resistance on the triceps. This exercise helps swimmers to isolate their triceps and really work on them specifically, which in-turn will strengthen many aspects of their stroke including pulls. (21, Mcleod)

Medicine Ball Chest Pass:

This exercise also helps enhance any stroke along with diving.  It focuses on your triceps and pectorals. If you have ever played basketball, it’s just a normal chest pass with a medicine ball. If you have never played basketball, then this is how you would execute this exercise: First grab medicine ball of your choosing and bring it up to your chest with your elbows facing outwards. Next toss the ball as hard as you can to your partner, your arms should end fully extended. For swimmers this exercise will help strengthen open turns that are used for butterfly and breaststroke and the explosiveness used in this exercise helps to “absorb and redirect momentum” in the turn. This means that the more you practice this exercise the faster your turns will be (23, Mcleod). For breaststroker’s, fast turns can make or break your race. You can either waste seconds on the wall or make it snappy. 

Tate Press:

The Tate press can also be helpful to any stroke, including breaststroke. You start this exercise by laying on your back with weights of your choosing in each hand up against your chest with the weights facing vertically. Next, push the weights upward (still vertical) until your arms reach a halfway point then turn the weights horizontal and finish pushing the weights upward until your arms are straight. In swimming this exercise is mainly used in dry land workouts to strengthen your triceps.

Dumbbell Bicep Curl:

The dumbbell bicep curl can also strengthen any stroke and is focusing on your biceps. To do this exercise you will need a weight in each hand while sitting on the edge of a bench. Next, slowly rotate your hand while curl one arm at a time in towards your chest.  “The rotation of the palm inward at the ending position places extra emphasis on the biceps and mimics the final portion of the pull phase during breaststroke” (29, Mcleod). The more I work on this the quicker and stronger my pull will get which will in turn drop my time.

Forward Dumbbell Deltoid Raises:

This exercise is specific to backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly and strengthens your deltoid. Start by having a weight in each hand and raise the weight one hand at a time until it is in line with your shoulder, then repeat with the other arm. “During breaststroke it contributes by guiding the movement of the arm and hand from underneath the swimmers chest to a fully extended and elongate position, maximizing the efficiency of the stroke.” (37, Mcleod)

As a swimmer I use muscles from every single muscle group in my body, but my favorite muscles to use are my arms. Arms are some of the most important ligaments a swimmer has they can out touch an opponent to win by .0001 second in a race. They also contain muscles that have importance in every stroke.

If you are a swimmer or are interested in doing these exercises, I would love to hear your opinion on how this workout helped or affected you.