Getting Back In The Water

I am happy to say that I am back in the pool again and just like with any sport there’s a point where the gym isn’t enough and you have to start practicing your stamina again.  But I am not walking away from my offseason workouts having learned nothing.

I learned both from swimming and in the gym that when using your arms your triceps are really important for form and for strength in breaststroke more than any other stroke. Ian Mcleod supports this thought of mine. “Unlike in the other strokes, during the initial portion of the pull phase of the breaststroke the triceps brancii is the primary muscle that is active at the elbow joint” (Mcleod, 13). Knowing this I can feel and control the muscles in my arms more because I know how they should be moving and working in my stroke.

In addition, I will be continually working on my abs because of their importance to swimming. “To move your body efficiently through the water, a coordinated movement of the arms and legs must occur. The key to this coordinated movement is a strong core” (Mcleod, 85). Every aspect of my swim life revolves around a strong core, so the stronger I can make it the stronger my strokes will become.

Lastly, I learned how much I could improve my strokes just by working on my legs more often.  This is because the majority of my strength is in my arms and if I am able to strengthen my legs my strokes would improve drastically. “Strong legs are a critical component to reaching your true potential as a swimmer. They are not only the basis for having a powerful and efficient kick but also the key to driving your body off the starting blocks and turns” (Mcleod, 141).   

 I feel a difference in my strokes already and along with that I can single out which muscles I am using easier and I have more control over them. I am also not giving up on working out outside of the water, I still continue to go to the gym when I can.

If any of you have question on my schedule or workouts or swimming in general feel free to ask.

MLA CITATION:Mcleod, Ian. SWIMMING Anatomy
. N.p.: Human Kinetics, 2010. Print.