Try This Back Strengthening Exercise Even If You Don’t Have Equipment

SANTA CLARA – Back strengthening exercises don’t have to be difficult, and don’t require a lot of extra equipment.  A simple picnic bench or sturdy table is all you need to be able to pull this dryland tip off.

Purpose:

Many clubs do not have the budget for equipment, especially for age-group programs. I’m always asked, “what exercises strengthen the back without equipment,” luckily there are many challenging exercises with little or no equipment.

The single arm inverted row helps strengthen the back, specifically the scapular stabilizers, which protect the shoulder. Many shoulder injury prevention programs only focus on the rotator cuff muscles, which is too narrow minded. Instead, improving the strength of the scapular stabilizers will prevent excessive should blade movement, scapular dyskinesia. Scapular dyskinesia (alteration in scapular muscle activation) increases from 37% to 68% at the midway point of practice and to 73% at three-quarters of practice (Madsen 2011). More staggering, after the full training session a total of 82% of the swimmers have demonstrated scapular dyskinesia (Madsen 2011). This indicates poor endurance strength of the scapular stabilizing muscles exist secondary due to training. Unfortunately, many “typical” prevention programs do not improve this impaired shoulder timing (Hibberd 2012). Try this no equipment back strengthening exercise!

Directions:

Grasp underneath a bar or sturdy table with one arm.  Keep your body in a straight line from the knees to the shoulders, then pull your body up until your chest reaches the table or bar. Lower yourself in a controlled fashion until you reach the starting position.

References:

  1. Madsen PH, Bak K, Jensen S, Welter U. Training induces scapular dyskinesis in pain-free competitive swimmers: a reliability and observational study.Clin J Sport Med. 2011 Mar;21(2):109-13.
  2. Hibberd EE, Oyama S, Spang JT, Prentice W, Myers JB. Effect of a 6-week strengthening program on shoulder and scapular-stabilizer strength and scapular kinematics in division I collegiate swimmers. J Sport Rehabil. 2012 Aug;21(3):253-65. Epub 2012 Mar 2.
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