By Dr. G. John Mullen<\/i><\/p>\n
As I’ve written about recently, swimming core training improves performance, as indicated by the recent Hibbs (2015) article and by swimming coaches for decades. Nonetheless, improvements on swimming core training can still occur, which I outlined in\u00a03 core training mistakes that swimmers make<\/a>. One of the newer exercises I’ve discovered is the anti-rotation walkout, a great routine for developing the core muscles used to streamline during the start and pushoffs.<\/p>\n Purpose:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The anti-rotation walkout with band integrates the core with the upper body and lower body, forcing the swimmer to stay streamlined while external forces act upon it. This exercise also incorporates shoulder injury prevention, as it teaches the swimmer to retract their shoulder blades and improve shoulder proprioception, as their partner mildly shakes the band. This shaking, known as pertupations, help recruit rotator cuff muscle activation, stabilizing the head of the humerus within the glenoid cavity [see previous\u00a0articles:\u00a0Shoulder Pain? Protect Your Rotator Cuff Muscles<\/a>;\u00a0Protect Your Shoulders With This Rotator Cuff Activation<\/a>].<\/p>\n Directions:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Securely set-up a band at waist height. Next, straighten your elbows, grasping the band, brace your abdominals, and walk out slowly as far as you can while keeping the hands in a vertical line with the belly button, but the arms elevated to chest height. Slowly return to the starting position without letting the band pull you rapidly back. For an extra challenge on the rotator cuff muscles, have a partner mildly shake the band,\u00a0without letting the partner move their arms.<\/p>\n