Benefits from training all 4 types of strokes effectively help develop not only great freestyle swimming, but also other stroke techniques and knowledge.
Freestyle is the second most popular style of swimming. Yes fellow athletes 2nd. But this as we speak on a beginner level. Think back to those treacherous first days of swimming and you will recall a somewhat basic panicked breaststroke as your go to water movement and you will know that it earns its place as the most popular swimming stroke. Today we are going to take a look at all 4 of the strokes we use in the pool and its benefits in the training to better develop our regular freestyle swimming.
Freestyle:
As competitors or just plain swim for fitness we have the freestyle. This is a style we are constantly focusing on always wanting to strengthen and improve but what muscles are we aiming for?Major Muscle group
The Upper-Body Muscles:● The swimmer engages their shoulder muscles (deltoids and rotator cuff), the middle back muscles (trapezius) and the muscles around their rib cage (serratus) to help initiate their body’s rotation to help lengthen their stroke and maximise propulsion;● The swimmer initiates the catch phase by engaging the muscles in the upper/middle of their back (latissimus dorsi ‘lats’ and trapezius) and the chest muscles (the pectorals);● The swimmer’s upper arm muscles (biceps and triceps) become engaged to flex and extend their elbow during the propulsive middle and end of the stroke;● The wrist flexor muscles help to maintain the swimmer’s wrists in the optimum position.
The Lower-Body Muscles:Freestyle uses a combination of two types of kick, the flutter kick and the underwater dolphin kick.● Both types of kick start with a contraction of the hip flexors (rectus femoris and iliopsoas) during the downbeat which provides the propulsion;● As the swimmer extends their knee/s, they engage their thighs (quadriceps);● As they recover their leg/s with the upbeat kick, the swimmer’s buttock (glutes) and hamstring muscles contract to extend their hips;● Throughout the stroke, the swimmer engages their calf muscles to help maintain a plantarflexed position with their feet (ankles extended & toes pointed).
The Core (Abdominal) Muscles:● The major core muscles are stomach (abdominal) and side abdominals (obliques);● They help to stabilise the swimmer’s body, helping it maintain an effective position in the water;● This helps to maximise propulsion and minimise drag;● The swimmer’s core should be engaged throughout the stroke, especially during both the arm pull and the leg kick phases.
Backstroke:
Backstroke is very near to freestyle using almost exactly the same muscle groups. Taking more use out of the latissimus dorsi as the arm rotations are in the opposite direction and the stroke has a higher demand on the quads, glutes and hamstrings.Muscle Groups:
The Upper-Body Muscles:● The swimmer engages their shoulder muscles (deltoids and rotator cuff);● These help initiate their body’s rotation to help lengthen their stroke and maximise propulsion;● The swimmer initiates the catch phase by engaging the muscles in the upper/middle of their back (latissimus dorsi) and the chest muscles (the pectorals);● The swimmer’s upper arm muscles (biceps and triceps) become engaged;● To help flex and extend their elbow during the propulsive middle and end of the stroke;● The wrist flexor muscles help to maintain the swimmer’s wrists in the optimum position.
The Lower-Body Muscles:Backstroke uses a combination of two types of kick, the flutter kick and the underwater dolphin kick;● Both types of kick start with a contraction of the hip flexors (rectus femoris and iliopsoas) during the downbeat which provides the propulsion;● As the swimmer extends their knee/s, they engage their thighs (quadriceps);● As they recover their leg/s with the upbeat kick, the swimmer’s buttock (glutes) and hamstring muscles contract to extend their hips;● Throughout the stroke, the swimmer engages their calf muscles to help maintain a plantarflexed position with their feet (ankles extended & toes pointed).
The Core (Abdominal) Muscles:● The major core muscles are stomach (abdominal) and side abdominals (obliques);● They help to stabilise the swimmer’s body, helping it maintain an effective position in the water;● This helps to maximise propulsion and minimise drag;● The swimmer’s core should be engaged throughout the stroke, especially during both the arm pull and the leg kick phases.
Breaststroke:
Although it is the easy go to for most beginners in a more technique focused aspect it is marginally more complicated. Its movements include an in- sweep and out-sweep motion building the shoulders and the back. It is a stroke that should be used with long distancestraining as it trains the heart and lungs for better breathing in all the swimming strokes.Muscle Group
The Upper-Body Muscles:● From the start of the stroke, with the swimmer’s arms in a streamlined position;● The swimmer begins the catch phase by engaging their chest muscles (the pectorals) and the muscles in the middle of their back (latissimus dorsi). This helps to sweep their arms inwards and downwards against the water;● The catch phase is assisted by engaging the upper arm and shoulder muscles (the biceps, triceps and deltoids);● The chest, upper arm and shoulder muscles (pectorals, biceps, triceps and deltoids) helps to extend the swimmer’s arms and return them to the streamlined position.
The Lower-Body Muscles:● The major propulsion during breaststroke comes from the leg kick;● From the start of the stroke, with the swimmer’s legs in a streamlined position and their feet in a pointed (plantar flexion) position;● The swimmer starts the recovery phase by using their hamstrings and thighs (quadriceps) muscles to help them flex their knees, to help bring their heels up to their butt;● The swimmer then starts the propulsive phase of the stroke by, rotating their feet outwards and then quickly and powerfully using their quadriceps (thighs), hip abductors and glutes (buttocks) to extend their legs and feet backwards and slightly downwards;● Towards the end of the leg kick, the calf muscles help the swimmer to return their legs and feet to the streamlined position.
The Core (Abdominal) Muscles:● The major core muscles are stomach (abdominal) and side abdominals (obliques);● They help to stabilise the swimmer’s body, helping it maintain an effective position in the water;● This helps to maximise propulsion and minimise drag;● The swimmer’s core should be engaged throughout the stroke, especially during both the arm pull and the leg kick phases.
Butterfly:
The most challenging and infamously the stroke of the elite. The stroke appears more complicated than it is having only a 3 step process to learning in comparison with our other less strenuous strokes. You are more than likely to feel the major muscle groups at work onceyou have begun the stroke even if you can manage a good freestyle mileage. Let's take a look at the muscles needed to propel oneself in the stroke:Muscle groups:
The Upper-Body Muscles:● The swimmer initiates the catch phase by engaging the muscles in the upper/middle of their back (latissimus dorsi ‘lats’ and trapezius) and the chest muscles (the pectorals);● The swimmer’s upper arm muscles (biceps and triceps) become engaged to flex and extend their elbow during the propulsive middle and end of the stroke;● The wrist flexor muscles help to maintain the swimmer’s wrists in the optimum position.
The Lower-Body Muscles:The butterfly dolphin kick is integrated with the body’s undulating movements.● It starts with a contraction of the hip flexors (rectus femoris and iliopsoas) during the downbeat which provides the major propulsion;● As the swimmer extends their knee/s, they engage their thighs (quadriceps);● As they recover their leg/s with the upbeat kick, the swimmer’s buttock (glutes) and hamstring muscles contract to extend their hips;● Throughout the stroke, the swimmer engages their calf muscles to help maintain a plantarflexed position with their feet (ankles extended & toes pointed).
The Core (Abdominal) Muscles:● Key to an effective butterfly stroke is the undulating movements of the body;● This is initiated by the downward press of the chest and the upward movement of the upper back;● The undulating body movement is assisted by the core muscles in the stomach (abdominal) and side abdominals (obliques) and muscles along the length of the spine (the paraspinal muscles).
The core muscles help to stabilise the swimmer’s body, helping it maintain an effective position in the water:● They can help to maximise propulsion and minimise drag.● The swimmer’s core should be engaged throughout the stroke.
As you may have noticed there is a repetition of muscle groups but with the inclusion of all for strokes you are guaranteed a full body workout. I have included an image highlighting the muscles on the body more clear as well as the shared muscle groups by all strokes. As muchwork as you do in the pool it is crucial to get some dryland training done (join our FitPass group our coach knows exactly what you need) . Stay super safe and super healthy and see you in the pool.