Triathlon swimming made easy (25 page)

Exercise #2. Lie on your side with your head propped on your hand and your top arm against your side, bent at a right angle with knuckles forward and palm down, holding a light weight. Keep the upper arm against your body as you slowly rotate your forearm until your knuckles point to the sky then return at the same speed.

You can also do this exercise while standing, with StrechCordzTM or a theraband for resistance. Hold your arms close to your body in a "shake-hands" position with your elbows held into your ribs. (Place a thin cushion or pillow between elbow and ribs for greater stability.) Grasp the ends of the StrechCordzTM or theraband in your hands. Rotate your forearms slowly out to the side, then return at the same speed.

Exercise #3. Sit or stand with your arms straight and hanging at your side. Leading with your thumb, slowly raise your arms to just below and just in front of your shoulder, pause for a moment, then return at the same speed. Use a light weight of 5 to 8 pounds, a theraband or StrechCordzTM for resistance.

Exercise #4. Bend at the waist, with your arms hanging straight from your shoulders. (Soften your knees to avoid lower-back strain.) Leading with your knuckles and slightly-bent elbows, raise your arms slowly to shoulder level, pause for a moment, then return at the same speed.

Strengthen Your Scapular Stabilizers

Exercise #1. Sit on a firm surface with your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands on seat or arm rests. Straighten your elbows and push down, lifting your hips off the chair. (If necessary, help by pushing a bit with your feet; as you get stronger let your arms do more of the work.) You can do this one at work! At the pool, do this on a stack of kickboards.

Exercise #2. Place your hands on a stable surface (a starting block at the pool, counter, desk, the back of a couch, almost anything that's 3 to 4 feet high). Position your feet so that you are in a semi-standing "push-up" position with hands at shoulder width and arms straight. Do a slow pushup —
but without bending your elbows.
Keep your arms straight, and lower your chest a few inches as your shoulder blades pinch together. Then, using shoulder muscles, press back up, rounding your shoulders and spreading your shoulder blades as much as possible. As you grow stronger, move t
oward a more horizontal position, eventually doing it in a pushup or "plank" position.

Exercise #3. Attach a theraband or StrechCordzTM to a stable object at waist or chest height. Grasp the ends and with your arms straight in front and your shoulders down away from your ears, pull your shoulders back (pinching shoulder blades together) then return them forward at the same speed, until you feel your shoulder blades stretch wide. Move slowly enough to feel the muscles in the middle of your back contract and relax.

Exercise #4. Lie on your stomach, with a rolled towel under your forehead and a pillow under your hips. Extend your arms forward from your shoulders (biceps two inches from your ears), elbows straight and thumbs up. Raise your arms as far as possible, without bending your elbows; hold them at their highest point for a moment, then lower slowly. Feel the effort from your shoulders to the middle of your back. Start with no weight; work up to 2 to 5 pounds. This and the next exercise can also be done on a swiss ball.

Exercise #5. Lie on your stomach, with a rolled towel under your forehead and a pillow under your hips. Extend your arms to the sides at shoulder level with palms down or forward, (thumbs pointing up). Keeping elbows straight, pinch your shoulder blades together as you lift your arms; pause at the highest point for a moment, then lower slowly. Do this with or without light weights.

Stretch the Muscles Under the Shoulder

Swimming promotes natural flexibility and fights the stiffness of aging better than any other sport, but it's not enough by itself. If you do no others, at least use the stretches described below. They will target the muscles you use most. Do one or both of each pair of exercises, holding each stretch for 10 or more yoga breaths, before and particularly after swimming.

Stretch #1. Raise one arm above your head, dropping your hand behind your shoulder. Lean the back of your elbow against a corner of a wall and press until you feel a st
retch from the elbow down to your armpit and below.

Stretch #2. Put both arms overhead in the streamlined position. Lean first to the left side as far as possible, then to the right. Feel the pull all the way down your side.

Stretch the Muscles in Front of the Shoulder

Stretch #1. Hold one arm out to your side at a right angle; bend your elbow 90 degrees with fingers up and palm forward. Brace the inside surface of your hand-forearm-elbow against the corner of a wall with your elbow at shoulder height. Press against the wall, turning your opposite hip back until you feel a stretch across the front of your shoulder and upper chest.

Stretch #2. Repeat with your elbow braced at ear level.