Recently I had an injury consult with a swimmer who was dealing with swimmers shoulder. Like many swimmers, this swimmer was extremely frustrated. He was not able to swim the way he wanted too, couldn’t hit his times during practic, and was getting nervous about his upcoming championship meet. He had tried working with a PT, which was working….but the progress was really slow. This swimmer wanted to know if there were any shoulder exercises for swimmers that would be helpful for his injury.
After some discussion, he revealed some of the exercises he had been doing. Some of those exercises included…
- Banded external/internal rotation
- Rows
- Upper trap stretching
- W’s
- No money
What is Missing?
While these shoulder exercises are great and can definitely be of benefit for swimmers, there is one key muscle that was not getting the attention it deserves, especially for a swimmer. The serratus anterior!
The serratus anterior is a key muscle for swimmers, because it is active during the your entire swimming stroke, for all of the strokes! Besides that, the serratus helps give your shoulder a stable base to move from. Without a stable base, the shoulder is much less powerful and more susceptible to injury. Having a weak serratus anterior would be like building a house on a crappy foundation, one day the house would fall apart!
With that being said, doing shoulder exercises for the serratus anterior is a must for swimmers. Below are three of my favorite exercise for the serratus anterior.
Exercise #1 Push Up Plus
The push up plus is great for a couple of reasons. First, it strengthens the muscles swimmers need for a strong pull, the deltoids, pecs, and triceps! Second, it elicits a high activation of the serratus anterior, promoting shoulder stability. Three, it is also a great core exercise.The last reason is that it requires no equipment!
Start in a plank position with the hands placed slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Lower your body down until your chest nearly touches the ground, then push back up to the starting position. As you push up, reach forward with your hands to fully engage the serratus anterior.
Exercise #2 Dumbbell Pullover with Serratus Punch
The Dumbbell pullover with serratus punch is a great shoulder exercise for swimmers because it targets several key muscle groups used in swimming, including the chest, lats, and serratus muscles. On top of this, it helps improve lat and posterior shoulder mobility, which are two of the muscles that commonly get tight in swimmers. Lastly, it helps promote shoulder stability as you pull the weight overhead. This is one of my go to exercises for swimmers at the end of dryland work.
Lie on your back holding a dumbbell with both hands. Keeping the arms straight, raise the weight over your head and then lower it behind your head as far as you can while keeping the arms straight. As you bring the weight back up, punch your fists towards the ceiling, engaging the serratus anterior.
Exercise #3: Scapular Wall Slides
Scapular wall slides are an amazing shoulder exercise for swimmers, especially swimmers dealing with swimmers shoulder. It is a helpful exercise to bridge the gap between exercises that are done at or below shoulder level and exercises that are done overhead. It enforces serratus anterior and upper trapezius activation as you reach overhead, which is key for pain free swimming.
To make this exercise harder, wrap a band around your wrists and as you complete the wall slide try to keep your elbows under your wrists. This will really get the burn going!
Stand with your back against a wall and your feet shoulder-width apart. Slowly slide your arms up the wall, keeping your shoulders blades flat against the wall, until your arms are above your head. Then, slowly slide your arms back down to the starting position. The focus of this exercise is to maintain control of the scapula and to engage the serratus anterior as you slide your arms up and down the wall.
The Wrap Up:
Serratus anterior is a key muscle for swimmers. It it also one of the first muscles to become inhibited if you have should and/or neck pain, making it a priority when selecting shoulder exercises for swimmers. If you want to read more about inhibition, check out this post. At first, you may need to regress the exercises (make them easier), to get the serratus going, but then you can quickly progress there after. Progressing the intensity of the exercises is key to continue getting stronger and staying injury free.
Happy Swimming,
Alex Ewart