Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Tightening Things Up

Although I do LOVE to rock my bootie shorts and probably could use some glute work, this time around I'm not referring to my butt...  I'm referring to something far more sexy:  SHOULDERS! Yeah.. yeah....

Anyway as I shift my focus away from the S-B-R to my muscular weaknesses, future goals, and to my 2012 schedule, I'm trying for once to be pre-emptive. Not to mention...I've treated far too many swimmers lately that simply have let it go too far:


I've had some nagging shoulder impingement issues in the past most of which have resolved themselves as taper time approached.  With a lofty schedule for 2012, I can't afford to have any of those issues. The 5000 meter + iron distance swims and 5 plus hour bike rides take a major toll on your shoulders and neck. I know I've wrote about this before but what can I say? I'm a PT and a stickler for good posture :) The longer you let issues like this go, the higher risk you are for long term damage: Rotator Cuff Fraying/Tears.

With that said, I'm giving my rotator cuff and scapular stabilizers lots of love! Some of my favorite exercises:

TRX 45 degree mountain climbers


T's and Y's


Knee to elbow Plank (for core and scapular stabilizers)


Body blade exercises through arc of stroke ( i couldn't resist this guy)

Resistance Band internal and external rotation


I try to perform these exercises 3x a week now and will drop down to 2x a week once the season starts. Just think of how much good posture can help you swim, bike, and run faster and improve your efficiency.

And as long as I'm on a team called "Hard" Inc... I guess you have to keep things tightened up :)

What about you? What are you tightening up during your off season?

11 comments:

  1. OK so I know what's wrong in the first photo, but I can't figure out the second photo. The arms of that swimmer are certainly positioned weird, but the shoulders look OK to me. Too flexible?

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  2. I think you have a great plan in place!

    Personally, I need to tighten the whole body! I have become a marshmallow! Whoops.

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  3. I do tend to hit the strength and yoga work harder during the off season. My shoulders have been a point of pride for a while now though. Well since I started swimming regularly at least. Very good goal Heidi!

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  4. Thanks for sharing! I am bookmarking this one. I tend to have random shoulder pinches when I do a lot of swimming but was never sure which exercises I could do to help strengthen the area. Thank you!

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  5. i want the abs of all you ladies in that photo!!!!!

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  6. Wow. Have you been stalking me? Because shoulder issues are exactly what I'm dealing with currently. You're one smart PT! :)

    Shoulder issues are a tough fix. So many variables have contributed to my problems. Just have to be diligent about fixing them all.

    Cheers to strong shoulders!

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  7. That blade guy is hilariously cheesy. LOVE IT.

    I am working on strength too. Awesome plan! I might steak some of it!

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  8. Thanks for sharing these exercises! I am getting back into the strength training routine and will definitely try some of these. I think I need to focus on my shoulders, back and core muscles.

    The body blade guy is a riot!

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  9. Love the exercises! Thanks for sharing girl! I’m pretty sure I need to tighten up everything!

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  10. My hidden weakness and one that goes "missing" is the lower and mid trap. Oh ya. forgot about those:)
    Great post!

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  11. Ugh... looking at all of those pictures makes me realize I have a lot of work to do! :) Hahaha... seriously though - thanks for sharing!

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