The shoulders are heavily involved in every swimming stroke. According to Dr. Scott Rodeo, chairman of USA Swimming Sports Medicine, pain in the shoulder is common in swimmers and is often referred to as swimmer's shoulder. Rodeo says that overuse and fatigue of the muscles is a common cause of pain and injury, but certain exercises can help improve shoulder function and prevent injury.
External Rotation
The external rotation exercise is designed to isolate and work the rotator cuff muscles in the shoulder. The rotator cuff muscles are four small muscles that help to rotate and lift your arm. Start by holding a resistance band in your hands with your elbows bent at a 90-degree angle so that your forearms are parallel to the floor. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and keep them squeezed throughout the exercise to further isolate the rotator cuff muscles. Pull your hands apart as far as you can while keeping your elbows still. Hold the farthest position for two seconds and then return to the starting position to complete one repetition.
Shoulder Raises
The shoulder raise is designed to strengthen the shoulder muscles and is performed using no resistance or very light weights of under 5 lbs. Start with your arms straight at your sides and and your thumbs up. Lift up your arms, keeping them straight and making sure your thumbs stay up and pointed to the sky. Lift your arms all the way to head level. Hold the peak position for two seconds and then return to the starting position to complete one repetition.
Hitchhiker
The hitchhiker is performed with no weights or very light weights of 2 to 3 lbs. for advanced users. This exercise is designed to strengthen the muscles that control how the shoulder blade moves and take pressure off the rotator cuff. Lie on your stomach on the floor with your legs extended together and your arms fully extended out to your sides. Put your thumbs up like you are hitchhiking. Squeeze your shoulder blades together to further isolate the shoulder muscles. Then simply lift your hands off the floor and toward your head as far as you can. Hold the peak position for one to two seconds before returning to the starting position to complete one repetition. Try to hold the position for at least two minutes, but build up to that level if you cannot hold for that long as a beginner.
Shoulder Stretches
Stretching the shoulder muscles before you swim can strengthen them, give you more range of motion and help to prevent injury. The reaching-up shoulder stretch involves placing one hand at a time behind your back and reaching up the middle of your back between your shoulder blades as high as you can. Reach as high as possible and hold that position for at least 15 seconds before repeating with the other arm. The rotator stretch can be done with a stick, rod or resistance band. Start by placing your arm out to the side so that your elbow is at a 90-degree angle and your upper arm is parallel to the floor. Hold a band or stick with that hand and let the stick pass behind your arm. Grab the other end of the stick and pull it forward to feel a stretch in the shoulder. Hold the stretch for at least 15 seconds and then repeat with the other arm.
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