Breaststroke Body Position Dryland Exercises

Plank

This exercise is a great starting point for developing strength and stability in your shoulders and torso. Torso control is critical for maintaining a proper breaststroke body position. Planks can be done by anyone in any location without any equipment. They require you to control your body and spine under load.

To perform a plank, place your hands directly under your shoulders with straight arms. Straighten your legs behind your body, keeping the spine straight. Hold.

To reduce the load on your shoulders, you can do this exercise with your elbows and forearms on the ground.

Reverse Plank

Reverse plank strengthens the muscles of the back of your torso.

To perform this exercise, start seated on the ground with your feet on the ground in front of you. Place your hands on the ground underneath your shoulders. Push into the ground with your hands and feet, lifting your body off the ground. Walk your feet forward or your arms back to ensure your body is in a straight line.

Sit-Up Into Streamline Reach

With each stroke cycle, returning to a streamlined position after each pull is important. Sit-up into streamline reach can help you practice reaching while maintaining an effective posture under load.

To perform this exercise, lie on your back on the ground with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Rest your arms across your chest. From this position, sit up, and as you do, reach upward with your arms. Get as tall as possible, and reach as high as possible, bringing your arms up into a streamline.

Lying Back Extension

Lying back extension allows you to develop strength in the back of your torso in a dynamic manner. This exercise is a great way to do that because you perform the movements over relatively small ranges of motion, strengthening key muscles for controlling your spine.

To perform lying back extension, start face-down on the ground with your arms by your sides. Raise your chest off the ground. Hold and control your movement at the top of the exercise. Lower your upper body back to the ground under control.

Bear Plank

This is an advanced version of the plank. Bending your knees results in your hip flexors being less effective at supporting your bodyweight and stabilizing your spine. Your abdominal muscles must therefore work harder to create that stability.

To perform bear plank, start on your hands and knees with your hands directly beneath your shoulders and knees directly beneath your hips. From this position, push into the ground with your toes and hands, lifting your knees slightly off the ground. Hold this position.

Physioball Rollout

Physioball rollout helps you build control of your torso and spine with your arms extended overhead, just as you'll need to do with your arms extended in breaststroke. The instability of the physio ball further increases the demand on maintaining stability.

To perform this exercise, start on your knees with your elbows on the ball. The ball should be close to you. Lean forward and roll the ball away from you. Continue to lean forward, fully extending your arms until you've rolled the ball away from you and your weight is distributed between the ball and your knees. Roll the ball back and return to the starting position.

Bar Hang

Strength, mobility, and shoulder control are key in breaststroke, as is maintaining control of your torso to ensure you maintain an effective body position. Hanging from a bar can accomplish all these objectives. It challenges you to control your torso and control your shoulders, all under the load of your bodyweight.

To perform bar hang, grasp a pull-up bar with an overhand grip, hands about shoulder-width apart. The goal is to keep your body still and aligned while hanging. When first doing this exercise, rest your feet on a box. Gradually take pressure off your feet as you get better at the exercise.

Back Extension

Back extension helps you improve your range of motion and build strength. This can help further strengthen the muscles on the back of your torso, helping you control your torso better and, therefore, maintain a great body position.

To perform this exercise, using a bench (as shown in the video) or back extension machine, secure your feet. Start in a tall posture with your spine straight. From this position, lower your upper body under control. Lift your upper body to return to the starting position.

Suspension Trainer Fallout

Suspension trainer fallout challenges your ability to control your spine and torso when your arms are extended overhead. This same skill set is required in breaststroke. Increase the challenge this exercise presents by moving your feet away from the anchor point so that you're in a more horizontal position.

To perform suspension trainer fallout, start with your hands by your side, holding the straps or rings. Gradually lean forward while raising the rings in front of your body. Maintain tension in the straps and in your torso as you move forward. When you get to your end range of motion, press down on the straps and return to the original position.

Double-Leg Raise

Double-leg raise is great for developing control of your spine and hips, which is critical for maintaining a good body position in breaststroke. As your legs move, controlling the position of your spine and hips becomes more challenging. This improves the strength of your muscles responsible for doing so.

To perform this exercise, lie on your back on the ground. From this position, raise both of your legs to a vertical position, aiming to keep your spine and hips stable while doing so. Lower your legs under control.