Swim Dryland Exercises: Lateral Raise
Build shoulder strength and prevent injury
Resistance bands can be helpful for developing pull strength. This lateral raise exercise can help strengthen some of the smaller muscles needed for an effective swimming stroke.
Quadruped Lateral Raise
Start by kneeling in a quadruped position: on all fours, so that your knees are stacked directly under your hips, and your hands are flat on the mat directly under the shoulders. Wrap one end of a resistance band around your right hand and the other end around your left hand.
Raise your left arm off the mat a few inches and draw it out to the side a few inches so that your elbow is straight and your palm is facing behind you.
Then, simply pull on the band out and up to the side in a lateral pull motion as high as you can comfortably reach, while keeping the arm straight. Pause a moment at the top, then bring the arm back down along the same path and repeat.
As you’re lifting the arm, drive your shoulder blade toward the middle of your body, and keep your hips still and your shoulder blade toward the middle of your body as you pull. Focus on engaging the core and keeping the spine straight and your head and neck in alignment with the spine, mimicking the body position you’d have in the water.
Complete three rounds of 12 repetitions on each side and three rounds through to build shoulder strength to support your time in the water!
