A swimming specific core training presentation highlighting the differences between feet and hip based core training and hand based core training.

1. Charlie Hoolihan, CSCS*D, NASM-PES, CES
Personal Training Director, Pelican Athletic Club

2. What is the core?

3. Personal core pride in the eyes
of the beholder

4. A Real man’s six pack

5. Definitions of Core muscles
 “Structures that make up the Lumbo-pelvic-hip
complex.” National Academy of Sports Medicine.
 “The body minus the arms and legs” Wikipedia
 “Balanced development of deep and superficial muscles that stabilize,
align and move the trunk of the body, especially the abdominals and
muscles of the back.” Pilates
 “The core is…abdominals…,glutes and lower back muscles, called the
erector spinae, psoas muscle of the hips and the multifidus of the
spine.Muscles (that) stabilize the trunk, including the spine and
pelvis, and core strength training targets these muscles.” Livestrong
 “My washboard road to paradise” – Guy in bar with shirt off.

6. Lateral and Anterior Core
Deep and superficial muscles

7. Thorax and Posterior core

8. The “Core” is linked to all muscle systems
Posterior and Anterior Linked systems
Superficial large muscle groups (Anatomy Trains)

9. Core runs deeper than the washboard road to paradise.
Deep muscle groups

10. The core is multi-directional
Frontal and Transverse systems
 Color of Text

11. How do core muscles respond
differently in swimming.
 In land based activities, core muscles react to ground
force reaction of the foot.
 Swimmers have an entirely different force reaction
 Top to bottom reaction.
 Hand is the driver of force and chain reaction.
 Force is initiated by a liquid and not a solid
 Force on opposite end is also anchored by liquid, not solid
 Thorax and its appendages – scapula, shoulders, ribs etc
and their attendant muscles, ligaments and
attachments take on a role similar to pelvis and trunk
muscles

12. Opposing Chain Reactions
 Ground based from •Fluid based from
bottom up top down.
 Same side foot to hip. •Same side hand to
 Opposite shoulder via shoulder
•Same side hip via
latissimus and fascia.
latissimus, obliques and
 Single opposing
fascia.
motions between •Single motion upper
upper and lower limb between multiple
limbs lower limb motion

13. The Core helps manage center of
gravity.
 But a swimmers COG is vastly different from land
COG
 Lungs provide flotation and fulcrum.
 Individual torso length, femur length and muscle
density affect flotation and center of gravity.
 Movements of swimming change the COG more
dramatically.

14. Swimming Core targets
Sport specificity sidebar
 Hand to hip stabilization via lats
 Single and double arm work.
 Posterior chain – scaps to glutes.
 Lateral stability and strength.
 Exercises that lengthen, strengthen and stabilize.
 Exercises that establish stable and symmetrical
rotation.

15. Swimmers stabilization work
 Primary stability throughout the body.
 Thoracic spine area (shoulders and scapula)
 Kyphosis of upper spine, internal rotation of shoulders.
 Scapular distance.
 Pelvis
 Neutral pelvis
 Symmetrical lateral strength.
 Symmetrical rotation strength.

16. Anterior Tilt: Barge and Ballast

17. Kyphosis at upper spine
leads to anterior tilt.
But its
not just
Chest and hips about
are connected
via core flotation
musculature
and fascia.
Tight
abdominals
and hip flexors
pull them
closer.

18. Proper Thoracic extension goes beyond arthrokinetic
issues and into cardiovascular efficiency
Elevated or upright An extreme example
Another extreme
posture opens up chest of how a slouched
example but
cavity. The heart and posture can compress
compression can
aorta have ample room heart, lungs, aorta
also occur in the
to deliver blood and and interfere with
lower organs like
oxygen to the body. The proper cardiovascular
stomach, liver,
lungs can expand to full activity.
spleen, uterus
capacity.

19. Factors influencing pelvic and
thoracic misalignment
Tight anterior (front) muscles;
some weak posterior (back)
muscles
Sway back more pronounced when
fully extened – ab strength test

20. Another anterior tightness factor - The only
skeletal point of attachment for the arms is
at the sternum
Weak back muscles and tight chest/abdominal muscles pull shoulders forward
and internally rotate shoulders.

21. Why do exercises that promotes flexion at spine and
tightness of the spinal flexion muscles.

22. Muscle weakness is contralateral
What hip are you sitting on?
Weaknesses will
manifest in all
exercises
depending upon
how much of the
body is supported
and how many
limbs are involved.
Lunges
Step-ups
Single arm standing
or ball support
exercises.

23. Lack of symetrical lateral strength

24. SPORTCore Principles: Swimming
 Lengthen
 Rotation and stability against rotation.
 Dynamic isometrics in the traditional core.
 Hand driver for whole body.
 Hip driver (gluteals) for lower body.
 Choose exercises that create stability between hand
and foot.
 Anchor hands/elbows/arms
 Anchor feet or knees
 Create stability in trunk

25. Lengthening or shortening?

26. Demos
 Lengthening vs shortening – (extension vs flexion)
 Which most appropriately reflects what happens in
swimming.
 Hollowing and bracing – lengthening the pelvis.
 Anchoring the trunk – watch abdominals in drylands –
does the stomach poke out?
 Do fat man to skinny man swim in practice.
 Wall exercises
 Draw-in/brace against the wall.
 Straighten lines and walk.
 Double arm wall lean.
 Single arm lean.
 Rotation stretch

27. Lengthening or shortening

28. Lengthening or shortening

29. Ineffective lengthening/unstable
core.

30. SPORTCore
Progressions:Swimming
 Stability before mobility.
 Most core muscles are slow twitch
 Hips and upper thorax (scapula and shoulders)
 Plank or push up position
 Hip position/neutral w no anterior or posterior tilt.
 5-10 second pulses for 1-3:00 minute sets. New concept in planks.
 Once strength/stability is established then add movement patterns
to the plank or pushup position.
 Start with distinct rep count pattern – up in two/down in 4.
 Then move on to bands – single arm and single leg combos
 Then move to less stable equipment like TRXs and Stability Balls.
 Establish stability on these before adding movements
 When adding movement, maintain stability and deliberate rep
count.

31. Variations on a pushup
 Core assessment
 Bird dog/quadraped
 Contra/ipsilateral
 Pushup/plank
 Plank first
 Push-up at incline
 Change hand positions
 Change leg positions.
 Does the athlete master symmetry and straight lines?
 If so move to next modality.
 If not – this is their core work.

32. Oblique and rotation stability
 Side plank
 Line up either w back close to wall
 Or line up feet, knees, hips, shoulders on a line.
 Can also assess during standing wall leans.
 Deviating to front or back sets up an imbalance
between internal and external obliques.
 Plank or pushup with rotation
 Look for symmetry in rotation.
 Rotation stretch.

33. Plank and push-up position
exercises – stability first

34. Plank and pushup cont.

35. Right: Cobra on floor – hold each
contraction for :06. Head in neutral,
engage glutes and lift upper spine to
lift. Low back just follows to
stabilize spine. .Left: Tricep
extension from TRX strap.

36. Bird dog/quadraped variations.

37. Stability ball exercises

38. Medicine ball

39. Band and Suspension training
exercises

40. Band exercises

41. Stability ball exercises

42. Stability ball exercises

43. Stability ball exercises

44. Stability ball exercises

45. TRX or Suspension Training
exercises

46. TRX Suspension training cont.

48. TRX/Suspension Training cont.

49. Start easy as a puppy work up to
harder exercises.

50. Resources to use with principles in mind
 ASCA Dryland course
 Swimming anatomy
 Total Immersion
 Grif Figg/Carlos Santana DVD outside.
 Vern Gambetta books/Maglishco
 Google
 Plank exercise illustrations
 Medicine ball exercise illustration
 Stability ball exercise illustration
 TRX exercise illustration
 Band exercise illustration

51. My email
 Charlie@thepac.com