From your arms and shoulders pulling through the water, to your core rotating to enable your stroke, to your legs kicking to motor you down the lane, swimming freestyle engages every part of your body. Breaking the stroke into individual elements helps focus your technique and strengthen that part of your body. Try some drills to liven up your workout and improve your swim.
Arms, Shoulders, Back and Core
A pull workout focuses on your arms, shoulders, back and core rotation. You need only a few basic tools; a pull buoy to support your lower legs, goggles to protect your eyes and a cap to keep your hair out of the way. If you are an advanced swimmer, swim paddles increase the resistance of your pull through the water, increasing the difficulty of a pull workout and further strengthening your arm, shoulder and back muscles. However, you must use correct technique before using pull paddles as you can strain your shoulder if you aren't pulling correctly. Alternately, use one-arm drills, focusing on pulling one arm at a time. Keep the other arm either next to your body or out in front. When doing a one-arm pull, a pull buoy is optional. When pulling, focus on technique, not power. Evaluate your core rotation and focus on finishing a breath before your hand re-enters the water.
Hands
The method by which your hand enters the water is critical in freestyle. Over-rotation, where the thumb enters first, is a common source of shoulder injury in swimmers. When you over-rotate, you overuse the rotator cuff muscles, leading to tendinitis of the shoulder, called "swimmer's shoulder." Watch your hand as it enters the water to ensure you're not over-rotating, which leads to injury. Enter with a flat hand.
Legs
Kick drills work your legs. However, if your freestyle kick isn't particularly strong, a kicking lap may feel endless. In this case, power your kick with the use of flippers. Be aware that flippers take some getting used to as they require significant ankle flexibility. Work up to longer drills with flippers and stop immediately if you feel cramps developing in your calves. Fins also increase the resistance of your legs against the water, making kicking drills more effective and strengthening your legs. When swimming kick laps, use a kickboard to support your upper body. However, if this position bothers your neck, keep your arms straight out in front, lifting your head to breathe as needed. Alternately, complete kicking drills lying on one side of your body, side swimming. Remember to alternate sides to avoid neck injury.
Core
While your core is difficult to isolate in the water, it's not impossible. Your core drives much of your stroke, whether kicking or pulling, as it either stabilizes the body and assists the legs or rotates your hips to enable breathing. Isolated butterfly kicking is a powerful core workout, using your abdomen, back and full torso to power your body roll. Use a kickboard held in front of you if you're just starting this drill, as butterfly kicking, or dolphin kick, increases your heart rate and you need to breathe freely through the drill. Focus on lifting your hips to bring your bottom above the surface of the water. Keep your core engaged throughout to get the full benefit of the drill.
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