I had a reply about the EVF pictures added to the thread "EVF resistance training for swimmers) that was very important because many swimmers don’t understand propulsive mechanics, so let me begin with the reply;
"I understand the basic concept of EVF, but it seems all the exercises are working the wrong muscles. For example, the image with the small dumbbells seems like it would work my traps and middle deltoids, not my lats, pecs and rotator cuff. Same for many of the stretch cord exercises."
Here it is my friends and I’ll try to be brief (George).
“The rotator cuff, the muscles that stabilize the shoulder blade, trapezius, serratus anterior muscles, the muscles of the low back, abdominal, and pelvis that make up the “core” of the body (the abdominal and lower back muscles)” (1) are the EVF muscle groups and are responsible for holding the forearm and hand in a catch position.
Doing or using pull-ups, push-ups, lat-pulls, hand-paddles, Vasa trainers, and other exercises and machines that strengthen the pull, are important exercises but without developing strong “catch” muscles, the most critical propulsive position in swimming can be greatly hindered or even lost.
Pushing water faster without first establishing an Early Vertical Forearm does many things but two of the most counter-productive to swimming faster are as follows:
1) Upon entry, a fast pull either forces a dropped-elbow or if the swimmer locks their elbow and pulls with a straight arm a bobbing of the body.
2) A fast movement of the hand increases the vortex of water behind the hand and slippage or lost of drag/pressure.
The EVF exercises are not to be done to replace a comprehensive strength training regime (see the thread EVF Resistance training for swimmers) and that must be made perfectly clear but they are critical for improving propulsion. When done at appropriate resistance levels, EVF isometrics, EVF stretch-cord, and EVF resistance exercises, can be done safely, relatively quickly (a few minutes a day). The article sited gives other important shoulder/rotator cuff drills that should become part of every swimmers training regime.
So, swimming faster isn’t just about pulling harder it’s also about how you fundamentally set-up your stroke. Just like in most sports, with an improper set-up you may be setting yourself failure.
Reference(1) “Shoulder Injury Prevention, A Series of Exercises for the UN-Injured Swimmer” Presented by USA Swimming and the Sports Medicine Task Force on Swimmer’s Shoulder April 2002
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If you can do the dog-paddle without pain, you are flexible enough to start improving your EVF. An early vertical forearm should never hurt - NEVER! Exercise can be strenuous and exhausting but if it's ever painful you're doing something outside your physical limitations. For goodness sake, when I hear that someone got hurt while training they simply were doing something outside their God-given abilities. I've pushed myself harder than I should have while exercising and have injured myself, not because what I was doing was bad for me, I simple overextended myself and compromised my safety. Older and wiser should be true but it's not. When a coach tells you to do something and it hurts, I think you should question what's going on and stop it until an examination of what's causing the pain is found so the cause can be avoided. So, as important and critical to swimming propulsion as EVF is to everyone who wants to get faster, --- If doing it hurts -- Examine what and how you're doing it, stop doing it until you find out what's causing the pain. The EVF motion shouldn't cause pain for a vast majority of master swimmers but if it does the pain may point to muscular inadequacies that should be addressed so potential improvement isn't hindered. Good luck, Coach T.
If you can do the dog-paddle without pain, you are flexible enough to start improving your EVF. An early vertical forearm should never hurt - NEVER! Exercise can be strenuous and exhausting but if it's ever painful you're doing something outside your physical limitations. For goodness sake, when I hear that someone got hurt while training they simply were doing something outside their God-given abilities. I've pushed myself harder than I should have while exercising and have injured myself, not because what I was doing was bad for me, I simple overextended myself and compromised my safety. Older and wiser should be true but it's not. When a coach tells you to do something and it hurts, I think you should question what's going on and stop it until an examination of what's causing the pain is found so the cause can be avoided. So, as important and critical to swimming propulsion as EVF is to everyone who wants to get faster, --- If doing it hurts -- Examine what and how you're doing it, stop doing it until you find out what's causing the pain. The EVF motion shouldn't cause pain for a vast majority of master swimmers but if it does the pain may point to muscular inadequacies that should be addressed so potential improvement isn't hindered. Good luck, Coach T.
