I've switched strokes to use the lats more and it take a while to get used too but it's not hard to get...you'll feel a power surge I think too.
Of all the muscles that get sore from swimming, my lats never do. How do you make more use of your lats without a major elbow drop?
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This is how I try to do it. You can feel it when you get it right.
The way I get my lats into the stroke is to keep my elbows high, and concentrate on getting a strong torso rotation to the pulling side. If I just reach over my head and mimic the "over the barrel" catch, I can feel the lats on the pulling side engage.
By the end of a 2-mile+ race, I am really feeling my lats and my hip flexors. Those also get sore after a hard training week.
This is how I try to do it. You can feel it when you get it right.
The way I get my lats into the stroke is to keep my elbows high, and concentrate on getting a strong torso rotation to the pulling side. If I just reach over my head and mimic the "over the barrel" catch, I can feel the lats on the pulling side engage.
By the end of a 2-mile+ race, I am really feeling my lats and my hip flexors. Those also get sore after a hard training week.
