It is inevitable that injuries occur in sports. If you are a swimmer or triathlete, chances are you or someone you know has experienced shoulder pain or injury at some point in your swimming life.
Many injuries are caused by lack of mobility and / or muscle imbalances that have developed over time. Some muscle imbalances could be precursors for serious injury. Some simply reduce your ability to get the most benefits from training.
Injury prevention is possible and is the best defense. A very important aspect of any workout is a proper warm-up. A dynamic ‘pre-hab-based’ warm-up is a proactive approach to improving strength and mobility, especially in the body’s weakest areas.
In this informative video, coaches Tim Crowley and Al Lyman demonstrate and explain how to integrate a variety of key exercises on and off the Vasa Swim Erg in order to minimize shoulder stress to prevent ‘Swimmer’s Shoulder’. Their shoulder pre-hab workout combines the use of the Vasa SwimErg, free weights and tubing, all of which are effective for maintaining a strong, injury-resistant shoulder complex.
The workout:
On Swim Erg Bench with Dumbbells:
• “Ys” and “Ts”
• External rotations
• Prone press
On Swim Erg Bench with cables:
• Crossover row
• Reverse fly
• External rotation
• Reverse freestyle stroke
With tubing / stretch band:
• 3-position external rotation
More exercises and information for maintaining healthy and strong shoulders are shown in this related article with 2012 Olympic swimmer, Alex Meyer:
https://vasatrainer.com/blog/how-to-training-advice-from-olympian-alex-meyer-preventing-swimmers-shoulder-injuries-with-4-key-external-rotator-exercises/