Swimming is a great way to build up your core strength since every stroke requires your abdominal muscles to some degree. But which stroke is especially good for building your abs and sculpting a six-pack like Michael Phelps himself?
Which Swimming Stroke is Best for Building Abs?
The short answer to this is front crawl (freestyle). This stroke works your entire core as you use your arms and legs to propel yourself through the water. You will be engaging your abdominal muscles with each stroke, providing an excellent workout for your abs. There are even more ways for you to enhance your abdominal workout in the pool though…
Engage Your Core
Make sure to keep your core tight throughout your swim. This will help you maintain a strong and stable body position in the water.
Keep Your Legs Straight
Make sure your legs are straight when you swim. This will help you use your abdominal muscles to propel yourself forward.
Contract Your Abs
Contract your abdominal muscles during your stroke for extra power and stability.
Push Off The Wall
When you push off the wall, use your abdominal muscles to generate a powerful and efficient push.
Use a Kickboard
Kicking with a kickboard is a great way to strengthen your abdominal muscles while swimming.
Will a Strong Core Make You Swim Faster?
A strong core can help improve your swimming technique and make you more efficient in the water, which can lead to faster swimming. However, having a strong core alone is not enough to make you swim faster. You must also have good technique, a good stroke rate, and a good body position in the water.
Let’s take a look at some core exercises you can do (outside of the pool) that might improve your swimming technique and endurance.
Seven Core Exercises to Benefit Your Swimming
Plank: This is an excellent exercise for a strong core. It works your entire core, including the abdominals, lower back and obliques.
Side Plank: This exercise strengthens the obliques and helps to keep the torso stable while swimming.
Superman: This exercise helps to strengthen the lower back and can help to improve posture while swimming.
Crunches: This is a classic exercise that strengthens the abdominals and can help to improve the body’s ability to move through the water.
Bird Dogs: This exercise helps to improve balance and stability while swimming and can help to reduce the risk of injury.
Russian Twists: This exercise strengthens the core muscles, helping to improve the body’s ability to rotate while swimming.
Hip Bridge: This exercise strengthens the glutes and helps to improve the body’s ability to move quickly and efficiently through the water.
We hope you have found the advice in this blog post useful. Sculpting abdominal muscles isn’t easy, and – as the famous saying goes – abs are made in the kitchen. But swimming is a surefire way to hone them and get you that more defined stomach you want for the beach!