Shoulder injuries are the most common issues faced by swimmers, whether they’re competing at high levels or swimming recreationally. In this episode of Ask Giri – The Physio Show, physiotherapist Giri Srinivasan and PT intern Lisa Posma shed light on the importance of shoulder health for swimmers and shared three key exercises that help build strength, enhance flexibility, and reduce injury risk.
This blog summarizes the most valuable takeaways from the episode, presenting six shoulder-focused movements: three from Lisa’s perspective as a high-performance swimmer and three from Giri’s clinical physiotherapy experience. Together, they offer a well-rounded approach to shoulder conditioning.
Swimming puts repetitive and multidirectional demands on the shoulder joints. The pulling motion, performed thousands of times per session, places stress on the internal and external rotators, scapular stabilizers, and major back muscles.
Addressing muscle imbalances, maintaining flexibility, and building joint control are essential steps for preventing common injuries like rotator cuff strains, impingement, or swimmer’s shoulder.
This video explores practical ways to achieve that, whether you’re in a pool training for competition or simply looking to stay injury-free during recreational swims.
Lisa Posma, a PT student from Amsterdam with years of competitive swimming experience in NCAA nationals, walks viewers through three of her go-to shoulder exercises. These are focused on stability, mobility, and pull strength, all crucial for swimmers.
Target: External rotators of the shoulder
Why it works:
Swimming tends to overdevelop the internal rotators, which can lead to muscle imbalances. This exercise strengthens the external rotators to bring balance and reduce strain.
How to perform:
Target: Internal rotation range of motion
Why it works:
Maintaining a good internal rotation range is crucial for a full, effective stroke. Tightness here can limit efficiency and increase injury risk.
How to perform:
Target: Latissimus dorsi, teres major, and pectoralis major
Why it works:
These muscles play a key role in the pulling phase of the swim stroke. Strengthening them improves power and endurance in the water.
How to perform:
3 sets of 10–15 reps, 3 times a week
Following Lisa’s segment, Giri Srinivasan, our physiotherapist with over two decades of clinical experience, shared three additional exercises aimed at later-stage rehab, shoulder stability, and joint control.
These movements are particularly helpful for swimmers recovering from shoulder injuries, such as rotator cuff issues.
Focus: Dynamic stability of the shoulder
Why it works:
This full-body movement creates a gentle distraction of the shoulder joint, prompting the rotator cuff muscles to engage and stabilize the joint, key for post-injury control.
How to perform:
Focus: Multi-directional shoulder mobility and strength
Why it works:
Indian clubs promote circular motion and engage the shoulder through multiple planes, perfect for a sport like swimming that involves complex shoulder movement.
How to perform:
Focus: Joint stability and rotator cuff engagement across angles
Why it works:
Using a resistance band, this exercise mimics the range and variability of swimming strokes. It reinforces joint control in all directions.
How to perform:
This episode of Ask Giri – The Physio Show offers a blend of real-world swimming experience and physiotherapy insight. From performance enhancement to injury prevention and rehab, the featured exercises can benefit:
Each exercise can be modified based on ability and equipment access, making them highly adaptable for home, gym, or clinical settings.
These exercises aren’t meant to replace swim training but to complement it. The ideal time to include them is either during dryland training, as part of a warm-up, or post-swim as part of recovery.
For most swimmers:
If you’re already dealing with discomfort, it’s smart to work with a physiotherapist to modify or scale the intensity based on your individual needs.
Swimming may be one of the most complete body workouts, but it requires a well-balanced and resilient shoulder joint to perform safely and effectively. These exercises featured in this episode of Ask Giri – The Physio Show are practical, purposeful, and suitable for swimmers at nearly any level.
By investing time in shoulder care through band work, mobility drills, and multi-directional strengthening, you’re not just reacting to pain, but actively preventing it. That’s smart training.
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