How to Do the Swimming Exercise: Form and Benefits
Master the swimming exercise to strengthen your lower back and glutes. Follow our step-by-step guide for better posture and core stability.
How to Perform
- Lie face down on a flat surface with your legs extended straight behind you and your arms extended overhead.
- Engage your core and lift your chest, arms, and legs slightly off the floor while keeping your neck in a neutral position.
- Simultaneously lift your right arm and left leg a few inches higher while keeping the opposite limbs stable.
- Lower the raised limbs back to the starting hover and immediately lift your left arm and right leg.
- Continue this alternating pattern in a fluid, rhythmic motion as if you are swimming through water.
- Ensure your hips remain pushed into the ground throughout the entire set to protect your lower spine.
Common Mistakes
- Hyper-extending the neck by looking forward instead of down
- Holding your breath instead of maintaining steady respiration
- Excessive arching of the lower back by lifting limbs too high
- Bending the knees rather than lifting from the hip
Muscles Worked
Primary movers
- Lower Back
Stabilizers
- Glutes
- Shoulders
- Hamstrings
Related Guides
- 2 Handed Kettlebell Swing — Strength
- 3D lunge warmup — Strength
- 4-count burpees — Strength
Lower Back · Strength