Land Training Muscles for Better Butterfly Swimming

Hey swimmers! This is coach Milo.

Welcome to another Q&A session where I answer questions from you all on the internet.

Today's question is:

"Land Training Muscles for Better Butterfly Swimming"

Summary:

Milo identifies the key muscle groups to train on land for a stronger butterfly. Up top, you want shoulder strength and lats, since the lats drive your ability to pull water straight down, so he prescribes pull-ups and lat pulls. He adds tricep extensions, because the finish of the butterfly stroke is essentially a tricep extension, and any tricep exercise will do. For the lower body, he's emphatic about squats, which connect the core, legs, and glutes and build the strong rear end butterfly demands. He advises starting with just the bar or bodyweight and light loads, focusing on three rounds of ten done comfortably with short rest, and learning proper technique first, because hurting your back or knees will derail your butterfly progress entirely.

Answer:

Butterfly is this motion, so what you really have to do is improve your shoulder strength. I always recommend doing some pull-ups. You've got to improve the strength of your lats when you're pulling down, because in pulling water down, your lats are what determine your ability to pull water straight down. So do some pull-ups and some lat pulls. Then do some tricep extensions, because you want that horseshoe in the back of your arm, knowing that when you finish the stroke it's actually a tricep extension. You can choose any tricep exercise you want. Now, if you also want to work the lower body, guys, squats. Do squats. When you squat, you connect your core, your legs, and your glutes, and you want a really strong rear end. Building strength in your back, legs, and core gets done all together. Start with just the bar or your own bodyweight, build up, and start with really low weights. It's not so important how much weight you do in the beginning, it's the ability to do three rounds of ten comfortably. Don't give yourself too much rest, maybe up to 30 seconds, then repeat. Get in the habit of correct technique, and if you don't know it, look up the correct technique for squats. You do not want to hurt your back, and you definitely do not want to hurt your knees, because then your butterfly journey is going to be offset.