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Modify your stroke to adapt. Swim with a higher head (to allow your outstretched arm to be parallel to the surface of the water) by looking forward more instead of down, start your catch immediately on full reach with no glide, increase your turnover to make up for the lack of glide. Be sure to engage your back muscles/glutes/hamstrings to keep your legs at the surface.

These are all things I do to make up for the lack of shoulder flexibility (tried stretching, PT, etc.). I'm also an AOS (started at 26). I've had top 5 swim splits in a number of sprint triathlons, and a couple of top 2-3 in my AG in half ironman races.

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"Go yell at an M&M"

Interesting post. Thank you. What would you say your stroke rate is?

In a 25scy pool, I typically take 20-21 strokes per length when doing intervals. Given swim time (lap time minus turn time) of about :16-:17, that's about 75-80 spm. I have a video somewhere of me doing a ~:58 for 100scy (push start) with about 20-21 strokes per length, so that'd be north of 90spm actual swimming. I also breathe every stroke cycle, so I get a *lot* of air...

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"Go yell at an M&M"

awesome thanks!!

Go to the gym and work full range of motion.
The only bone connecting your arm to the rest of your skeleton is the collar bone.
Everything else is adaptable.

Yeah, I have a weird stretch that sucks and hurts, but really helps. My physical therapist gave it to me when I was having shoulder problems, specifically that I did not have enough flexibility in my rotator cuff muscles.

I'll try to explain it. Lie down on your side. make sure the top shoulder is squarely over the bottom shoulder. Your bottom arm should be sticking out perpendicular to your body, in other words straight out. Naturally as you are in this position your hand should be sticking straight up. Now the "fun" part - take your other arm (the top arm) and push on the back of the hand that is sticking straight up so that you are pushing it down to your hips. You have to make sure your shoulders are square and that your down arm is sticking straight out to feel it best. Move around a bit to feel it more when you push the hand down. When you get it right, it feels awful, but it really helps with stretching the rotator cuff muscles and this has helped me a lot to not experience injuries while swimming.

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2018 Races: IM Santa Rosa, Vineman Monte Rio, Lake Tahoe 70.3

I think me head exploded trying to picture that...any chance you have an image of that stretch or a name so I can google it? thanks

kittenmittons wrote:

I think me head exploded trying to picture that...any chance you have an image of that stretch or a name so I can google it? thanks

LOL, I can imagine. Can you access this link?
https://app.webpt.com//hep/display/index/p/0b2b0667a85f704bf3ea2db293721412?companyId=1781

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2018 Races: IM Santa Rosa, Vineman Monte Rio, Lake Tahoe 70.3

Yes! Thank you

I had two bike crashes in 10 months and lost a lot of shoulder mobility. You are right in assuming that shoulder mobility is really important in swimming correctly.

I did the following exercises 3/4 times per week. Good news the routine is 10 minutes tops. You can even do it in 5. More good news, it really works. bad news: it will take months to see improvement. BUT IT WILL COME!

1) Take a broom stick or PVC hold ends of the stick at your hips and with arms straight bring stick over your head to your butt and then back. Based on your description your hands are going to be at the very end of the stick! That is okay. Do 2-3 sets of 5-8 of these. Over time bring your hands closer and closer together on the stick.

2) Very light dumbbell shoulder raises in all directions and angles. I use 2 lbs, 3 lbs, 5 lbs.

3) Slow arm circles. Backwards, forwards big circles little circles. I usually warm up with this. I'll do 2-5 sets at 30 sec/ 45 sec whatever

Everything I do with the shoulders is at a deliberate pace with high rep / low resistance.

Solid Gold! Thanks for posting.

This is a very interesting post to me. I also have crap shoulder flexibility, and only started serious swimming pretty late in life. I'm now getting into my mid 60s and while I do shoulder stretching 3-6 times per week it's very slow going trying to make any progress.

My master's swim coach has emphasized attaining a longer stroke for me but it's been challenging and hasn't made much difference in my speed. Makes me wonder. I do have a problem with my legs dropping with a high head position, will have to think about your back/glutes advice in my practice tonight.