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Chris Freytag demonstrating Swimmers

The swimmers workout move is often found in Pilates and strengthens your lower back and core muscles while teaching your body to stabilize. The idea behind this exercise is to learn how to pull the muscles of the core in so tightly that you are stable in the middle despite the fact that your arms and legs are moving around quickly.

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Table of Contents

Swimmers Instructions

Here’s how to perform the swimmers workout:

  1. Lie on your stomach with the legs and arms extended. Engage your abdominals so you feel your transverse abdominis contract.
  2. Lift your arms and legs off the floor and keep your nose in a hover above the mat.  Flutter your arms and legs, moving from the hips and shoulders (not the knees and elbows). Like your swimming.

While doing the swimmers exercise move, imagine there is a full bowl of water sitting on your lower back and you are trying your best not to spill any water as your feet and hands flutter. Notice that the more you pull your abdominal muscles in, the more stable you become. (That is the purpose of this exercise!)

Another tip: make sure to tighten your glute muscles as you move. These will protect the lower back as well as enhance your overall stability.

Targets: back, core, shoulders, hamstrings

Swimmers Benefits

The swimmers workout is also known as a swimmers back exercise since it helps target those elusive lower back muscles. (You will likely feel sore in your lower back the next day, but don’t be concerned!)

The lower back muscles are ofen underused in our workout life, so it’s important to include back exercises (such as swimmers) as a part of your total core strengthening routine. Not only does this build strength, but it can help improve your posture.

The swimmers exercise move also helps to strengthen your core, shoulders, and hamstrings.

Easy Ways to Incorporate Swimmers Into Your Workouts

Luckily, we have a few workouts and yoga sessions that already include the swimmers exercise move! Check them out here:

If you’re looking for more low-impact exercises, try our Quick Low Impact Workout At Home For Any Level or 15 Best Mobility Exercises for Seniors to Stay Active.

For exercises similar to swimmers, check out the following: