Backstroke is the ideal antidote to a hunched desk posture: it straightens your shoulders, strengthens your back, and allows you to breathe freely at any moment during the workout.
- Sitting or hunching for many hours pushes your shoulders forward; the backward movement of your arms in backstroke does the exact opposite, “opening” your chest and straightening your spine.
- Having your face always pointed toward the ceiling and out of the water allows you to breathe naturally without having to worry about technique.
- The “double arm backstroke” (moving both arms simultaneously) guarantees maximum muscle stretch and is perfect for regaining flexibility.
- To prevent your pelvis and legs from sinking while swimming, you are forced to continuously contract your abdominals and glutes.
- You can use this stroke both as a primary workout to improve endurance and as a relaxing recovery for your joints after heavier efforts.
Backstroke Mechanics to Reverse Shoulder Rounding
In everyday life, we spend hours with our arms reaching forward: whether typing on a computer, driving a car, or riding a bike, the consequence is always a “closed” posture. The chest muscles shorten, and the shoulders tend to round inward, straining the upper back.
Backstroke is the perfect biomechanical medicine for this problem. The backward windmill movement of the arms forces the rib cage to expand. Every time an arm pushes the water, the muscles between your shoulder blades (like the rhomboids and traps) contract to pull the shoulder back. This constant work not only strengthens the back of the body but also stretches the chest muscles, helping you regain a straighter, more open, and proud posture even when you are out of the pool.
Respiratory Advantages: Keeping Your Face Out of the Water
Many people give up on a great pool workout because they struggle to coordinate their breathing with their arm movements in freestyle. Swallowing water or being out of breath due to poor technique can turn the sport into a source of stress.
In backstroke, this obstacle simply doesn’t exist. Because you are lying on your back, your face remains in constant contact with the air. This allows you to breathe at your natural pace, supplying oxygen to your muscles continuously and drastically lowering the heart rate associated with breathing anxiety. Removing the “problem” of breathing allows you to focus exclusively on body movement, enjoying an excellent and prolonged cardiovascular workout.
The “Double Arm Backstroke” Variation for Maximum Stretch
If classic backstroke feels strenuous or asymmetrical to you, there is a fantastic and incredibly easy variation to learn: the double arm backstroke. Instead of moving one arm at a time, both arms are brought out of the water and pushed backward simultaneously, while the legs perform the traditional kick.
This variation is a true dynamic stretching exercise. By pulling both arms back together, the opening of the chest is maximal and symmetrical. It is an extremely relaxing and fluid movement that doesn’t require great power but offers enormous benefits in terms of flexibility and decompression for the entire spine.
Activating Your Abs and Glutes for Buoyancy
The main difficulty for those swimming on their backs is the sensation of their legs “sinking,” which creates massive drag against the water and slows them down. To stay horizontal and float correctly, the arms aren’t enough.
The solution lies in the center of the body. To keep your pelvis at the surface of the water, you must contract your glutes and keep your core constantly engaged. In practice, while your arms and legs are propelling you, your torso is performing a true isometric hold exercise (very similar to a “plank”). This makes backstroke a phenomenal, hidden core workout, giving you a much stronger and more stable abdominal belt.
Incorporating Backstroke as Active Recovery or Primary Training
The versatility of this stroke allows you to incorporate it into your weekly program in different ways, depending on your needs.
If you feel tired or your joints are fatigued after heavy workouts (like weightlifting or long bike rides), dedicating 30 or 40 minutes to backstroke offers unbeatable “active recovery”: the water zeroes out the weight on your knees and back, while the gentle movement washes away muscle soreness. If, instead, you want to use it to improve your fitness, you can structure your workout by alternating slow laps with laps swum at maximum speed, transforming backstroke into intense work that burns calories and builds broad, strong shoulders.