FitNessieHow to do it
- Float face down with your body straight and horizontal, head down.
- Reach one hand ahead of you in line with your shoulder, then bend the elbow and catch the water with your forearm vertical.
- Pull down and back past your thigh as your hip and shoulder rotate upward.
- Bring the hand up and over the water with a high elbow and reach it forward again as the other arm pulls.
- Kick small and steady from the hips, and turn your head to breathe to the side every two strokes.
Key cues
- Head down, spine straight
- Reach, then catch
- High elbow, hand under it
- Kick from the hip
- Boil the surface
Common mistakes
- Lifting your head so your hips and feet sink
- Kicking from the knees instead of the hips
- Pulling short and forceful instead of long and relaxed
- Recovering low and wide so your hips wiggle
Muscles worked
- Primary
- Lats, chest and triceps
- Secondary
- Front delts, side delts, rear delts, upper back, traps, abs, obliques, quads, hamstrings and glutes
Equipment
None.