The resistance of the water and the range of motion of a flutter kick are both much smaller than the loads and ranges seen with the seated leg extension. In contrast, kicking in the water is far less problematic. Bottom line: this may increase the chances of knee pain and injury, while only strengthening one potential aspect of the kicking mechanics. It is responsible for both knee extension as well as hip flexion , a movement that is not exercised effectively while seated.įurthermore, because the accompanying quadriceps muscles are worked in isolation, the resulting contraction may create a damaging shear force on the connective tissues of the knee. This can be injurious because using heavy loads increases this contraction with no contribution from of the aforementioned muscles to balance the forces seen at the knee. Seated legs extensions only target the knee aspect, leaving out important muscular co-contractions at the hips as well as the hamstrings, and calves. The rectus femoris muscle in particular, is a quadriceps (thigh) muscle that crosses both the hip and the knee. However, amidst the apparent resemblance to kicking, we still do not recommend that swimmers make the seated leg extension a staple part of their dryland routine.Īs we mentioned before, the main propulsive component of kicking involves knee extension AND hip flexion. Swimming is one of the few sports where an athlete extends the knee concentrically against resistance (water) with an open chain. While this is certainly true for the closed chain – land based sports, if there ever was a sport that could benefit from the open chain leg extension, it would probably be swimming. Most will tell you that it has no carry over to the “functional movement” necessary for sports. The traditional Leg Extension Machine has been shunned by many Strength and Sports Performance Coaches, and largely for good reason. This is one of the unique aspects of swimming compared to the sports performed on land. When applied to kicking, Open Chain, simple infers that the foot is free to move, as opposed to being fixed (closed chain) on the ground. The first thing to consider is the fact that the sport of swimming is nearly exclusive to “open” kinetic chain activity. When it comes to land exercises that directly mimic the kick and allow for progressive strengthening through resistance training, we are for the most part, at a loss. Our friends over at have a great post about kicking mechanics and correlated soft tissue length. The vast majority of propulsion comes from the downward kick for freestyle, and the upward kick for backstroke. Too much knee bend and you can create excess drag, meanwhile kicking with the legs too straight hinders propulsion. Propulsion from the kick mainly comes from the unique blend of hip flexion and knee extension, coupled with passive ankle plantar flexion (toes pointed). Assuming proper kicking mechanics and adequate ankle flexibility, if an athlete can train to recruit more muscle -apply more force – and then do so for longer, well, there is a good chance that he/she can increase propulsion. If you are an athlete or coach who emphasizes a strong and consistent kick, then the following may interest you. We understand that not all swimmers are as reliant upon their kicks for speed as others. When it comes to enhancing the kick in swimming, athletes are typically looking for an increase in propulsion. More specifically, we’re interested in the freestyle/backstroke or flutter kick. Today we are going to examine a few exercises that are associated with improving leg strength.
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