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Improve Your Swim with Strong Core
 Often, we associate our core with just our abs. You might be surprised to hear that your abs make up only one piece of the puzzle. Generally speaking, your core consists of your abdominal, lower back, hip and pelvis muscles. These muscles combined form the basis of support for the rest of your body.
The benefits of a strong core include better balance, stability, posture and athletic performance. As a swimmer, a strong core will not only improve your balance and stability in the water, it will also help with faster turns and better side-to-side rotation. Despite all of this, the core muscles don't often get the attention they deserve in strength training regimens. As you set your goals for 2012, make sure that a stronger core is on the list. You can strengthen your core with exercises like plank, side plank, push-ups, v-sits, squats, bicycle crunches, bridge, and lunges with a twist. All of these examples use your own body weight as resistance and require no equipment. You can do these exercises at the gym, at home or even at work, so you have no excuse not to do them! We can also help you strengthen your core through a variety of classes offered in our recreation centers. Our group fitness schedules list the benefits of each class, so look for ones that have CO (core) listed. We also offer registered classes that work the core including Pilates Mat and TRX® Suspension Training classes. TRX® uses suspended nylon straps and the resistance of your body weight to perform a variety of exercises. Focus on your core and you'll see improvements in your swimming and beyond. |
Competitive diving is a sport of skill and grace. Coaching competitive diving requires technical knowledge to help divers build their skills in a safe environment. To be both a competitive diver and a coach necessitates a certain mastery of the sport.