Courtesy of Gary Hall Sr., 10-time World Record Holder, 3-time Olympian, 1976 Olympic Games US Flagbearer and The Race Club co-founder.
Exercise: Pushup into forward somersault, reverse somersault, shoelace jump.
Equipment Needs:
| Ideal | Acceptable | Minimum |
| Gymnastics Mat | Yoga Mat | Carpeted Floor |
Muscle Groups:
| Upper Body | Abdominals | Lower Body |
| Pectoralis Major/ Minor, Deltoid Major/ Minor, Latissimus Dorsi, Rhomboids, Trapeze, Biceps, Triceps | All | Quadriceps, Calf, Hamstring, Glutes |
Rep Range:
| Advanced | Moderate | Easy |
| 10 – 12 reps | 8 – 10 reps | 2 – 6 reps |
Adapting the Exercise:
| Advanced | Moderate | Easy |
| As Written | Pushup, front somersault, jump | Pushup, jump (see Burpee article) |
Performing the Exercise:
We are breaking down the individual exercises in our Dryland Workout video with Head Coach of Alabama Swimming, Coley Stickels. Coley loves to incorporate motor skills with athletic movement in order to get the most efficient strength from his swimmers without bulking up too much or becoming less quick and unathletic. With that said, his ‘movements’ are always challenging and knowing the basics is fundamental in order to do them safely and efficiently and they are suitable for most every level of Athlete. We will break down the individual exercises in our Dryland Workout Video with Coley. Once you can master some of the simple you will be able to follow along with these incredible Athletes!
This exercise begins with a pushup followed by a forward somersault, then a reverse somersault into a shoe lace jump – or rather a jump initiated from the tops of the feet. Perform a pushup ensuring that the head is in line with the body, elbows are in tight to the ribs, and the core is tight in order to keep a straight line from head to toe. Be careful not to let hips sag or stick into the air, as well as the elbows not to flair away from the body.
After the pushup, keep the hands slightly behind the shoulders, kick the feet over the head ensuring that the chin is tucked into the chest, roll onto the tops of the shoulders, down the back and complete the somersault. Be careful to tuck the chin and to not push too hard with the feet and landing too hard onto the back. Make sure the mat or surface you are somersaulting on is secure, notice Coley places his foot on the mat to keep it from sliding.
Once the feet are planted after the forward somersault, maintain the same body position with chin tucked and press back with the feet kicking towards the sky and rolling backwards to perform the back-somersault. Be careful not to put pressure on the neck while back-somersaulting. Some swimmers will prefer to roll over one shoulder more than another, this is perfectly acceptable.
After landing the back-somersault with the knees and tops of feet firmly on the ground, use a hard-forward swing with the hands to jump to the feet to conclude the exercise. Avoid leaning too far forward during the jump up and land lightly on the feet.
To check out this entire workout SIGN UP FOR LANE 2 for a FREE 7 DAY TRIAL – DRYLAND WORKOUT VIDEO.
Yours in Swimming,
Gary Sr.
Gary Hall, Sr., Technical Director and Head Coach of The Race Club (courtesy of TRC)
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Because Life is Worth Swimming, our mission is to promote swimming through sport, lifelong enjoyment, and good health benefits. Our objective is for each member of and each participant in The Race Club to improve his or her swimming performances, health, and self-esteem through our educational programs, services and creativity. We strive to help each member of The Race Club overcome challenges and reach his or her individual life goals.
The Race Club provides facilities, coaching, training, technical instruction, video, fitness and health programs for swimmers of all ages and abilities. Race Club swim camps are designed and tailored to satisfy each swimmer’s needs, whether one is trying to reach the Olympic Games or simply improve one’s fitness. Our programs are suitable for beginner swimmers, pleasure swimmers, fitness swimmers, USA swimming or YMCA swimmers, or triathletes; anyone who wants to improve swimming skills. All of our Race Club members share an enjoyment of being in the water and use swimming to stimulate a more active mind and body.
