11/16/2025
This is part 5 of 5 in our Swimmer Injury Prevention Series and it's all about preventing shoulder injuries by strengthening the scapular stabilizers. 90% of swimmers we screened at the high school and middle school level displayed weakness of the middle and lower trapezius and rhomboid muscles. These muscles are critical in stabilizing the shoulder blade when reaching overhead. When these muscles are weak swimmers will typically feel pain at the end range of their reach just before the pull phase of their stroke. In the majority of the injured swimmers that we see, these muscles are extremely underdeveloped with their pains typically improving as the strength in these muscles improve. These muscles are especially important when treating shoulder impingement and rotator cuff injuries.
We recommend doing the i's and Y's 2 to 3 days a week for 2 sets of 10 and progressing to 3 and then 4 sets before increasing the resistance. These muscles are endurance muscles, so focusing on repetitions before increasing the weight typical gets the best results. The key part of this exercise is to do it with the elbow straight to impart as much work on the scapular stabilizers as possible.
If you're a swimmer or triathlete in Lynchburg with shoulder, neck or back pain don't hesitate to reach out to us as we specialize in helping swimmers and triathletes recover from their injuries and improving their performance to achieve new personal best times.
Big thanks to for trusting us to take care of their swimmers!