Backstroke Swim
Supine alternating-arm swimming where body roll lets the large back muscles pull while a flutter kick holds position.
How to do it
- Float face up with your body flat, ears in the water and eyes looking up.
- Hold a long body line with hips near the surface and a steady flutter kick.
- Enter one arm overhead with the little finger first and the palm turned out.
- Roll your shoulders and hips toward the entering arm so the back muscles can pull.
- Bend the elbow underwater and press the water toward your hip to finish the stroke.
- Recover that arm straight over the surface as the other arm starts its pull.
Key technique cue
Rotate the torso with each stroke; swimming flat loads the shoulder.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Swimming flat with no body roll, which loads the shoulder instead of the back.
- ✕ Letting the hips sink, so the legs drag and stroke rate has to rise to compensate.
- ✕ Lifting the head to look forward, which drops the hips and breaks the body line.
- ✕ Crossing the entry arm past the midline, which forces the shoulder into an end-range position.
Benefits
- ✓ Trains the lats and shoulders through a full overhead pulling range.
- ✓ Keeps breathing unrestricted, so effort can be held steady for long sets.
- ✓ Adds a supine stroke that balances the forward-facing strokes in a swim plan.
Progression: from easier to harder
-
Step 1 -
Step 2 You are here - Backstroke Swim
- Breaststroke Swim
- Freestyle Swim
- Swim laps
- Butterfly Swim
-
Step 3
About the exercise
Backstroke is swum face up with continuous alternating arms: one arm pulls underwater while the other recovers straight over the surface. Rolling the body toward the pulling arm is what lets the lats and the large trunk muscles drive the pull instead of the shoulder working alone, and a steady flutter kick keeps the hips near the surface so the body travels in one line. The pulling elbow bends underwater and the hand stays submerged, while the head stays still because lifting it drops the hips and adds drag.
Updated
A week of training and meals built for you
Workoutify plans workouts around your days, time and equipment — and a menu for your goal and macros.