WEST technique course for shoulder, neck, scapula, elbow, and wrist pain
One of the things people hear from doctors or friends is that rest will probably help in case of pain. In this article and training course we will work on the opposite of rest. The intention is to use the injury to work on other parts of the body, or on our swimming ability to , just not to rest.
Why shouldn’t we rest?
- It takes the body a month to get back to business after a resting period
- Without aerobic workout, many suffer from clinical depression
- Rest causes the joint to become harden and set, and the rehabilitation process can take longer
- Rest shortens and damages the muscles
After we understood why we shouldn’t rest, we will try to understand how to use the pain for our benefit.
Pain is a friend, and it shows us that we did something wrong: we were under a lot of stress and did not release it properly, we overloaded the body in workouts, we didn’t do enough stretching, we didn’t swim according to our body type (WEST), and mostly we didn’t listen to our body.
In this article we will combine 3 different exercises, each with a different training goal , but all together have one purpose – to loosen the neck and shoulders and make them more flexible, treat inflammation if formed and strengthen the legs and core muscles.
In other words, we have two options: either to gain weight and get mad at ourselves for getting injured, or to take advantage of the injury to do things that we don’t have the time to get to on a day to day basis, and the time has come to do so.
There are many treatments for shoulder problems: hydrotherapy, physical therapy for the shoulder, acupuncture and more…. But the best treatment is the treatment we do for ourselves. We are responsible for our own destiny, for our own rehabilitation. In this way the brain works better, and the body even learns a few new things about itself. We believe that whoever does, succeeds and feels good.
The program consists of three different training sessions (or 4). Each session takes exactly one hour, and each training session has an explanatory video with fascinating images taken above and below the water.
You do each workout exactly 3 times on different days. If the pain is acute or there is a frozen shoulder or a fracture in the Clavicula (collarbone) it is necessary to combine hydrotherapy with the water world team.
Workout # 1 – Releasing shoulder and neckRequired equipment: For all sessions: snorkels and fins. Duration: 1 hour |
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Exercise goals: to release the neck, adjust to the snorkel, and increase the volume of the legs | |||
No | Name | Time | Explanation |
1 | 200-450m shoulder rolling with snorkel and fins | 8 | Swimming with snorkels and fins, the head looks at the floor. Through the pelvis move your shoulders from side to side. The shaking rate is one second for both shoulders. It is very important not to strain your shoulders during shaking. The movement of the shoulders created through the pelvis causes the water to stroke the shoulders, neck and scapula, without any manipulation. |
2 | 3-5X100 swimming with one hand, fins and snorkel | 8 | Swim with one hand, the other hand near the thigh but not touching the thigh. Swim with snorkel and fins to neutralize neck work on the one hand, and on the other to make progress in water. The same progress causes the water to caress the painful shoulder at several angles.
At the end of each 100 m do a fin stretch for 10 seconds on each leg (stretch 4) |
3 | Legs with snorkel and no fins | 5 | Kick with your legs for 5 minutes, head down with snorkel and hands to the side of the body, to strengthen your legs and not create pressure to the back, shoulder and neck. If it’s difficult it’s ok to rest, and not be disheartened by the fact that at first you don’t make much progress. |
4 | Leg stretches | 3 | Ankle stretch + Heel to buttock stretch (Stretches 5, 7) >> Each stretch for exactly 10 seconds on each leg, and then the next stretch, and so on for 3 minutes |
5 | 3-6X50 legs with snorkel and fins, beginning with an arrow | 6 | Start off from wall with an arrow with fins and snorkels. After 3 seconds slowly bring hands to the sides of the body. Unlike the first shoulder shaking exercise, here you just think about rhythmic kicks.
At the end of each 50 m make the hand on the chest with a rotation stretch twice, for 10 seconds each time (stretch 1) |
6 | 75 m with fins and snorkel until you run out of time | 22 | Swim 75 m with snorkel and fins: first 25 – body roll, second 25 – swimming with one hand when the other hand near the thigh, and third 25 like the first exercise – a gentle body roll.
Between each 75 m take a break of 20 seconds and perform a different stretch from the workout (1,2,4,7,10) |
7 | Stretches | 8 | Hand on the chest stretch, hands behind the back against the wall stretch, arrow and inverted arrow stretches (stretches 1,2,10) |
Workout # 2 – Releasing shoulder and neck with WEST techniqueRequired equipment: For all sessions: snorkels and fins. Duration: 1 hour |
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Exercise goal: gentle strengthening of the muscles of the shoulders and the proximal and intractable shoulder blade muscles + shoulder release | |||
no | name | time | explanation |
1 | 200-450m shoulder rolling with snorkel and fins | 8 | 8 minutes shoulder rolling with snorkels and fins, hands to the side of the body. The most important basic exercise for treating swimmers’ shoulders. |
2 | Gentle WEST classic backstroke with fins | 5 | Swim on the back with fins, and while inhaling bring hands through the sides of the body up to 90 degrees or up to the range of pain and a little less, then exhale until the hands touch the thigh.
While swimming we will keep the head neutral and our breathing slow |
3 | Legs with snorkel | 6 | Legs with snorkel for 6 minutes, hands to the sides of the body, without fins. |
4 | Dolphin without breathing in diving with fins 4-8X25 | 6 | Dive under water about a meter deep, head down, hands on the side of the body, and keep a rhythmic movement of the pelvis up and down. Between every 25 m perform a fin stretch. If you run out of air, it’s ok to come up for air.
If successful, it is recommended to gently shake the shoulders under the water while doing the dolphin. |
5 | 125 m as many times as you can fit in the time frame – fins and snorkel | 6 | All with snorkels and fins:
25 m – Rolling shoulders. 25 m – Long dog swim without maximum stretching (swimming freestyle without removing hands from the water, hands return under the abdomen). 25 m – Deep breaststroke, slow stretch. Stretch with your hands at a depth of 35 cm below the water line and try not to swim breaststroke as in the competitive swimming, but make large circles without bringing your elbows close. The head is neutral all the time. 25 m – Swimming with one hand. Swim with one hand, slow gliding, second hand beside the hip 25 m – A gentle body rolling as in the first lap. |
6 | Swimming freestyle with one hand + breathing, with fins without snorkel | 6 | Swim freestyle with fins with one hand, the weak hand is dragged by the body. Every second movement breathes in the direction of the pulling hand. It is important to note that the goal here is not the pull but stretching the strong hand in order to create a rocking of the painful shoulder. |
7 | Stretches | 7 | Stretches 1,2,3,4,6,10 – each for exactly 1 min |
You did an amazing job! Now is the time to start changing your style a bit, to swim according to your body built, pain and flexibility, or in other words – swim WEST, when the main point is to release the neck and lower back.
Attached is a 20% coupon for a WEST online swimming course. For the price of one private lesson you receive a whole world of knowledge – over 100 training videos especially for you.
The goal: To swim correctly without any pressure on the neck, shoulders and lower back
Get 20% off on your swim WEST course
Workout # 3 – Releasing shoulder and neck with WEST techniqueRequired equipment: For all sessions: snorkels and fins. Duration: 1 hour |
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Exercise goal: strengthening the muscles of the arms, chest and back + increasing leg volume | |||
no | name | time | explanation |
1 | 200-450m shoulder rolling with snorkel and fins | 9 | 9 minutes shoulder warm up with snorkels and fins |
2 | 2-5X50 rhythmic legs with snorkel | 5 | Between each 50 m legs, perform a different leg stretch (stretches 5,6,7) Head to knee, heel to buttock and heel to wall. |
3 | 4-8X50 with snorkel and fins, 25 dogs, 25 one hand | 8 | Swim with snorkels and fins, 25 dog, 25 swimming with one hand and the second hand dragged by the body. Between each 50 m perform a fin stretch (stretch 4). |
4 | Stretches | 5 | Stretches 1,3,4,10 |
5 | Legs with snorkel without fins
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8 | Kick for 8 minutes without fins with snorkel. If difficult, kick slowly. Try not to stop even if difficult. |
6 | 150 m as many times as you can fit in the time frame – fins and snorkel | 30 | 25 m – Rolling shoulders.
25 m – Long dog swim 25 m – Breaststroke 25 m – Full freestyle according to your personal WEST (important key points are the stretch depth and the shape of your palm according to your personal WEST) 25 m – Body rolling |
7 | 150-300m shoulder rolling with snorkel and fins
Stretches |
10 | 5 min shoulder rolling + 5 min stretches |