Swimming
- Target muscle
- —
- Equipment
- Body weight
- Body part
- Back, Hips, Thighs
- Type
- Stretching
Swimming is a prone floor drill that stretches and mobilizes your back, hips, and thighs by having you alternate lifting opposite arm and leg while lying face-down. It trains spinal extension and hip mobility through a controlled, rhythmic movement pattern, making it a useful warm-up or cool-down drill for anyone who sits for long periods or wants to improve posterior chain flexibility.
How to do the Swimming
- 1Lie face-down on a mat with your legs straight and your arms extended overhead, palms facing down.
- 2Engage your core lightly so your lower abdomen lifts slightly off the mat — this protects your lower back throughout the movement.
- 3Simultaneously raise your right arm and your left leg a few inches off the floor, keeping both limbs straight.
- 4Hold the raised position for one breath, feeling the stretch along your back, hip, and thigh.
- 5Lower your right arm and left leg back to the mat with control.
- 6Switch sides, raising your left arm and right right leg in the same manner.
- 7Continue alternating sides in a steady, rhythmic pattern for the desired number of reps or duration.
- 8To finish, lower both limbs to the mat, press back into a resting position, and allow your back to relax.
Form tips
- Move slowly and deliberately rather than swinging your limbs — a controlled tempo increases the stretch and reduces momentum-driven compensation.
- Keep your gaze down toward the mat so your neck stays in a neutral line with your spine instead of craning upward.
- Breathe out as you lift and in as you lower — coordinating breath with movement keeps the movement smooth and your core engaged.
- Focus on length rather than height: reaching your arm and leg away from your center matters more than how high you lift them.
- If your lower back feels strained, reduce the range of motion and ensure your core is lightly braced before each lift.
Common mistakes
- Lifting the head to look forward, which compresses the cervical spine and breaks the neutral spinal alignment the drill is designed to promote.
- Swinging the limbs up with momentum instead of lifting them with control, which shortens the time under stretch and reduces effectiveness.
- Letting the hips rock side to side as you switch arms and legs, which shifts the load away from the target areas and can stress the lower back unevenly.
- Holding your breath during the raise, which increases tension in the lower back and makes it harder to maintain a stable core.
- Hyperextending the lower back by lifting the limbs too high, which compresses the lumbar vertebrae rather than mobilizing the back and hips through a safe range.
Frequently asked questions
What does the swimming stretch target?
The drill targets the back, hips, and thighs. It promotes spinal extension mobility and hip flexor length while also activating the muscles along the back of the body in an isometric and dynamic way.
Is swimming (the floor drill) good for beginners?
Yes. Because it uses only body weight and requires no equipment, it is accessible to most fitness levels. Beginners should focus on a small, controlled range of motion and build up gradually rather than trying to lift the limbs as high as possible from day one.
How many reps and sets should I do?
A common starting point is 2–3 sets of 10–16 alternating reps (5–8 per side), or 20–40 seconds of continuous alternating movement per set. Rest 30–60 seconds between sets.
When is the best time to do this drill — before or after a workout?
It works well in both contexts. Used before a workout it primes spinal extension and hip mobility; used after, it serves as a gentle cool-down that stretches the back and thighs after loading them through training.
How is the floor swimming drill different from a Superman hold?
A Superman hold raises all four limbs simultaneously and is typically held as a static position. The floor swimming drill alternates opposite arm and leg in a rhythmic pattern, which also adds a rotational stability challenge and keeps the movement dynamic rather than static.
