A 45-Minute Poolside Dryland Block for Masters Swimmers
A masters swim club has hired a sport yoga instructor for a six-week dryland block: one 45-minute session per week, 10 swimmers aged 35 to 64, on a pool deck. The club has eight mats, towels, three chairs, and a wall; no bands or weights. The swimmers' main competition is in week seven. Two swimmers have a history of shoulder impingement, one has knee osteoarthritis, and most sit at desks. The coach wants 'mobility and recovery' but also wants the swimmers to 'feel like they've worked.' The instructor must avoid interfering with swim training and must keep the deck safe when it is wet. The group has mixed yoga experience: three have never done yoga, two practice regularly, and the rest are casual.
1. Outline the six-week progression and justify how it prepares for week seven without adding fatigue.
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Weeks 1–2: movement screen by observation, thoracic and hip mobility, breath, and basic stability. Weeks 3–4: add controlled strength and integration-planks, bird dogs, glute bridges, single-leg balance, short flows. Week 5: maintain strength but reduce volume, emphasize recovery and sleep. Week 6: race week-light activation, mobility, and breathing only; no new soreness or heavy eccentric work. Week 7: competition. The logic is to build capacity early, then taper so the swimmers arrive fresh. Because the session is only once a week, it cannot create large fitness gains; its job is to support swim training, improve thoracic extension and shoulder mechanics, and downshift the nervous system. I would avoid heavy loading or novel drills in weeks 5–6.
2. Write a 45-minute plan for week three with timings, and explain why each block is there.
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45-minute week 3 plan:
- 0–5 min: arrive, standing breath, foot and ankle mobility.
- 5–15 min: thoracic mobility-cat-cow, thread-the-needle, wall slides; hip mobility-90/90 switches, lunge with rotation.
- 15–28 min: stability-plank variations, bird dog, glute bridge, single-leg balance with chair support.
- 28–38 min: short flow-modified sun salutation, low lunge, chair-supported warrior, balance.
- 38–45 min: downshift-supine twist, legs on chair, slow breathing. Why: the early block prepares the shoulders and hips; the middle block builds control without fatigue; the flow integrates; the final block supports recovery. On a wet deck, I would keep shoes on or use towels under mats, avoid fast transitions, and use chairs for balance.
3. How would you modify the plan for the two swimmers with shoulder impingement and the swimmer with knee osteoarthritis?
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Shoulder impingement: avoid overhead pressing, deep chaturanga, and end-range external rotation under load; keep hands below shoulder height, use wall slides in a pain-free range, and emphasize scapular control and thoracic extension. I would not stretch the front of the shoulder aggressively. Knee osteoarthritis: avoid deep kneeling and deep lunge range; use a chair for support, reduce knee flexion, offer a higher lunge or a step-free option, and emphasize glute and quad strength in a comfortable range. For both, I would give a base option and a challenge option so no one feels singled out, and I would ask about symptoms during and after the session.