What Muscles Do You Work When Swimming the Front Crawl? Which Body Parts Get the Most Benefit?

Front crawl swimming for fitness and strength building

What muscles are we exercising when swimming the front crawl?

Depending on the sport practised, certain areas of the body will be called upon more than others, but what about when you swim the front crawl? Will you tone and refine your figure by front crawl swimming? Below is a list of the muscles and muscle groups strengthened and sculpted by the crawl!

Upper limbs (shoulders, arms and forearms)

• Shoulder muscles: These are the muscles that connect the arm to the rest of the body. They include the rotator cuff muscles (subscapularis, infraspinatus, petit rond, supraspinatus), trapezius, deltoid, grand dentle and angular. These muscles enable arm and shoulder mobility (rotation, elevation).
• Biceps: These muscles, located on the front of the arm, are surrounded by two joints (scapulohumeral, elbow). The biceps comprise two muscles (long biceps and short biceps) that help flex and rotate the arms.
• The triceps: Located on the inner side of the arm, they comprise three muscles (vastus lateralis, vastus internus and long head of triceps) which complement the flexor role of the biceps brachii. The triceps allow forearm extension.

Trunk and pelvis (chest, stomach and back)

The front crawl doesn’t tend to train the trunk and pelvis as much as the other muscles.

Lower limbs (glutes, thighs and calves)

• Glutes: Located at the intersection of the lower limbs and the trunk, the gluteal muscles (gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus) are among the largest and most powerful muscles in the body. In particular, they provide mobility for the thigh and support for the pelvis.
• Quadriceps: Located at the front of the thigh, the quadriceps is made up of 4 muscles (vastus femoris or rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and vastus intermedius). These muscles facilitate flexion of the thigh over the hip, as well as extension of the leg over the thigh.
• Hamstring muscles: Located on the back of the thigh, there are four hamstring muscles (biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semitendinosus). They ensure leg flexion and thigh extension.
• Calf muscles: also known as the sural triceps, the calf muscles comprise 3 muscle fascicles, including the soleus and gastrocnemius. These muscles help extend the foot down the leg

Among the four strokes, the crawl is an effective swimming technique. In addition to its health benefits, the front crawl promotes overall body tone. The muscles most involved are mainly those of the upper body. The alternating rotation of the arms and the kicking of the legs help strengthen the shoulders, arms and, although to a lesser extent, the legs and glutes