Shoulder Strength
Rotator cuff and deltoid strengthening for NSEA swimmers. Swimmers make hundreds of thousands of arm strokes each season, and these small, stabilizing muscles keep the shoulder centered and healthy through all of them. Choose a program, watch the demo, and check off each exercise as you go.
- Only do these when your shoulder is pain-free . If you have current shoulder pain or tendinitis, talk to your coach and an athletic trainer or physical therapist first.
- Move slowly and with control. Lowering the weight should be as controlled as lifting it.
- Stop if something pinches or hurts. Mild muscle fatigue is normal; sharp pain is not.
How to train
Build up as you can handle it.
Light band or 1–3 lb dumbbell. Finish every rep with good form.
No swinging or jerking.
Step farther from the anchor or choke up on the band to make it harder.
Reading the clock
The band exercises use a clock face seen from above. You stand in the center facing 12:00 . Your right side is 3:00 and your left side is 9:00. Each exercise tells you where to lift your arm, with separate positions for the right (R) and left (L) arm.
Raise the arm to shoulder height . As you get tired you won't reach as high. That's fine.
Exercises
Source. Adapted from two classic athletic-training handouts: Surgical Tubing Exercises for the Shoulder and a rotator cuff prevention and rehabilitation exercise series published in Athletic Training . Two cues have been updated to current practice (marked Updated cue ). Original tubing spec: 3/32″ wall, 3/16″ bore. Any light resistance band works the same way.
Videos are third-party demonstrations on YouTube and Physitrack, chosen to match each movement. They are not produced or endorsed by NSEA. When a video differs from this guide, follow the written steps and cues here.
NSEA Swim dryland reference, updated Oct 2026. This guide is for injury prevention in healthy swimmers and is not medical advice. Rehab after an injury should be guided by a licensed athletic trainer or physical therapist.