Monofin for abdominal development?

[Firefoxx]

I workout regularly and I used to swim competitively until I dislocated my shoulder in a freestyle race. In the 2 years since I have dislocated 4 times, so I have shoulder surgery at the end of the month. 6 weeks in a sling, 9 months of physical therapy...

So I'm trying to figure out what I can do to maintain my cutting phase (when you consume fewer calories and do cardio to promote fat loss) while also developing my abdominals. The kicker, of course, is that it has to be low-impact for my shoulder, and something I can do with my arm at my side.

I have no previous experience with a monofin, but I am a certified diver and tend to use my fins as though they were a monofin. I theorize that the rippling whole-body contraction of the dolphin fin would work my abs. While it is poor form, I could keep my arms at my sides. And of course, we all know how swimming is excellent cardio.

So I ask you, the experts: Do you think a monofin works to develop your abs/core? What else does it work? And, if you think it's a good abdominal tool, what model would you recommend for a beginner who wants to focus on core development? (cheaper is better...)

Thanks everyone

 

[Andrew the fish]

I think if you want abdominal (or core) strength development, then you need stiff monofin. Otherwise you may not get real resistance out of each stroke to trigger muscle growth. On the inexpensive side would be Waterway's "Freedver Nemo Wing" with #3 stiffness. I have #2 (middle) stiffness and it is nearly not enough for core workout IMO, makes very enjoyable swimming but that is not what you want.

 

[vladek_zwer]

Why do you think you need to improve your abdominals? Do you have a valid phisiological reason, i.e. instability of the torso, bad front/rear ratio? From a biomechanical viewpoint, a proper swimming technique does significantly acitvate the abdominal muscles (mind you, I am a competitive finswimmer, therefore my definition of a proper technique will gravely differ from yours). But since you aim to keep your arm at the side, this will cause you to use a stroke originating in the knees, thus relieving the stress from the abdominals. A stiff fin will only emphasize this.

But to get back to my point... You mentioned that you were a competitive swimmer, this in itself implies that you have done a supstantial ammount of work in and out of the pool, and therefore you have somewhat developed abdominals. This leads me to conclude that you are in fact only looking for a beach body sixpack, right? Well, to that cause, you need only cardio, and due to your shoulder situation, I would recomend indoor cycling - might sound boring, but slap some tunes on, and you can do a brutal cardio workout and burn a tub o' fat, without even activating your deltoids. After your shoulder is better you can start jogging etc...

I hope this helps in any way...

P.S. just one more little insight from a finswimmer's perspective - I don't swim with the monofin to strengthen my abs - I actually do hours and hours of dryland core excercises to be able to swim with the fin

 

[Kars]

Swimming with a monofin is great fun. But if you're not able to have a proper monofin position (arms over head) it's rather limited in effectiveness. For the core strength you wish I recommend fitness and floor exercises where you try to avoid any shoulder use, to let it heal completely. If you buy a monofin, buy a medium stiffness, this is stiff enough for sprinting, but still allows for medium speed swimming. A sprint fin only swims nice at a high speed.
During recovery I would consider starting freediving, to avoid damaging your body further with brutal hard training and swimming done in competition swimming.
With you excellent physique you may very well achieve a place for a World Championship representing the USA within 1-2 years. The international friendly Freediving atmosphere is something to experience.

Have a good recovery!

*actually you can practice already during recovery, learning to relax is very beneficial for your recovery.

 

[Fondueset]

I agree with Vladek and Kars. In an arms down position you won't have the leverage to use it with strength. You'll have to either shift the work to your thighs or use a very soft fin - neither of which will do much for your abs.

 

[jay cluskey]

get a pair of short rubber fins
get in the pool (deep end)
have your hands and arms out of the pool on the side and stay upright
dolphin kick for as long as you can upwards maintaining a grip on the side
this helps cure knee bend as well as strengthens core muscles
take a freediving course before trying any sub surface apnea

 

[Firefoxx]

I appreciate all of the feedback. I meant to check on this more but the last week has been finals week and an exam in Economics, Political Science, and a 60-page original research biography kept me from doing much of anything. Ho hum--BUT, I'll be home tomorrow so all is well.

@Vladek and everyone else who was so helpful:

If anything, my core is disproportionately strong. My swimming experience was put on hold for two years while we waited to see what my shoulder wanted to do. Since it's indicated it wants to fall out, I had to wait for a good time to get surgery and that meant limiting myself from "dangerous" activities. The first dislocated happened in a swim race, the second when I was jumping into water, and I've actually half-dislocated my right shoulder jumping into a pool, so obviously aquatics were out of the picture. That training will return, and I've managed to maintain fourteen-pack abs since that time. I just want my torso/core/abs to be a little bit overdeveloped while getting some serious cardio and spending time back in the water. I feel like I ought to be able to start the kick in my shoulders even if my arms are down as long as I focus on doing so. You're the experts though--is that possible?

 

[vladek_zwer]

Well it is, it's actually a tech drill in finswimming, and the aim is to ephasize movement of the hips while maintaining the head and the shoulders still with arms at the side. And you do that by focusing on a point in front of you (i.e. the wall of the pool) and trying to minimize the movement of the head while maintaining the largest possible movement amplitude of the hips. And if you manage to do all of that with your legs remaining extended in the knee the whole time, that will put stress on your abs. (obviously, if the knee flexes, the m. quadriceps femoris takes most of the stress).

However, it will still be far less activated than swimming with your arms in the streamlined position - doing this on your back activates the core even more.

 

[Firefoxx]

Great response, I really appreciate being able to benefit from the wealth of knowledge you all have.

I'm willing to compromise a bit on the ab strain to be able to get back in the water and do cardio. I can't tell you how much I miss swimming, and I really love the feeling of swimming dolphin-style, even if I've only done it with two fins.

If you had to recommend a fin, which would you point me toward trying? Or, at least, what qualities should I be looking for to suit my aims?

 

[Fondueset]

Firefoxx - this does not address the imbalance of your shoulder. To this end I recommend very careful and well-taught work with Yoga. In this way you can gain insight into the patterns which are causing your shoulder to slip and begin to correct them.

I will say - I would have the intent to avoid surgery.

For mono fin advice I defer to our croatian friend. For what it's worth - I've had very good results with Starfins. But I am a free diver - not a fin swimmer - Vladek is much more attuned to your needs.