The Breaststroke Swim is a intermediate-friendly bodyweight strength exercise that targets the lats, middle back and chest, with the quadriceps, glutes, abdominals and shoulders working alongside. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesLats, Middle Back, Chest
Secondary musclesQuads, Glutes, Abs, Shoulders
EquipmentBodyweight
LevelIntermediate
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Breaststroke Swim
Float face down with your body straight and arms extended in front of you.
Sweep both hands outward then back toward the midline in a circle, keeping the elbows high.
Lift your head and shoulders to inhale as the arms complete the pull.
Recover the hands together ahead of your shoulders, then shoot them forward.
Draw your heels toward your seat, turn your feet out and whip them back together.
Hold the streamlined glide until speed drops, then start the next cycle.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Builds a low-impact aerobic pattern with a clear, teachable rhythm.
Loads the inner thigh and hip musculature harder than the other strokes.
Allows a breath every cycle, which makes pacing straightforward for beginners.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Pulling too wide and too far back, which stalls the stroke and overloads the shoulders.
Kicking with the feet pointed instead of turned out, which removes most of the propulsion.
Cutting the glide short, so stroke rate rises and efficiency falls.
Lifting the head too early, which drops the hips and drags the body line.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Breaststroke Swim, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
