If you have any queries or suggestions, please feel free to reach out via email to info@harisonfitness.com. We will do everything in our capacity to ensure that you love your experience with us.

Among the various swimming strokes, the breaststroke is one of the most technically complex, involving numerous changes in the direction of the limbs and differing significantly from other strokes, making it relatively difficult to learn. To master the breaststroke, you must put in the effort to thoroughly learn the basic stroke and kicking technique.

The breaststroke technique constantly changes as the swimmer moves forward, adapting to the movements of the arms, legs, and breathing; therefore, there is no fixed body position. Furthermore, because the underwater arm pull and leg recovery in the breaststroke create significant drag, the forward speed is not as consistent as in the freestyle or backstroke. For beginners, minimizing drag is therefore the most critical aspect of learning the breaststroke. When learning to reduce drag, it is important to maintain a streamlined body position throughout the stroke by tucking the chin, slightly shrugging the shoulders, and extending the limbs as much as possible.

01 The Breaststroke Technique

When swimming the breaststroke, try to maintain a smooth, streamlined body position. This requires paying attention to the following points:

Before beginning the arm stroke, keep your head in line with your body, eyes focused on the bottom of the pool, and arms extended forward. Slightly lower your shoulders and chest to allow your hips and legs to float higher on the water’s surface. The key points of this phase are “head low, feet high; gliding downhill.”

During the arm stroke, the hips should be close to the water’s surface, aligned with the body and legs. The legs and feet should be together and extended. During the kick, the face and torso should be submerged, with the torso maintaining a horizontal position.

02 A body posture that undulates like waves

Since the body position in the breaststroke is not fixed, when learning the stroke, you can refer to the “undulating” body position currently used by most breaststroke swimmers:

As the arms pull inward, the shoulders naturally rise to facilitate exhalation and inhalation as the arms exit the water. When inhaling, there is no need to deliberately lift the head; keep your eyes looking downward and your chin slightly tucked. At the end of the pull, as the arms extend forward, the body arches upward, using the propulsive force generated by the kick to smoothly submerge the head and shoulders into the water. After one full stroke cycle, the body returns to a streamlined position.

When swimming using a “wave-like undulating” body posture, pay attention to the changes in the position of your shoulders and hips. Throughout the entire cycle, your shoulders remain above the water most of the time; even when submerged, they are only a few centimeters below the surface. As your shoulders submerge, your hips and lower back rise to a higher position; when your shoulders are at their lowest point, your hips are at their highest, and vice versa.

It is important to note that although the body moves in a “wave-like” pattern throughout the stroke, the body’s center of gravity remains stable, generally staying about 10 cm below the water’s surface and maintaining a straight line throughout the entire swim.

03 Breaststroke Leg Movement
Leg movement is far more important in the breaststroke than in other swimming strokes. This is because the breaststroke leg movement not only helps maintain body balance but also generates significant propulsion. The breaststroke leg movement can be divided into several parts: “leg pull-in, outward rotation, kick-and-squeeze, and glide.”

The leg pull-in phase involves bending the knees and hips. As the knees are pulled forward, they gradually spread apart, the ankles extend, and the calves and heels move behind the thighs. The hips are pulled forward within their projected plane to minimize drag. The leg pull-in movement stops when the feet approach the hips.

The outward rotation phase consists of two parts: rotating the feet outward and rotating the calves outward. Immediately after the leg-tuck, the feet are turned outward so that the toes point outward, while the knees internally rotate, aligning the inner sides of the feet and calves with the direction of the kick.

During the kick-and-squeeze phase, we must maintain internal rotation of the calves and feet, using internal rotation of the thighs and hip extension to drive the calves backward through the water. Note that the entire movement should be fast and fluid.

After the kick and pull phase ends, there is a brief glide caused by the momentum generated by the kick. During this glide, it is important to keep your legs straight and together, relax your leg muscles and ankles, and conserve energy in preparation for the next stroke.

Learning the breaststroke can be challenging, which is why it’s essential to dedicate effort to mastering the fundamental techniques and building a solid foundation from the very beginning. This will make advancing to more advanced breaststroke techniques easier and more efficient.

If you have any queries or suggestions, please feel free to reach out via email to info@harisonfitness.com. We will do everything in our capacity to ensure that you love your experience with us.

As obesity has become a widespread health issue, people have begun to recognize the severity of the problem. With the growing popularity of national fitness initiatives, the carb cycling diet has entered the public consciousness. So what exactly is this weight-loss method, and how should it be implemented?

01 What Is a Carb Cycle?

The carb cycling method is a weight loss and body sculpting approach that involves controlling daily carbohydrate intake. From a weight loss perspective, the goal is to ensure that energy intake is less than energy expenditure, thereby creating a calorie deficit. Unlike conventional weight loss methods, the carb cycling method involves incorporating several days of high-carbohydrate meals into a weekly or custom-designed cycle, combined with exercise to promote weight loss. The true purpose of this dietary approach, when paired with exercise, is to avoid the plateau caused by a decrease in basal metabolic rate during the fat loss process, break through that plateau, and achieve fat loss through a negative energy balance.

02How to Perform Carb Cycling

Daily Carb Method: This method involves having one large carb-rich meal per day and minimizing carb intake during other meals. The carb-rich meal should be consumed one hour after a high-intensity workout. If it is a rest day with no exercise, you should control your diet by avoiding or minimizing carb intake.

Weekly Carb Cycle: You can tailor this to your actual training schedule: high-intensity training days = high-carb days, moderate-intensity training days = moderate-carb days, and rest days = low-carb days. As the name suggests, on high-carb days you eat plenty of carbs, on moderate-carb days you eat a small amount, and on low-carb days you avoid carbs entirely.

Monthly Carb Cycle: This method is suitable for those who maintain a long-term high-intensity training regimen. Set a monthly goal and create a carb cycle based on your actual situation. The principle is largely the same as the weekly carb cycle, determined by your training intensity. In summary, the dietary approach should be:

High-Carb Days: Consume high carbohydrates, low fat

Low-Carb Days: Consume high fat, low carbohydrates

03 What Are the Benefits of a Carb Cycle?

Carb cycling is particularly well-suited for those who struggle with self-discipline, especially Chinese people. Since our daily diet is primarily carbohydrate-based, it’s very difficult to give them up entirely. Carb cycling days allow us to indulge occasionally and satisfy our cravings. Fitness enthusiasts can combine daily and weekly carb cycling to rapidly build muscle and lose fat, while monthly carb cycling helps break through plateaus and keeps the body’s metabolism at a relatively high level.

If you have any queries or suggestions, please feel free to reach out via email to info@harisonfitness.com. We will do everything in our capacity to ensure that you love your experience with us.

Fat is one of the three major macronutrients in human metabolism. A long-term lack of fat in your diet will not benefit your body; on the contrary, it will gradually undermine your health. Whether in your daily diet or while trying to lose weight and body fat, you must not go without fat for an extended period.

01 The Importance of Fat to the Human Body

The idea that fat accounts for about 30% of total dietary calories—and that eating meat leads to weight gain or that consuming too much fat is harmful to health—has become deeply ingrained in people’s minds, particularly among middle-aged and older adults. Fat is viewed as the primary culprit behind obesity and cardiovascular disease, to the point where people are afraid to eat it. As a result, food is often cooked without oil year-round, and it’s rare to see even a few slices of meat on the table.

However, avoiding fat increases the risk of suboptimal health. As an essential component of the human body, fat is a primary constituent of cell membranes. For example, 60% of human brain tissue is fat. Therefore, conversely, if one does not consume enough fat, the brain will not be properly nourished. This is particularly concerning for the elderly, who are more susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease; thus, it is important to consume healthy fats that benefit brain health. Fat is a primary nutrient for storing and supplying energy—one of the fuels of life—and accounts for approximately 15% of the human body. Each gram of fat provides more than twice the energy of each gram of carbohydrates or protein.

02 Cutting out all fat doesn’t necessarily lead to weight loss

A common misconception about fat intake is that people overlook the fact that the meat, vegetables, and even fruits they consume daily contain fat. Therefore, as long as one’s diet is balanced, fat intake is sufficient. The problem is that, given today’s lifestyle, the root cause of obesity is that energy intake exceeds energy expenditure; combined with a lack of exercise, fat accumulates.

When fat intake is insufficient, the body compensates by consuming large amounts of carbohydrates and protein to make up for the missing calories. This can lead to an excess of calorie intake, and the surplus calories are converted into fat, stored in the body, and accumulate into an obese physique. However, the human body cannot synthesize certain essential fatty acids and must obtain them from food. Avoiding fat entirely can lead to malnutrition. Furthermore, for those trying to lose weight, a fat-free diet is not effective. For example:

Women who avoid fat experience more noticeable signs of aging, such as visible nasolabial folds and rough skin. They may also suffer from weakened immunity, endocrine and metabolic disorders, and even amenorrhea. Men who avoid fat may experience a decrease in testosterone levels, leading to reduced muscle mass and increased body fat. They are also at higher risk of osteoporosis and may experience mood swings.

03 How to Choose Healthy Fats

So, there are good fats and bad fats, and you need to clearly understand how to consume fats that are beneficial to your health.

(1) Saturated fatty acids are commonly found in red meats such as pork, beef, and lamb, as well as in the fat of fresh milk. Saturated fatty acids raise levels of LDL cholesterol in the body, and excessive intake increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

(2) Trans fatty acids are harmful to health and are not essential nutrients for the human body. Consuming trans fats increases the likelihood of developing coronary heart disease. When cooking, avoid heating oil until it smokes or repeatedly frying foods, as this can increase trans fat levels. Most trans fats are formed through artificial catalytic hydrogenation and refining processes and are used to improve a food’s appearance, shelf life, and flavor.

(3) Eat more unsaturated fatty acids. Unsaturated fatty acids are divided into monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Monounsaturated fatty acids can be obtained by cooking with olive oil or by eating nuts and avocados, which help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.