Why you should warm up BEFORE swimming:

Decreases Risk of Injury

A warm-up is meant to “start the engine” to your cardiovascular system by slowly increasing body temperature and raising blood flow to your muscles. This warms up your muscles and gets it ready to work effectively in the movements required for the X number of laps you’re about to swim! In turn, sudden exertion or stretches will put less strain on your muscles, which results in a lower risk of injury. Just an additional point to note, warming up before your sessions also minimizes the degree to which you’ll feel sore afterwards!

Increases Flexibility

A warm-up is necessary to loosen your joints especially for those who spend hour after hour sitting in front of a laptop or hunched over completing school work. When your muscles get warmed up and activated, they’ll be able to extend and contract more effectively and quickly than when they’re cold and inactive. Can you imagine the shock you’ll put your body in if you go from sitting down to diving head-first into a pool? You’ll probably not be able to do so without feeling extremely uncomfortable!

Improves Breathing Techniques

When you warm-up, you slowly ease yourself from relaxed or normal breathing to breathing “harder”. This delivers a signal to your brain, which in turn lets your lungs and heart know that it’s “go time”! You know that feeling when you’ve to switch your pace from 0 (walking leisurely) to 100 (running at a crazy speed) to catch your bus? Switching up your breathing in a second feels uncomfortable and takes longer to cool-down from, doesn’t it? That’s why you should always warm-up before jumping into the pool! Yes, this applies even if the pool looks like a dream and you can’t wait to jump in.

Here are 8 Warm-Up Stretches you should do before swimming:

Lunge and Stretch

Image credits: https://www.realsimple.com/health/fitness-exercise/stretching-yoga/best-hip-stretches

This targets your hip flexors which are heavily engaged during the breaststroke! Tight hip flexors are normal for those who sit for long periods of time or even those who cycle. So, how do you lunge and stretch? 

1. Stand with your left foot bent forward and your right foot straight back.
2. Ensure that your left foot forms a 90 degree angle.
3. Keep an upright torso.
4. Place your hands on your knee in front of you and press forwards. This should drive your hips forward and you should be able to feel a stretch in your hip, groin and thigh.
5. Hold it there for 20 seconds, swap your feet position and repeat again!

Torso Twists

Image credits: https://www.everydayposture.com/10-warm-up-exercises-for-posture/

Your core is majorly worked whenever you swim, be it the freestyle or backstroke. Hence, there’s a need to warm up those muscle groups as well! Here’s how:

1. Stand with your legs a little further than shoulder width apart.
2. Keep your knees slightly bent.
3. Keep your core tight and look straight ahead.
4. Fan your arms out to your sides.
5. Use your core to initiate swinging your arms around till one arm is in front of you and one is behind (imagine a helicopter!)
6. Repeat it in clockwise and anti-clockwise directions for 20 seconds.

Image credits: https://www.swimoutlet.com/guides/stretches-for-swimming

You’ll need a wall or any object which is at least the height of your shoulders! 

1. With the wall/object in front of you, place your hand on it at shoulder height.
2. Ensure that your palm is in contact with the wall, with your thumb facing up.
3. Keep your elbow soft. Don’t lock it!
4. Twist your body away from the wall. Hold for 20 sec.
5. Repeat on the other side.

Goal Post Squeeze

Image credits: http://www.mitrecsports.com/aquatics/8-important-warm-up-stretches-for-swimmers/#:~:text=Slowly%20rotate%20your%20torso%20away,stretch%20on%20the%20other%20side.

5 Common Backstroke Mistakes and How To Fix ThemThis one’s for your shoulders, which are about to be HEAVILY taxed especially during the freestyle and backstroke!

1. With your elbows bent at a 90 degree angle, hold your arms out in front of you. (you should form a letter L, just like the woman in the picture!)
2. Bring both your arms back slowly, opening up your chest and squeezing your shoulder blades.
3. Return to the starting position and repeat 10 times.

Arm Circles

Image credits: https://www.spotebi.com/exercise-guide/big-arm-circles/

I’m pretty sure we’ve all done this during PE Lessons! It’s as simple as it sounds and does wonders in loosening your shoulder muscles.

1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and arms by your sides.
2. In a circular motion, swing both your arms forward. Then, backwards.
3. Repeat at least 10 times in each direction!

90/90 Stretch

Image credits: https://www.activekids.com/swimming/articles/7-pre-swim-warm-up-movements/slide-6

Now, this one’s quite interesting! It helps loosen your upper body muscles which includes your chest, shoulders and back. To do so:

1. Lie on your side, with your legs one on top of the other.
2. Keep the lower leg straight and in line with the rest of your body.
3. Bend the upper leg (at the knee) at a 90 degree angle.
4. Start with both your arms extended in front of your chest. Ensure your palms are touching.
5. Now, bring the upper arm over to the other side, rotating your spine.
6. Repeat on the other side.

Quad Pull

Image credits: https://www.gloveworx.com/blog/quad-stretches-help-become-unstoppable/

Your quads are extremely important when it comes to having a strong kick! So you’ll definitely want to wake your quads up as well. To do a quad pull:

1. While standing in an upright position and bend your left knee.
2. Using your left hand, grab your left foot and ensure you’re pulling it to your glutes.
3. Ensure that at all times during the stretch, both your knees are touching each other.
4. Hold for 20 seconds and repeat with the other leg.

Butterfly Stretch

Image credits: https://www.verywellfit.com/seated-groin-and-inner-thigh-stretch-3120294

This warm-up stretch is extremely effective in loosening the tightness in your hips! All you have to do is:

Sit on the floor and connect the soles of your feet together.

Move your feet as close to you as you can.

Push your legs towards the ground.

Exhale and allow your body to fall towards the floor.

Conclusion

I hope this article presented enough reasons to start setting aside at least 10 minutes of warming up before you dive into the pool! It’ll be worth it in the long run, you have my word. Give these exercises a try the next time, you might surprisingly find yourself swimming with greater ease!

Master Swimming with SwimRay Condo Swimming Lessons and learn new ways of stretching in the near future!

Hello everyone! I'm a gym enthusiast who gets very excited at the sight of dogs. Drinking teh tarik is my form of relaxation. I hope you share my passion for anything fitness-related through my writing!