Stretching

RE: Stretching

__steve__ — Tue, 22 Apr 2014 12:28:54 GMT

SIt's just Static stretches - holding for a period of time - that isn't good pre-race.So long as the competition doesn't know that;)

RE: Stretching

aquajock — Tue, 22 Apr 2014 11:25:25 GMT

Ah, good idea! I'll pretend to fully stretch behind the blocks as if it was important:wiggle:. Like leg and chest smacking Smacking the muscles is actually a good thing - gets them warm and ready to go. This works really well for me before sprints. It's just Static stretches - holding for a period of time - that isn't good pre-race.

RE: Stretching

Kevin in MD — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 12:35:52 GMT

Isn't it better they don't? Depends on your point of view, static stretching of prime mover muscles before performance has repeatedly been shown to acutely decrease performance. So you might say it's good for you if your competition uses static stretching right before competition.

RE: Stretching

orca1946 — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 06:29:48 GMT

And maybe a "tarzan type yell" also!!!

RE: Stretching

__steve__ — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 05:22:51 GMT

So you might say it's good for you if your competition uses static stretching right before competition. Ah, good idea! I'll pretend to fully stretch behind the blocks as if it was important:wiggle:. Like leg and chest smacking

RE: Stretching

__steve__ — Sat, 19 Apr 2014 10:09:12 GMT

Isn't it better they don't?

RE: Stretching

aquajock — Sat, 19 Apr 2014 06:49:54 GMT

Isn't it better they don't? Side to side lunges, knee lifts, unweighted external rotation, chest flies, pushing the arms over the head and light stretch cord work is great for pre-swim...

RE: Stretching

orca1946 — Sat, 19 Apr 2014 01:09:40 GMT

I an VERY surprised that most team members do not do ANYTHING b4 diving into the warmup swim!!!

RE: Stretching

aquajock — Fri, 18 Apr 2014 10:38:23 GMT

I also do yoga and qi gong for relaxation and flexibility. I love the 8 Brocades, the crane poses, and also vinyasa yoga, especially sun salutations...One of the stretches shown in my video clip is from the 8 brocades and I have several simple yoga postures included as well. The dynamic stretches really are pretty simple, Steve. In classes, I usually repeat the same movement several times before moving onto the next one because that really gets fluids flowing to the joints.

RE: Stretching

jrb8025 — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 10:59:22 GMT

Look at theraceclub.com: www.theraceclub.com/.../ +1 on Race Club stretching rountine. I've been to the camps and I've used Gary's exercises. Excellent! I also like some yoga poses. Aladar Kogler was one of the first with "Yoga for Athletes." www.amazon.com/.../ref=cm_wl_huc_item And I like some Qigong (related to Tai Chi). Here's a sample of the Eight Pieces of Brocade: www.youtube.com/watch (there are other examples and there are instructional videos available on Amazon or you may find some classes locally). Heres a recent article on stretching for swimmers from Swimming Science (John Mullen). It contains videos and links to other articles. www.swimmingscience.net/.../Dynamic-Swimming-Warm-up.html And here's a Swimming World video of some Cal-Berkely swimmers talking about stretching before they won NCAAs last month. www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../38561.asp A good point that Shayne Fleming makes in this video is that you will eventually get to know what YOU need and you'll develop an individualized rountine that works for you. And I just watched aquajock's youtube clip and that looks good too!

RE: Stretching

__steve__ — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 09:52:16 GMT

The race club stretches are definitely good and quite aggressive. I feel they seem a little more geared for younger, more pliable athletes, I would approach them easy. Those dynamic stretches look interesting, looks as if some muscle coordination is required with them. Thanks for the upload aquajock. I too often forget how static stretching can drain the elastic power of muscles. I wonder if ankle stretching (just prior to an effort) might lower kick power too. There's one way to find out:) Anyone know how long after stretching does it take the muscle to be back at optimal power output?

RE: Stretching

aquajock — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 05:13:47 GMT

Dynamic stretching will warm your muscles, improve your joint range-of-motion and are great to do before a swimming workout or competition. I produced a stretch DVD two years ago full of dynamic and static stretches and many of the upper body dynamic stretches are geared toward swimmers. Here's a short you tube clip if you want to check it out. www.youtube.com/watch

RE: Stretching

Boomerang — Sun, 13 Apr 2014 07:20:43 GMT

Look at theraceclub.com: www.theraceclub.com/.../