I am wondering how many of you take the time to warm down with an easy swim after a workout. I always feel rushed for time and usually end up skipping most or all of the warmdown, feeling that it is a better use of time to workout right up till the time I need to get out.
I know the conventional wisdom is that warmdowns are important- I just wonder how many actually do more than an easy 50 or 100 before hitting the showers.
I firmly believe the warm down is close to useless after a swim workout, but I do believe that stretching after a workout is essential. Stretching when the muscles are warm allows them to go through a larger range of motion than when they are "cold.”
A warm down, for those of you who think it is beneficially, will be mentally beneficial after swim workouts. You can have your time to relax and swim easy. But if you do this at a swim meet with more than an hour between events, this is bad!!!
As far as warming down, I would only do it if I was at a meet, with my next race was less than an hour away. Studies have shown that after an hour, the blood lactate concentrations in the blood are the same for someone who has warmed down, and someone who has not. But before an hour has passed, the person who has warmed down has a lower lactate concentration.
Those who warm down after a race who do not have another race for longer than hour, actually have lower glycogen concentrations in their muscles as opposed to those who don't warm down. Glycogen fuels the muscles. More glycogen is a good thing.
-Swim a race
-Less than one hour until your next race
-Warm down to clear lactate. This sacrifices glycogen resynthesis, but lactate clearance is more important
-Swim a race
-More than one hour until your next race
-Do not warm down. Lactate clearance will not be enhanced. A warm down will cause glycogen resysthesis to be compromised.
I firmly believe the warm down is close to useless after a swim workout, but I do believe that stretching after a workout is essential. Stretching when the muscles are warm allows them to go through a larger range of motion than when they are "cold.”
A warm down, for those of you who think it is beneficially, will be mentally beneficial after swim workouts. You can have your time to relax and swim easy. But if you do this at a swim meet with more than an hour between events, this is bad!!!
As far as warming down, I would only do it if I was at a meet, with my next race was less than an hour away. Studies have shown that after an hour, the blood lactate concentrations in the blood are the same for someone who has warmed down, and someone who has not. But before an hour has passed, the person who has warmed down has a lower lactate concentration.
Those who warm down after a race who do not have another race for longer than hour, actually have lower glycogen concentrations in their muscles as opposed to those who don't warm down. Glycogen fuels the muscles. More glycogen is a good thing.
-Swim a race
-Less than one hour until your next race
-Warm down to clear lactate. This sacrifices glycogen resynthesis, but lactate clearance is more important
-Swim a race
-More than one hour until your next race
-Do not warm down. Lactate clearance will not be enhanced. A warm down will cause glycogen resysthesis to be compromised.
