Any here stretch AFTER warm up? the team I train with does this, you do warm up, then you stretch for 5 minutes, do maybe 1 more warm up set, and then get going. We always used to stretch before we got in the pool back "in the day", though obviously if you got tight during practice you could stretch whenever.
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Former Member
I usually get to the pool 20 minutes early. Before stretching, I try to get all of my muscles warm. I achieve that by GENTLY doing arm circles/swings, running on the spot, hip circles, ankle circles, etc, while in my sweat pants and sweat shirt. I'll usually do two or three yoga "Sun Salutations" too. After I'm warm and starting to sweat (about 5 minutes) I do about 10-15 minutes of gentle stretching. I try to stretch all body parts, not just my upper body. After this warmup, I always feel ready to swim.
After practice, I stretch for about 10-15 minutes in a HOT whirl pool. During this post-swim stretching, I try to stretch a little bit farther than I do during my pre-swim stretching.
This routine seems to work well for me but your mileage may vary. Other swimmers in my club do anywhere from 0 to 10 minutes of stretching before swimming and usually none afterwards. It's no wonder that some of them take Advil after most workouts.
I usually get to the pool 20 minutes early. Before stretching, I try to get all of my muscles warm. I achieve that by GENTLY doing arm circles/swings, running on the spot, hip circles, ankle circles, etc, while in my sweat pants and sweat shirt. I'll usually do two or three yoga "Sun Salutations" too. After I'm warm and starting to sweat (about 5 minutes) I do about 10-15 minutes of gentle stretching. I try to stretch all body parts, not just my upper body. After this warmup, I always feel ready to swim.
After practice, I stretch for about 10-15 minutes in a HOT whirl pool. During this post-swim stretching, I try to stretch a little bit farther than I do during my pre-swim stretching.
This routine seems to work well for me but your mileage may vary. Other swimmers in my club do anywhere from 0 to 10 minutes of stretching before swimming and usually none afterwards. It's no wonder that some of them take Advil after most workouts.
