Ok, so here it is my first meets since high school (long ago) & I am perplexed.
I always take a shower before practice/getting into the water. I don't know how this will work when I have a meet. Am I supposed to be dry when going off the blocks? Does it really matter? I have a feeling that the water will be cold & a shock when I dive in. I know I should be worrying about other things but this will do for now. How much of a warm-up do people do at meets before their events?
At an indoor pool I tend to stay dry until race time. I get too cold and found I don't swim very well, its better to stay warm and dry. If I am swimming outside and its hot I like to get into the warm up pool right before my event so I am more acclimated to the colder water. Try it either way and see what works for you.
Another thing I like to do is change into a dry suit between events so I can be warmer.
I probably do, on average, 1000 yards or so of warmup. I'd rather err on the side of doing a little too much. I know sometimes I've felt tight during my races and attributed that to not warming up sufficiently.
Some of that 1000 yards will be pace work or sprinting, but the bulk is fairly long, slow swimming.
Another thing to remember is to do some cool down swimming after each event if possible.
I would suggest sticking to your normal routine, esp. for the warm-ups. Once you get in the pool for the first time, you will get the shock of the temp. out of your system. By the time you race, that won't be a problem.
As for warming-up, do you have a coach to write you a warmup to take with you? If so, do what is suggested. If you feel you need more, then do some more. If you need less, then do less. Just listen to how your body feels.
Good luck!
Warm up with long stretched swim of each stroke -1000 yds max- (I am only swimming 2000-4500 per workout now)- do some quick sprints, starts and turns.
Before each race I'll jump in for 50-150 yds and do a few laps after the race.
You probably won't even notice the water temp.
At the meet I recently attended, I noticed that some people would go to the warmup area a heat or two prior to their race and do some drills.
As for a warm up, the idea is to "wake up" your body and get it ready for the race. Your warm up will depend on how many yards you have been doing in your workouts. I read that generally the warm up should be no more than 1000 yards. For me, I would be dog tired if I swam that much in a warm up.
I also read that the warm up is to work your pulse rate up so your brain and body start to sync. I'm not quite sure how fast that means, but I think it is different for everyone. If you ever watched Lance Armstrong warmup during the Tour de France, he is in a complete soaking sweat prior to leaving the starting point and in cycling there is a 5-15K "warmup" period before the start of the race.
I used to have a coach that insisted on a full blown workout prior to a meet - I always hated that. I like a nice 200 or so to stretch out and get the feel of the water and some sprints with practices on starts and turns.
Before every race whether it's my first or fifth of the day I walk up to the blocks, squat down and splash the water on my face and sometimes on my body.
I keep my warmups short and sweet. I don't generally count yards before a race but from what I recall it takes about 300 yards of easy swim and maybe 50-100 yards of slightly aggresive swimming to put me where I feel good. Too much and I feel as if I have burned energy and depleted stamina that could help me in a race.
I also like to warmup at least 30 minutes before my event to make sure that my body has time to warm up after I dry off. There is nothing worse than stepping up to the blocks while you are shivering.
Originally posted by knelson
Another thing to remember is to do some cool down swimming after each event if possible.
Good point.
I am generally too excited after a swim to remember. After 5 or 10 minutes I remember what I should be doing and it always feels so good to have a cool off swim. Nice looooong strokes at a leisurely pace.
Well I appreciate all the advice, I guess I will eventually figure out what works best for me. I never put much importance on the warm-up/warm-down-but I know the coaches find it to be important-I would die doing more than 500 though.
I generally do about 400 yards, mostly slow free with a little kicking, a few 25 sprints (about 80-90% effort), and some starts and turns. Not as much as some people, but it's enough to get me moving.
Another thing that's important to remember is to bring several towels and warm clothes. I generally wear a sweatsuit beween events, whether the meet is indoors or even outdoors during the summer. You just want to make sure you're not going to be cold during the meet.
