How Much Do You Warm Up Before A Meet?

Maglischo has some good time based guidelines are warming up. Stretch ankles, shoulders and lower back for 5 to 10 minutes. Breaststrokers should also stretch their groin and knees. 10 to 20 minutes easy swim. Practice starts and turns. For sprinters, swim a few 25s a race pace. >200 eventers should swim 50s or 100s at race pace. Cool down 2 to 5 minutes. That should be completed at least 15 minutes before racing. Right before racing, try to swim 5 to 10 minutes easy and go immediately to the blocks. So the last bit would pose a problem for tech suit wearers. One of the questions I had was what to do when you don't have warm up space right before your event. Maglischo says that really sucks, because the warm up effect wears off. It is a good idea not to get too invested in a single warmup routine. Although I disagree with JH about a lot of what he says here about warmup -- mostly b/c I think he tends to overgeneralize from his own experiences -- it is worth considering what he is saying, the idea that dryland warmup CAN be as effective as a traditional "wet" warmup if you do it right. It is a good idea to develop such a routine if it is necessary (I basically do something similar to dynamic stretching). I love to follow Maglischo's advice and basically show up wet at the starting blocks. But sometimes it isn't possible for a variety of reasons. That shouldn't be enough to throw you off your game, you need to be (mentally) flexible about what constitutes a good warmup. Think about the some of the races in major international competitions. Depending on the situation, they may spend over 15 min in the ready room prior to the race before marching out, clearly they can't go straight from the pool to the blocks. Almost all of them are moving, jumping, and/or stretching, getting ready for competition in a way that doesn't involve swimming. For me there are basically two aspects to warmup: the pre-meet warmup before all the races start, and the pre-race warmup before my actual event. Sometimes the two merge if I am swimming the same event, or -- somewhat paradoxically -- if there is a lot of time between the official warmup period and my race. Besides preparing your body for best performance, the pre-meet warmup is also the time to get used to the pool: the blocks, the angles off the walls, considering how the sun will be at race time (if you are swimming backstroke outdoors), things like that. If it is really crowded, it is hard to do turns at race speed, but I always try to get in a few backstroke starts to get used to the blocks and pads. When it comes time to race, you don't want to be flustered by the unexpected. It is best if you consider these things as you are warming up in the main competition pool. For example, "what will this wall look like at full speed?" Visualize yourself doing it. At end-of-the-season meets I am usually shaved, and I absolutely love the feeling of warming up under those conditions. I convince myself how fast I am going and how effortless it is. Warming up is partly a mind game. You should plan your pre-race warmups (and putting on your tech suit) well ahead of time. Look at the timeline and decide exactly when you are going to put on your suit and get in the water. Give yourself plenty of time, you don't want to be rushing around worried that you'll miss your race or not get enough warmup in. I don't do a lot during pre-race warmups, really, unless it has been a long time since I last swam. Lots of easy swimming. I'll do some 25s underwater kicks (not at full speed), especially if it is before a backstroke race. Generally just get yourself ready for the race. Get used to the feel of the tech suit, if you are wearing one. I do a lot of stretching and bobbing, maybe more than anything else. One thing I like about pre-race warmups is that the water is supporting you, you don't have to waste energy standing or walking or even sitting.

Maglischo has some good time based guidelines are warming up. Stretch ankles, shoulders and lower back for 5 to 10 minutes. Breaststrokers should also stretch their groin and knees. 10 to 20 minutes easy swim. Practice starts and turns. For sprinters, swim a few 25s a race pace. >200 eventers should swim 50s or 100s at race pace. Cool down 2 to 5 minutes. That should be completed at least 15 minutes before racing. Right before racing, try to swim 5 to 10 minutes easy and go immediately to the blocks. So the last bit would pose a problem for tech suit wearers. One of the questions I had was what to do when you don't have warm up space right before your event. Maglischo says that really sucks, because the warm up effect wears off. It is a good idea not to get too invested in a single warmup routine. Although I disagree with JH about a lot of what he says here about warmup -- mostly b/c I think he tends to overgeneralize from his own experiences -- it is worth considering what he is saying, the idea that dryland warmup CAN be as effective as a traditional "wet" warmup if you do it right. It is a good idea to develop such a routine if it is necessary (I basically do something similar to dynamic stretching). I love to follow Maglischo's advice and basically show up wet at the starting blocks. But sometimes it isn't possible for a variety of reasons. That shouldn't be enough to throw you off your game, you need to be (mentally) flexible about what constitutes a good warmup. Think about the some of the races in major international competitions. Depending on the situation, they may spend over 15 min in the ready room prior to the race before marching out, clearly they can't go straight from the pool to the blocks. Almost all of them are moving, jumping, and/or stretching, getting ready for competition in a way that doesn't involve swimming. For me there are basically two aspects to warmup: the pre-meet warmup before all the races start, and the pre-race warmup before my actual event. Sometimes the two merge if I am swimming the same event, or -- somewhat paradoxically -- if there is a lot of time between the official warmup period and my race. Besides preparing your body for best performance, the pre-meet warmup is also the time to get used to the pool: the blocks, the angles off the walls, considering how the sun will be at race time (if you are swimming backstroke outdoors), things like that. If it is really crowded, it is hard to do turns at race speed, but I always try to get in a few backstroke starts to get used to the blocks and pads. When it comes time to race, you don't want to be flustered by the unexpected. It is best if you consider these things as you are warming up in the main competition pool. For example, "what will this wall look like at full speed?" Visualize yourself doing it. At end-of-the-season meets I am usually shaved, and I absolutely love the feeling of warming up under those conditions. I convince myself how fast I am going and how effortless it is. Warming up is partly a mind game. You should plan your pre-race warmups (and putting on your tech suit) well ahead of time. Look at the timeline and decide exactly when you are going to put on your suit and get in the water. Give yourself plenty of time, you don't want to be rushing around worried that you'll miss your race or not get enough warmup in. I don't do a lot during pre-race warmups, really, unless it has been a long time since I last swam. Lots of easy swimming. I'll do some 25s underwater kicks (not at full speed), especially if it is before a backstroke race. Generally just get yourself ready for the race. Get used to the feel of the tech suit, if you are wearing one. I do a lot of stretching and bobbing, maybe more than anything else. One thing I like about pre-race warmups is that the water is supporting you, you don't have to waste energy standing or walking or even sitting.