Is the Exercise Cool-Down Really Necessary?
Full article here:
www.nytimes.com/.../15best.html
Excerpt:
The idea of the cool-down seems to have originated with a popular theory — now known to be wrong — that muscles become sore after exercise because they accumulate lactic acid. In fact, lactic acid is a fuel. It’s good to generate lactic acid, it’s a normal part of exercise, and it has nothing to do with muscle soreness. But the lactic acid theory led to the notion that by slowly reducing the intensity of your workout you can give lactic acid a chance to dissipate...
One of my coaches (Sheila Arredondo) worked at the Olympic Training Center for a number of years assisting with a number of testing projects they were doing with swimmers, I had sent this article to her right after it had come out and her is what she replied with the following:
"For what it's worth, we conducted a study with the Air Force swimmers long ago. All groups swam 3 x 400 descending. We measured heart rate, VO2, and lactate levels for each swim and 5 minutes following swim #3. Each group did a different cool-down: (1) sat on the side of the pool, (2) walked around the pool, (3) easy 65% swimming. Group 3 had the lowest 5 minute post-swim blood lactate levels, heart rates, and oxygen consumptions followed by group 2, then group 1. So, active cool-downs did accelerate recovery in this group.
Conclusion -- keep and individualize the cool-down."
I asked if she could get a cipy of the actual study and if she does will post.
According to Chris S. It should be a minimum of 50 yards.
Former Member
I found this article on Cool Down:
Swimming down is the most important recovery procedure
You should always swim down for 10 to 20 minutes (600 to 1000 metres). Several studies have shown that recovery time will be halved by active recovery as compared to passive recovery.
The mechanism of swimming down is explained by a much more pronounced decrease in blood lactate levels when applying active recovery methods, because blood flow through the muscels is maintained at a high level. Only when doing short sprint series, does passive recovery offer advantages . However, for the middle and long distance swimmer, swimming down is the preferred way to recover quickly.
In addition, active recovery improves oxygen delivery to the muscles, which helps to replenish used up energy reserves (gluconeogenesis, fatty acid metabolism).
Swimming down after a race ...
It is not easy for coaches to persuade swimmers to swim down. In fact, it is more important to swim down than to collect your medals at the awards ceremony. In particular, this is important when you have more events on your agenda. Swimming down is the necessary prerequisite for further successful swims. Meeting organisers should take this into account when setting up meets schedules and choosing a pool complex (which they very rarely do).
... and after a work out
The same principles apply for work outs, in particular, if you have been doing anaerobic or high intensity aerobic sets. Swimming down is fundamental for an efficient recovery. People who suffer from headaches after a work out should reconsider their swimming down practise. Quite often a headache comes from inadequate swimming down .
Speed
Swimming speed during recovery should range from 30to 50 % of your maximum speed, which is relatively slow, but fast enough to keep your blood circulation busy. As mentioned in the introduction, the recommended time lies between 10 and 20 minutes.
Source: www.svl.ch
It's kinda funny... I just wrote an article for swimnetwork on this topic without even reading this debate first. After 20 years of coaching and almost 30 of swimming, my experience has shown me that I and my swimmers perform better in multiple bouts within the same day (and for multiple bouts over multiple days) with a good swim down after each event.
I never saw this demonstrated as well as I did at one high school meet about 5 years ago (if Nadine's reading, she might remember this - it was a dual meet between our two girls' HS teams). We had two drop-dead sprinters of about the same speed who both swam the 50 free and 100 fly. Nadine's swimmer touched mine out in the 50. I sent my swimmer to swim down before the diving break while the other swimmer just laughed about swimming down. I specifically remember Nadine telling her, "you ought to swim down." So, as we're getting ready for the 100 fly, just before the race, I tell my swimmer, "Sit next to her for the first 50, and then go for it. If you take off on the second 50, watch what happens." Off the wall on the 3rd 25, my swimmer went for it, and Nadine's swimmer felt the proverbial piano land squarely on her back. It wasn't even close at the finish. Nadine's swimmer looked at me with a pained look after the race. I looked over and said, "maybe you should've swum down."
Science may call it an old wives' tale, but it has worked for me and my swimmers for some years. While I'm all about change and new trends in training and science, if swimming down didn't work for us, I wouldn't have my folks do it. As with anything in this sport, your mileage may (and likely will) vary, so I say go with what works best for you.
Former Member
According to Chris S. It should be a minimum of 50 yards.
Every other workout or so.
