Swimmer Mags article on stretching ...

Do we really need stretching exercises at all? Why not just a good swimming warmup? Yes. Is there such a thing as a nice gentle *** stroke kick? I instituted my current 6 minutes of daily stretching after mildly pulling my groin doing the *** stroke leg of an IM set several times. It, of course, took several times before I thought I might prevent some pain with a little stretching. For your general health, you probably need to do stretching just to maintain your flexibility. You should be able to pick things up off the floor without fear, and swimming is not going to maintain that kind of flexibility.

As in all warm ups - listen to your body - do not tear parts !

My takeaway on the article: Excessive stretching of the capsule/stabilizers can lead to greater risk of injury. Warm up gradually, stretch the big muscles, strengthen the little stabilizers, and avoid extreme range of motion postures. I think this article is especially helpful for age-groupers. Young joints are more flexible and less stable, and over time they can get built backwards (so to speak), with excessive instability and imbalanced strength, a recipe for injury. For older swimmers, hopefully we haven't lost too much flexibility and we listen to our bodies more.

Wow, after reading the article that qbrain posted, it makes me curious. #1,any stretch that involves pulling on my head to stretch my neck makes me nervouse as heck. Seems like it's too easy to overdo it/misuse it. #2, I'm a recent college grad (since this article came out), and in my Kinesiology Swimming class, she still had us doing 2 out of the 3 no-no's. Now granted, I had no respect for that professor, as she was really just a glorified PE teacher who thought she was a college professor, but I can't believe that in a college atmosphere, they wouldn't be up to date enough in their knowledge to know that those stretches were now off limits! Alot of us glorified PE teacher's are more current and up-to-date than most college prof's. We are in the trenches with students every day! I teach 12 classes per day, believe my class is the most important information the students recieve here at school (how to stay healthy and be the best you can be for life.) Please do not compare a college prof who sits in his or her Ivory Tower to me who is out spreading great information to the masses of tomorrow's leaders!!! :)

Now that I got my magazine yesterday; i know what the discussion is all about so I am going to chime in. I am a physical therapist and swim coach. Please read the introductions; both articles make valid points. In the Swimmer article, the stretches that are depicted as NOT recommended are stretching the capsule (the static stabilizers of the shoulder) In most cases, when a swimmer states that their shoulder feels tight, it is not the capsule that needs to be stretched. The muscles feel tight and rubbing your muscles might be more beneficial than stretching. To understand the rationale behind the exercises, Edelman's article for USA swimming is helpful reading. I do not believe that there will be a total agreement on how to stretch and what is better. There are so many theories. A stretch for a swimmer would be differently for a runner. Everyone has different body types and swim differently too. I do agree with that in most cases; swimmer's shoulders the swimmer's capsule does not need to be further stretched out. There is a tendency toward hypermobility in the capsule. Now for the discrepancies: 1) the lat stretch: in both cases- the swimmer's shoulder blades are winging; that would not be a recommended stretch for either swimmer. The recommended active exercise for streamline would be more helpful. As for the lat stretch, if you cannot sit on your knees like the picture; then use a block for your hand placement. 2) the triceps stretch: in your hand placement above or below the elbow makes a difference on lever arm; the elbow straight versus bent effects the stretch. In most cases, people's triceps do not need to be stretched unless you have a tight posterior capsule. now the discussion on the neck stretch poses a different situation: If you have a neck problem; check with your doctor or therapist prior to doing any exercises I haven't found a person that did not need an upper traps stretch. In most people, the upper traps are firing all the time and need to be stretched. A helpful modification for this stretch; instead of anchoring your hand to the chair; place that hand behind your back. In addition, you are in control on how much pressure you are applying to your head. Remember these are recommended stretches. Edelman did a great job explaining his article at the USAS convention and I am in favor of the active exercise. I also coach and I do not have any of my high school female swimmers stretch. I do have them do neck and shoulder rolls and squeeze their arm and shoulder if they complain of tightness. As for masters, I encourage them to take yoga separately from swim practice. And stretch after practice not before. Now this is my analysis of the articles and my two cents. I hope it helps with some confusion people are having Swimcerely Nadine

The provocative USMS article helps get us thinking about an important aspect of our fitness and meet preparation programs. The article challenges what coaches and swimmers have been doing for a long time and indicates that various traditional stretches performed just prior to exercise causes injury and hurts performance. If true, there may be liability considerations too. The article recommends an active warm up just prior to a workout and periodic stretching of the shoulder muscles either several hours before or several hours after a workout (not right before a workout). The author of the USMS article noted elsewhere that elite swimmers can often be seen performing what he believes are contraindicated stretches just before they swim their heat and is concerned that others may imprudently mimic them because of their competitive successes and their crediting in part their stretching regimes (eg, Michael Phelps). The author is concerned that "Many people become addicted to self manipulation of joints because of this temporary inhibition of pain and muscle relaxation...The stiff and achy sensation of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) encourages a swimmer to stretch their shoulder to the extreme in an effort to provide relief and achieve a loose feeling." A birds-eye view of the body of scientific and empirical evidence may be helpful and also explain the apparent dichotomy to some between the USMS article and the Masters swimming pages this month in Swimming World magazine. Over the past few years, some studies have theorized that “acute” vigorous stretching performed seconds or minutes immediately prior to a competition event may not prevent injury and enhance performance but instead might be detrimental. This new evidence mostly involved testing leg muscles or hand grip strength in the laboratory after a brief course of vigorous stretching. Some results, but not all, found a small decrease in muscle strength of unknown clinical significance. “Acute” stretching decreased running speed in one study, increased it in another, and had equivocal results in two others. Kristie-Lee Taylor, PhD, and her colleagues found that 15 minutes of dynamic warm up (bending, swinging, twisting the arms, legs and torso for 15 minutes) was better than 15 minutes of lower body static stretching to increase 20 meter running sprint and vertical jump performance performed 2-3 minutes later. Because athletes rarely do such pre-competition workouts in isolation, ie without sport-specific warm ups performed as well, the researchers considered such a comparison irrelevant. When the test subjects followed either test regimen with a sport-specific warm up, there were no differences between the static and dynamic warm up groups. David Behm, PhD and his colleagues found in laboratory cyclists impaired reaction time and movement examined within one minute after a static stretching routine. Janne Avela and his colleagues found loss in calf strength after 1 hour of continuous passive stretching induced by a machine that returned to normal within 15 minutes. Such studies have little if any practical significance for Masters swimmers. There are good reasons why some studies show that stretching increases performance and reduces injury, some show the opposite and some show no effect. For example, how stretching was defined and how injuries were assessed. One of the most relied upon studies warning against stretching for injury protection when re-analyzed to focus on muscle injuries found that stretching reduced muscle injuries. All things considered, Krista Woods, PhD, and her colleagues concluded that "a warm-up and stretching protocol should be implemented prior to physical activity. The routine should allow the stretching protocol to occur within 15 minutes immediately prior to to the activity in order to receive the most benefit." “Acute” or static stretching studies have not been performed in swimmers. Because swimmers use muscles differently than virtually every other sports, studies in selected groups like jumpers and runners warning against stretching (even though they are more than balanced by studies recommending stretching) should not overly constrain swimmers from stretching. Furthermore, 1) compared to running sprinters and explosive jumping, swimmers move in relative slow motion, likely removing the the possible "acute" stretching effect 2) competition swimmers virtually always conduct an in-pool warm up, which would also virtually eliminate any "acute" stretching effect 3) swimmers who perform static stretching lasting at least 15 minutes do so relatively long before the heat, not merely 2-3 minutes before (during which they are listening to music, resting and finally performing a brief routine of calming exercises), thus further minimizing any "acute" stretching effect 4) the stretching performed by swimmers before a competition heat would more likely be considered a 'dynamic' workout than a 'static' workout; thus, the possible "acute" stretch effect on running and jumping may be further irrelevant for swimmers If a detrimental effect of stretching occurs in some swimmers, it is likely that ballistic or excessive stretching beyond a breaking point and sufficient to induce lasting pain caused the injury and/or reduced performance. It would be surprising though that elite swimmers and those aspiring to join them have not observed such an effect (beyond obvious over stretching that caused significant pain or injury) if it is relevant in view of the dozens-hundreds of swim meets they each entered while actively monitoring their performance and its development. Apparently their coaches have not observed it either. Specific research is called for, especially because greater numbers of us are entering Masters swimming later in our lives when many of us are more prone to injury. Nevertheless, the pre-event stretching recommended by the authors of the USMS article combined with a good swim warm up will help prepare swimming muscles and psyche for a better swim heat. The USMS article should not dissuade swimmers from regular stretching, preferably daily. According to Ian Shrier, MD, PhD, in his review of substantial peer-reviewed evidence, “regular stretching improves force production and velocity of contraction…These results are consistent with the basic science evidence and mirror the results observed with respect to stretching and injury.” Most athletes and billions of non-athletes rely on regular stretching for its benefits on fitness, performance, range of motion, injury protection, injury recovery and good health. Also, regular stretching has therapeutic benefits for aging bodies just as swimming itself does (as noted also in this issue of Swimmer). Dr. Taylor and her colleagues concluded, "A well-designed warm-up can assist the athlete in mentally focusing on the upcoming task and to bring about various physiological changes to optimize performance." A routine of regular stretching, preferably daily and including stretches that are contraindicated by the article’s authors, will help build a foundation for health and performance if not done to the breaking point. I thank George Edelman and Drs. David Behm, Ian Shrier, Kristee-Lee Taylor, Malachy McHugh and Krista Woods for their help. PS Jim Miller, MD, member of USMS's Sports Medicine and Science Committee wrote last fall, "Swimming injuries are almost always related to stroke technique flaws. Overuse injuries in swimmers may involve the neck, lower back, elbow, or knee, but by far, the most common injuries involve the shoulder...Be very careful while stretching. A lot of accomplished swimmers are flexible, however it is important to not allow this natural gift of flexibility to become a problem. If stretching is overdone, the shoulder will become unstable and more susceptible to injury." From Jim Montgomery and Mo Chambers in Mastering Swimming, "Since flexibility is critical to improving swimming, the most essential element of any dry-land program is a safe and thorough stretching routine...Be patient with stretching and try not to rush your progress by overstretching, which can injure your muscles. Proper stretching leaves you relaxed and feeling good." From Ed Nessel in Swim to Win, "Cold makes everything tight. And tight is not conducive to fast, powerful movement. Cold muscle fibers need warming before they are put to work...It increases the range of motion and the force with which muscle moves by improving the fibers' ability to contract. It also protects and prepares the muscles and their corresponding connective tissue." According to Marc Safran, MD and his colleagues, "Warm-up and stretching are essential to preventing muscle injuries by increasing the elasticity of muscles and smoothing muscular contractions. Improper or excessive stretching and warming up can, however, predispose to muscle injury."

Unless I miss some pages, this article is very incomplete as: - it doesn't provide with any valid reason for condemning typical swimmer stretching exercises - it talks about the importance of stretching the shoulder articulation but yet doesn't provide one single stretching exercise to achieve this. The only 3 recommended exercises target pectorals, lats and trapezius respectively As to the importance of stretching? Well for anyone that feels it is not important, just don't do them. Get in the pool and swim. That said though, stroke mechanics improvements (the real ones) are often somehow restricted by one's flexibility level. Freestyle EVF, Butterfly shallow catch (where the hands end up being higher than the shoulders on arm entry) to name only these can not be developed to their optimal level without dedicated stretching routines. To a certain (and rather large) extent, supplementary dry land exercises for instance involving swim cords are mandatory to get these issues cleared as well. Ankles flexibility is probably insufficient too, for the majority of master swimmers out there. That explains in big part why some many hate endless kicking sets.

Interesting article. My team (age group) does stretching for flexibility prior to every swim. We have a set of stretches and some are in the "no-no's" shown in the magazine. Until I started stretching with the team, I couldn't touch my toes. Now I can. Our coach believes that flexibility helps prevent injury and helps with speed (think Dara Torres). We also have a chiropractor who is certified to do ART www.activerelease.com/what_patients.asp. She comes once a week and stretches us. I'm going to get both the coach's and ART's opinion about this article. I'm curious as to what they will say.

I make fun of the tri crowd for toy usage to the extreme, but swimmers are an interesting lot also. Change is slow in our swimming world. The studies have been out for years about stretching, yet some older swimmers still do what they did as a child. Flexability does help prevent injury, allow you to swim faster, and make your daily life better. Proper stretches and doing it at the proper time are the key. Streching before a competition doesn't help reduce injuries. If it did, those who don't stretch and then exert themselves would be injured in the start of a race. Injuries in competition occur in a random manner. Well, at least that is what I was taught by some high falutin university experts many moons past. I still think it's true, but then, I am a swimmer, and live in the past.

stretching for flexibility and warming up are two different things. static stretching (when you stretch and hold it for a while) actually inhibits your strength. The proteins in your muscles can not bounce back with in a reasonable time which decreases the amount of strength you have. A dynamic warm up, like rotatating your shoulders or swinging your arms, brings blood to the area and warms up your muscles with out losing your strength. Even running for a couple of minutes would be more benifical than a static stretch. If you need to work on your flexiblity, stretching or going to a yoga class after a workout or on a different day would be much more productive. I am glad that the article brought more attention to stretching before swimming, yet I feel like it is incomplete and talking about warming up would fill in the blanks. I also agree with the best warm up being what I am doing- swimming.