I know this is a very newbie question, and there is ample info in swim books/sites about this, but I'd love to hear from REAL SWIMMERS like you, thank you very much.
What works for you?
Lately I've been doing a series of 200m to 25m swims, usually totalling 800m, as a warmup.
Example: 2x200m + 2x100m + 2x50m + 4x25m, starting very easy, ending at "fast" pace.
In the future I hope to incorporate drills into the warmup, but I don't have a clue yet. :)
Skuj,
There are several reasons for warm-up.
Getting the body ready to race: As the others have replied, it is an individual preference although there are several "realms" to go through. The first is the "easy" swimming/kicking/pulling to get your muscles activated - 500 works pretty good. Then a harder effort set (300-400 yrds) where you are are stressing the entire body system with 80-90% effort. Next is 300 harder set where you are pushing at 90-95% effort. Some easy swimming followed by pace work and/or starts followed by a warm-down to flush out bi-products.
Getting to know the pool: This is the part of warm-up that rarely gets mentioned and is as important as your body getting ready. Use your warm-up to get to know the walls (slippery or grippy), the targets on the bottom and ends because not all pools are the same and a missed turns is the pitts, checking out the ceiling and flags if you are doing back or IM, if you are outdoors the sun can play a role as well. And, not all lanes are the same, so try to swim a bit in the lanes you will race in (if the meet is pre-seeded).
Equipment functionality: Making sure your goggles, cap, swim, etc. are all good. Warm-up with the same equipment you will race with. Do several starts appropriate to the strokes you will do - to make sure the cap and goggles will stay on.
Good Luck!
Skuj,
There are several reasons for warm-up.
Getting the body ready to race: As the others have replied, it is an individual preference although there are several "realms" to go through. The first is the "easy" swimming/kicking/pulling to get your muscles activated - 500 works pretty good. Then a harder effort set (300-400 yrds) where you are are stressing the entire body system with 80-90% effort. Next is 300 harder set where you are pushing at 90-95% effort. Some easy swimming followed by pace work and/or starts followed by a warm-down to flush out bi-products.
Getting to know the pool: This is the part of warm-up that rarely gets mentioned and is as important as your body getting ready. Use your warm-up to get to know the walls (slippery or grippy), the targets on the bottom and ends because not all pools are the same and a missed turns is the pitts, checking out the ceiling and flags if you are doing back or IM, if you are outdoors the sun can play a role as well. And, not all lanes are the same, so try to swim a bit in the lanes you will race in (if the meet is pre-seeded).
Equipment functionality: Making sure your goggles, cap, swim, etc. are all good. Warm-up with the same equipment you will race with. Do several starts appropriate to the strokes you will do - to make sure the cap and goggles will stay on.
Good Luck!
