Warm up and Warm Down

Warm UP and Warm DOWN are IMPORTANT

Warm up is not only in the pool but out of the pool too. We talked about this in dry land on Monday. I am expecting the senior development group to be using their time on deck to improve strength and flexibility with the dynamic exercises we went over with you. Warm-up is one of the most important elements of an exercise program. It is particularly important to prevent injury. The objective of the warm-up is to raise total body temperature and muscle temperature to prepare the entire body for vigorous activity. There is an important difference between warm-up and stretching. Many people stretch and call it warm-up. This is incorrect. It is important to warm-up before stretching. If one stretches the muscles without prior warm-up, the muscles are cold and are more prone to injury, such as muscle tear or strain. Before exercising, begin with a warm-up period to raise the body temperature. You want to get the heart pumping and increase blood flow to the muscles before stretching.

At meets- Warm up
As we are moving to higher levels of swimming it is important that we understand what we need to do before we race. I am going to try and help you set up a warm up that will help you be ready to swim fast! I believe that your warm up should include: swim, kick, drills and some speed play. We will be talking about this more at the up coming meets.

At meets- Warm down
We are starting to gain muscle in our bodies and with this the importance of warming down increases. Warming down provides benefits to the body.
1. Returning heart rate to normal
2. Preventing blood pooling: Along with your heart beating at a higher than normal rate, it's also pumping out more blood. After your race you need to allow the body to cool down so blood will not pool in different parts of the body rather than redistributing.
3. Preventing muscle pain: Your muscles work hard for you during your races. They are tense when you are done and therefore need to be stretched out a bit afterward. Allowing the time to do so can prevent muscle soreness later on.
4. Replenishing your fluids: A lot of natural water can be lost during your workout so it is important to drink some fluids after your workout is complete to help rehydrate the body.