Importance of Stretching

Similar to other athletes, swimmers can greatly benefit from regular stretching.  Swimming uses your entire body and with each stroke, you are stretching your limbs as far as you can. It’s important that your body and muscles aren’t tight which may cause injury.

Swimmers often face great pain and injuries to their shoulders. These athletes tend to have tight shoulder rotators which can cause injury to the rotator cuff. When this happens, the ‘ball’ of your shoulder doesn’t stay within its socket. Some swimmers may even face injury to their lower body such as their knees. A common injury is known as breaststroker’s knee which is located on the medial side of the knee causing pain when in certain positions. As these types of injuries can interfere with training and competing, it’s best to take care of yourself before damage is done.

Swimmers who regularly stretch benefit from increased muscle flexibility and improved performance. Flexibility is very important for athletes in order to perform their best. The two most popular types of stretching are static and dynamic. Static stretching takes place when you slowly increase motion until you feel the ‘stretch.’ You would then hold this position for about 20 seconds. Dynamic stretching occurs when you move your muscles in a range of motion similar to the manner it is used in a sport. This is most popular amongst sport teams. It has been shown that completing a stretch 1-3 times for 30 seconds 5 days a week is best. Always remember that stretching a warm muscle is better than stretching a cold muscle.

Here are some exercises to try:

o   Door Frame Stretch

o   Overhead Lat Stretch (Latissimus Dorsi Stretch)

o   Upper Trap Stretch