6 Best Warm-Up Stretches to Do before Swimming × Follow Us Create Notifications New User posted their first comment this is comment text Link Approve Reject & ban Delete Log in Manage your profile Editing Story Queue Video Queue Editing Stats Writer Home SEO Redirection Admin Gaming Wiki Edits Taxonomy Home Edit Site Menu Mapping Dashboard Tag Pages Community Social Feed Queue Feed Center Notification Center Affiliate Home Manage Pages Bottom Tagline Dash Timeless Stories Logout Health and Fitness Listicle 6 Best Warm-Up Stretches to Do before Swimming By Soniya Y Modified 19 Aug 2022 Follow Us Comment Share Warm-up stretches help reduce injury and soreness in muscles. (Image via Pexels/ Mali Maeder) When you approach the pool deck before your swimming practice or race, make sure you have done a good warm-up. As with any workout, stretching and warming up are the best ways to prevent injury during swimming and other physical activities. Take the time to invest in a warm-up routine, and have fun at the same time. View this post on Instagram Instagram Post Stretching before swimming should be an essential part of every swimming session. Besides increasing the range of motion, warming up muscles is a key component to speed up muscle recovery time. Take some time to try the following six stretches before your next swimming session or race: Warm-Up Stretches for Swimmers By following these exercises, swimmers can keep their body warm and ready to swim. More importantly, they should be able to avoid injuries caused by overstretching the muscles. Let's get started with the six best warm-up stretches for swimmers: 1 Lunge and Stretch These killer swim warm-up stretches can help strengthen the hip flexors, which are heavily engaged during the breaststroke. Tight hip flexors are usual for those who sit for long periods or for those who cycle a lot. Here's how you do this stretch: Place your left foot forward and right foot back.Bend your left knee so that it forms a 90-degree angle with the floor.Keep an upright torso. Put your hands on your knees, and lean forward from the hips.That should drive your hips forward, and you should feel a stretch in your hips, groin, and thighs.Hold this position for 20 seconds or till you feel a release in the stretch. Switch legs, and repeat. 2 Torso Twist It's important to warm up while swimming, be it freestyle or backstroke. After all, your core is largely at work when you swim. To do a torso twist: Stand with your legs and feet about a foot apart. Bend your knees slightly, and keep your core tight.Look straight ahead, and extend both arms out from your sides, as if you were holding a bird in each hand.Use your core muscles to start swinging your arms in a circle, bringing them above your head and behind your back, and switching directions after 20 seconds. 3 Jumping Jack Jumping jacks are a great way to warm up your muscles before swimming. They stretch out and strengthen the muscles in the arms and legs at the same time. To do this stretch: Stand with your feet touching, hands at your sides, and palms facing downward.Jump and spread your legs wide apart, and bring your hands over your head.Return to the starting position, and repeat. 4 Butt Kick This warm-up stretch can help you get ready for the swimming season by working the muscles in your legs, thighs, and butt. Here's how you do this stretch: Jog in place, swinging your legs backward.To put extra emphasis on the glutes, make sure the bottom of your foot strikes the lower part of your buttocks.Do that for about ten minutes, taking short breaks if needed. 5 Skipping Skipping can be a great way to get the body moving, and it's also an effective form of dynamic stretching before you swim. Here's how to do skipping: Find a jump rope, and skip for about two to four minutes, taking short breaks, if necessary.Aim to take small jumps, not large ones, and maintain an even pace throughout. 6 Forward Lunge Forward lunges are one of the best ways for a swimmer to warm up. To do this stretch: Stand up straight with your shoulders back, and place one foot in front of the other. Bend forward at the waist till both legs form a 90-degree angle.Make sure the front leg is upright, and the knee is right above the ankle.Keep in mind that the knee at the back shouldn't touch the floor.Hold this position for a few seconds before switching legs. Takeaway Although many people engage in swimming as a form of exercise, not everyone is aware of the importance of warm-up stretches. Too many people jump straight into the pool and start swimming, but you need to be careful that you take the time to do a good warm-up routine first. The good news is that stretches for swimming are quite easy and require little or no equipment. View this post on Instagram Instagram Post If you have access to a pool, there can be no excuses for not starting to experience all the health benefits that can come your way by doing regular swimming workouts. Dynamic stretching is the perfect way to get the body ready for a good swim. Take a few minutes before you head over to the pool. You'll be able to focus on swimming and have fun without wincing in pain, or worse, injuring yourself. Poll : Do you perform warm-up stretches before swimming? Yes! Nope 2 votes Quick Links More from Sportskeeda Edited by Bhargav × Feedback Thank You! Be the first one to comment Follow Us Share Show More Comments GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? No thanks Delete GIF Cancel Update GIF Cancel Reply ❮ ❯ GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? No thanks Delete GIF Cancel Update GIF Cancel Reply ❮ ❯ Be the first one to comment on this story More from Sportskeeda Fetching more content... 1 Manage your profile Editing Story Queue Video Queue Editing Stats Writer Home SEO Redirection Admin Gaming Wiki Edits Taxonomy Home Edit Site Menu Mapping Dashboard Tag Pages Community Social Feed Queue Feed Center Notification Center Affiliate Home Manage Pages Bottom Tagline Dash Timeless Stories Logout No Results Found Get the free App now Manage notifications Popular ‍ Sports (30+) CricketCricket HomeCricket NewsScheduleIND vs SAAUS vs WIENG vs PAKLegends LeagueECC T10County ChampionshipBukhatir LeagueNZ T20 Tri-SeriesWomen's Asia Cup 2022Japan Cricket LeagueWI-W vs NZ-WECT10T20 World Cup FootballFootball HomeNewslettersSK Experts ScheduleEPLNations LeagueLa LigaLigue 1Champions LeagueFIFA WCMLS Bundesliga Serie A WWEWWE HomeNewslettersRumor RoundupRAWSmackDownResultsRosterChampionsWWE Extreme Rules 2022PPV ScheduleAEW EsportsEsports HomeMinecraftOverwatch 2RobloxGenshin ImpactFortniteGTAStreamersFree FirePUBGValorantBGMIPop CultureAnimeGaming TechWiki Guides TennisTennis HomeTennis calendarChina OpenTennis Results TodayATP RankingsWTA RankingsRoger FedererRafael NadalNovak DjokovicSerena Williams MMAMMA HomeUFC NewsONE ChampionshipUFC Fight NightScheduleRankingsResultsUFC Fights TonightONE Championship ResultsONE Championship ScheduleONE Championship Rankings KabaddiKabaddi HomePKL 2022PKL SchedulePKL Points TableKabaddi Rules WikiWiki HomeMinecraft WikiNaruto WikiTikTok WikiYoutube WikiGTA WikiTerraria WikiOne Piece Wiki MoreSportsBasketballIndian FootballNFLMinecraftFormula 1NascarPop CultureCollege FootballHockeyGolfAthleticsBadmintonGymnasticsWrestlingSwimmingTennisShootingBoxingArcheryWinter SportsRobloxSkateboardingKho KhoLifestyle LINKS About Us Write For Us Policies Editorial Standards Journalism Awards Fact Check Affiliate Program Careers CSR Privacy Policy Contact Us Edition: English हिन्दी