Before your next swim, take some time to try out these eight important stretches for swimmers. You will be glad you did! Great warm-up stretches loosen up the muscles and get the blood flowing throughout the body. These swimmer-specific stretches work those hard-to-reach muscles that are key to great swimming. Each stretch is designed to increase flexibility and mobility in your shoulders, hips, chest and legs. Working to stretch and warm up these key areas of the body will allow you to be more efficient in the water.

Wall Press – Chest Stretch

• Begin by facing the wall and extending your arm to place your palm against the wall. Your thumb should point towards the ceiling.
• Slowly rotate your torso away from your arm/wall until you feel the stretch in your chest and shoulders.
• Hold for 15 – 20 seconds, keeping your palm firmly pressed against the wall. Then repeat this stretch on the other side.

Goal Post Squeeze

• Raise your arms in front of you with your elbows bent at a 90 degree angle.
• Begin moving your arms back slowly, focusing on squeezing your shoulder blades together in the middle and maintaining a 90 degree angle.
• Return to starting position and repeat 10 – 15 times.

Goal Post Rotation

• Raise your arms to your side with your elbows bent forward and in line with your shoulders at a 90 degree angle.
• Rotate your arms up to the goal post position, without dropping your elbows below your shoulders.
• Return to starting position and repeat 10 – 15 times.

Straight Arm Swing

• Begin in a standing position with one leg slightly more than shoulder width apart from the other. With your knees slightly bent, lower your head down and place your forearm above the knee of your forward leg.
• Slowly rotate your opposite arm in a full circle to work the shoulder joint through its full range of motion.
• Repeat for both arms, doing 25 swings on each side.

Hamstring Streamline Stretch

• Begin in a seated position and extend one leg straight while the other is bent inward with your foot close to your leg. Keep the foot that is extended in a flexed position.
• Bring your arms straight and tight to your head in a streamlined position. Hold this tall and with a flat lower back for 10 seconds.
• Then, while pushing your hips back, reach for your foot/ankle to stretch your hamstring for 10 more seconds.
• Repeat 5 times, then switch sides.

High Hurdle Streamline Stretch

• Extend one leg straight while the other is bent backward, foot close to your buttocks. Keep the foot that is extended in a flexed position.
• Bring your arms straight and tight to your head in a streamlined position, and hold this tall and with a flat lower back for 10 seconds.
• Then come down to a quad stretch for 10 more seconds.
• Repeat 5 times, then switch sides.

Cat – Cow

• Start with your hands and knees on the floor in a tabletop position (knees are under hips, wrists under shoulders).
• Begin in a neutral spine position, keeping your back flat and engaging your core. Take a big deep inhale.
• As you exhale, round your spine up towards the ceiling, thinking about pulling your belly button up towards your spine, as well as pushing your shoulders up and away from the ground as you tuck your chest.
• Inhale again, curving your back in and letting your belly relax while lifting your head and tailbone up towards the sky.
• Repeat this at least 10 more times.

Child’s Pose

• Kneel on the floor, touching your big toes together and sitting on your heels.
• Reach your hands far in front of you as you push your shoulders down into the ground to feel the stretch.
• Hold this for 15 – 20 seconds.
• You can stretch your arms to either side of your body to add a stretch in your side torso.

It adds some extra time to your workout, but incorporating stretching into your swimming routine is worth the effort. You have more to gain than just some extra flexibility. Well stretched muscle fibers lengthen, which creates more force when they contract. This causes the muscles to be more effective at pulling you through the water. Getting in a warm-up stretch also protects your body from pulls, tears and pains, especially in the neck, shoulders and lower back. These are key areas of potential injury for swimmers. Why not try some – or all – of these stretches for swimmers before your next swim?