Swimming for Fitness: A Post-Swim Recovery Guide

Swimming for fitness is a great way to have fun and fulfil a weekly workout. Water based workouts are a great way to enjoy swimming and get your whole body moving in a workout. This means they can be intense and that the post-workout recovery is essential to keep you in shape for your next swim! We’re going to give you some important part of the post-fitness swim process to keep you prime and prepared for next time:

MINUTES AFTER WORKOUT: Cool Down

One of the first things to consider within minutes of finishing your workout is a cool down. Cool downs are essential to remove feelings of stiffness or soreness. It also releases tension and gets the blood flowing through the body again. One way you can cool down in the pool is by swimming some gentle laps. This stretches out the body without the intensity that a full workout demands. Another way that you can cool down is through static stretching, which one again stretches out your muscles and reduces feelings of tightness.

WITHIN 5-10 MINUTES POST-WORKOUT: Hydrate

One thing that can often be overlooked when swimming for fitness is how dehydrated your body might be. Being in water can make water workouts feel different to normal exercise – however you still sweat just as much when means your body loses hydration. This is why drinking water and re-hydrating as soon as possible is important.

It is recognised that after being in the water for a while drinking water may taste like chlorine. If that’s so a flavoured drink with electrolytes or some lightly diluted squash may be the perfect option to re-hydrate within the chlorine taste!

10 MINUTES + POST WORKOUT: Nourish 

Another important part of healing your body is re-fuelling. It is ideal to eat something within thirty minutes of your swim to give something back to your body. Most people choose something with protein in such as a shake or a bar. There is a window of time between fifteen minutes to an hour after your workout in which your body becomes exceedingly efficient at replenishing your carbohydrate store. After this short period of time it becomes harder for your body to replenish.

As well as this immediate post-fitness swim nourishment it is important that you make sure you get all of the carbohydrates and protein needed in your diet in your meals throughout the rest of day to help your body re-fuel to prepare for the next workout.

WITHIN THE HOUR: Compression Clothing

Compression clothing is beneficial to wear after an intense swim because it helps lower your heart rate. You can get a variety of clothing such as sleeves, tights and tops. They all compress the muscles as to reduce fatigue and increase circulations which warms up your body and speeds up the recovery.

WITHIN 12 HOURS POST-WORKOUT: Sleep

The next one skips time but is also dependant on what time of the day you do your workout. Sleep is probably one of the most important components in the body’s reparation of itself. Getting between seven and nine hours of sleep a night is ideal, with sleep being the period of time where growth hormones are most active. Growth hormones are responsible for internal recovery and repair.

If your workout is in the morning, then if it’s possible it can be recommended to get a power nap in, especially if you’re working out twice in one day. The perfect nap length is generally between twenty-five minutes to an hour, so you don’t wake up feeling groggy!

WITHIN THE MONTH: Massages

When doing regular exercise such as swimming for fitness it puts pressure on the muscles in your body. It may be a good idea to get a massage at least once a month, as specified sport massages help to relieve any tension in the body. It also helps blood circulate throughout the body, stimulates the movement of lymph fluids, helps prevent injury and reduces your blood pressure. It is a great benefit to recovery and your general health.

ALWAYS BE READY TO RECOVER

At ProSwimwear we stock a variety of products that can help a post-fitness swim recovery. We have a wide selection of Nutritional products that can help re-fuel your body post-workout. We also have a great selection of Compression Clothing from the brand 2XU! All design to revitalise your body and help you recover quicker!

Fitness can be tough – so we can help you find your way to fun in fitness with a great selection of Fitness Swimwear in a variety for everyone! For Men, Women, Girls and Boys we have fitness products for all. We also have a range of Goggles, Bags and Training Aids to make sure you’re never unprepared for fitness again.