Like any exercise, swimming can be hard on the body. From time to time, you will find that there is the occasional session which was particularly hard. If you are currently training extra hard for a certain event, then you will know this feeling well. But it is important to remember to look after your body, especially after a swim - and even more so after a tough swim. Fortunately, there are a number of techniques you can use to recover from a tough swim more easily. Let’s have a look at some of the most effective of those now.
Prioritize Sleep
Sleep is incredibly useful for your body, a vital opportunity for healing to take place. It is also incredibly beneficial for swimmers, and it happens to be one of the best things you can do to ensure full recovery after a swim. There is plenty of research to back this up too. If you are able to get in another 1-2 hours sleep every night, you will improve in terms of reaction time, speed and turn rate. Of course, it is often hard to make that happen, and you might feel that you don’t have the time for extra sleep every night. But take a look at your schedule - is it possible you could switch something around and help yourself to a few more z’s?
Learn How To Stretch
It is often shocking how many regular swimmers - and other athletes, for that matter - don’t know how to properly stretch. The stretch is a hugely important part of the whole process, and you need to make sure you are doing it, and doing it properly. There are two main types of stretching: dynamic and static. Dynamic stretching is when you warm up before practice - helpful, and will also help your endgame too. But just as important is the static stretching, which you do while your body is at rest, after your swim. This helps your body to warm down, and ensures that your body can recover properly after even the toughest swim.
Be Brave With An Ice Bath
If it’s good enough for Olympic medallists, why not you? There are proven benefits to using an ice bath after a swim, and you might want to think about making this a part of your everyday after-swim routine. An ice bath will alleviate any muscle pain you might have and even works towards the actual repairing of your muscles as well. It also helps you with any soreness you might have, which means you will feel all the more ready when it’s time for your next swim.
Compression Clothing
Compression clothing has been scientifically proven to support the body's "post-exercise" stabilizing action, speeding up recovery. Compression clothing has a variety of benefits that will aid in the recovery process, strategic tape supports injury prone area's like the calfs and shoulders, moisture wicking fabrics help to keep the body cool and dry, and it aids the recovery of tired muscles by accelerating the supply of oxygenated blood and flushing out toxins from the bloodstream.
Compression clothing isn't just for the post swim recovery, it has also been proven to prepare an athlete for a swim, the action of accelerating blood flow also prepares the muscles for a workout.
Arena's Carbon Compression Rangeis available in both Male and Female versions, supporting the wearer's body in vital spots. The Arena carbon range is worn by Arena's top athletes including Adam Peaty, Gregorio Paltinieri, Ruta Meilutyte, Cameron van der Bourgh & More!
Take on board these simple yet powerful pieces of advice, and you'll find that the recovery phase is much easier to deal with. Having a strong recovery after your swimming sessions, especially the tough ones, really helps you to develop faster as a swimmer and push yourself to new heights. It also makes the whole experience much more enjoyable for you - and that can’t be bad.
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