Top 3 Swimming Stretches

Learn the top 3 stretching exercises
to improve your swimming and
do away with swimming injuries.

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Written references to human swimming date back to 2000 B.C. While lively drawings from the Stone Age were found in "the cave of swimmers" in the southwestern part of Egypt, near Sura. The first book on swimming was written in 1538 by Nicolas Wynman, a German professor of languages. The sport of competitive swimming began in Europe around 1800, with the breaststroke appearing as the most popular competitive event. The crawl, (at the time, known as the trudgen) was introduced by John Arthur Trudgen in 1873, who copied the stroke from Native American swimmers.

Swimming was an included event in the first modern Summer Olympics games, held in Athens in 1896. Around the turn of the century, the backstroke was incorporated as an Olympic Event. A variant of the breaststroke known as the butterfly was introduced as an independent event in 1952.

The objective of competitive swimming is to be the fastest swimmer over a given distance. Currently, there are 34 competitive swimming events, (17 male events and 17 female events). At the Summer Olympic Games, male and female swimmers compete in 13 of the recognized events each. All Olympic competitions are held in a 50 meter pool.

The four competitive strokes are the butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle or frontcrawl. The strokes are sometimes swum as individual events, though two or more may be combined into an individual medley (IM), in the order 1) butterfly, 2) backstroke, 3) breaststroke, and 4) freestyle. Swimming relays are also included in competition, generally with four swimmers in the relay team swimming a predetermined distance which depends on the overall length of the relay - 200 meters or yards, 400 meters or yards, and 800 meters or yards (which is a freestyle event).

Swimming is a popular competitive sport and recreational pastime nearly everywhere in the world, in both natural and man-made bodies of water. In addition to indoor swimming pools, swimming is done in lakes, rivers and the open sea, sometimes over long distances and even in the frigid waters of the arctic.

Anatomy involved
Competitive swimming is primarily an aerobic exercise, involving long exercise time. Muscles must be constantly supplied with oxygen, with the exception of sprints where the muscles are worked anaerobically. Swimming, particularly in events where the stroke styles are varied between backstroke, front crawl (freestyle) and breast stroke, make use of all major muscle groups:

• Abdominals
• Biceps and triceps
• Gluteals
• Hamstrings
• Quadriceps

The basic muscles used for each stroke are:
Freestyle; deltoids and legs muscles
Breastroke; thighs, biceps, and gluteal muscles
Butterfly; abdominals, deltoids and leg muscles
Backstroke; Triceps and leg muscles

A single stroke, for example, the butterfly, requires the coordination of various muscles and muscle groups, including:

• Latissimus dorsi
• Posterior deltoids
• Rhomboid muscles
• Middle and lower trapezius
• External and internal obliques
• Transverse abdominis
• Rectus abdominis
• Longissimus
• Spinalis
• Iliocostalis

Hand force applied to the water is actually generated by the rotation of the hips, rather than the muscles of the arm. Torque generated by the larger, stronger hip muscles, allows the swimmer's powerful arm strokes to strike the water with a rapid turn of the hips. For this reason, elite swimmers focusing on increasing the acceleration of their hips are able to double their peak hand force output.

Most common injuries
Swimming is a healthy activity for all ages and has a comparatively low risk for injury compared with many other sports. Some health risks nevertheless should be taken note of, particularly those with serious or life-threatening consequences:

• Drowning can result from the inhalation of water, particularly if natural bodies of water swamp or otherwise overwhelm the swimmer
• Exhaustion or unconsciousness may result, especially in open bodies of water
• Swimmers may become incapacitated through shallow water blackout, due to heart attack, carotid sinus syncope (transient loss of consciousness) or stroke
• Secondary drowning can occur should salt water be inhaled, creating a foam in the lungs that restricts breathing, (a condition known as Salt Water Aspiration Syndrome, or SWAS)
• Thermal shock can result from jumping into icy water, which may cause the heart to stop
• An abnormal growth (or exotosis) in the ear can result, due to frequent splashing of water into the ear canal. (Commonly known as Swimmers' ear)
• Exposure to chemicals, especially chlorine can cause skin irritations while the swallowing of chlorine can adversely affect the lungs
• Chlorine in pools can also damage the hair over time, turning blonde hair greenish and stripping brown hair of its color
• Various infections can result from swimming as water provides an excellent environment for a variety bacteria, parasites, fungi and viruses
• Skin infections from both swimming and shower rooms are common, particularly, athlete's foot
• Parasites including cryptosporidium can produce diarrhea illness should they be swallowed
• Ear infections of the otitis media (or otitis externa) are not uncommon
• Serious health issues may arise from improperly chlorinated pools. These include illnesses such as chronic bronchitis and asthma

Overuse injuries may result, including back pain, vertebral fractures or shoulder pain, (particularly from excessive butterfly strokes over time). Breaststroke swimmers may develop knee or hip pain, while freestyle and backstroke swimmers risk shoulder pain, (known as swimmer's shoulder - a form of tendonitis).

Finally, dangers in natural waters place swimmers at risk for a range of accidents and injuries, which include:

• Hypothermia, due to cold water, which can lead to rapid exhaustion and eventual unconsciousness
• Dangerous aquatic life including Stingrays and jellyfish, stinging corals, sea urchins, zebra mussels, sharks, eels, etc.

Preventative strategies

• Always take time to warm up and stretch, as cold muscles are more prone to injury.
• Avoid swimming alone or in unsupervised areas.
• Properly pace swimming activity avoiding situations of exhaustion, overheating or excessive cold
• Never dive into shallow water, as serious risk exists for disabling neck and back injuries
• Extreme care should be taken in open water. Be certain the water is free of undercurrents, riptides and other hazards
• Avoid swimming in lakes or rivers following a storm, when severe currents may be present
• Use of alcohol should be strictly avoided before swimming, as judgment, orientation and thermal regulation are all impaired with alcohol consumption
• Dry the body thoroughly after swimming and remove excess water from the ear canal to avoid infection
• Attention to proper swimming technique as well as strength and agility training can help avoid common overuse injuries
• Swimmers should be at least minimally knowledgeable about first aid and be prepared to administer it in the case of minor injuries including facial cuts, bruises, minor tendonitis, strains, or sprains

The Top 3 Swimming Stretches
Stretching is one of the most under-utilized techniques for improving athletic performance, preventing sports injury and properly rehabilitating sprain and strain injury. Don't make the mistake of thinking that something as simple as stretching won't be effective.

Below are 3 of the most beneficial stretches for swimming. Obviously there are a lot more, but these are a great place to start. Please make special note of the instructions beside each stretch.

	Reaching-up Shoulder Stretch: Place one hand behind your back and then reach up between your shoulder blades.
	Arm-up Rotator Stretch: Stand with your arm out and your forearm pointing upwards at 90 degrees. Place a broom stick in your hand and behind your elbow. With your other hand pull the bottom of the broom stick forward.
	Single Heel-drop Calf Stretch: Stand on a raised object or step. Put the ball of one foot on the edge of the step and keep your leg straight. Let your heel drop towards the ground.

The above 3 stretches are just a small sample of stretching exercises that will help you improve your swimming and eliminate swimming injuries.

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If you enjoyed this issue of The Stretching & Sports Injury Report, please feel free to forward it to others, make it available for download from your site or post it on forums for others to read. Please make sure the following paragraph and URL are included.

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Article by Brad Walker. Brad is a leading stretching and
sports injury consultant with nearly 20 years experience
in the health and fitness industry. For more articles on
stretching, flexibility and sports injury, please visit
The Stretching Institute.
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