The Best Recovery for Swimmers

It doesn’t matter if you’re a professional athlete or a weekend warrior, recovering from a tough swim involves a proper cool down and strech along with enjoying the proper after-exercise nutrition and a highly recommended "red" drink. All of these components are vital for a proper recovery and subsequent readiness for your next swim.

  1. Avoid Waste Production in Muscles

    • Not implementing a cool-down period after a workout robs your body of the opportunity to transport the waste products out of your system. Swimming is a full body exercise and the more intense your routine, the higher the probably of metabolites, generally waste products, accumulating in your muscles. To avoid this, schedule an active recovery cool-down period of 10 to 25 minutes to allow your body enough time to begin moving the waste from your muscles to your organs so they can purged from the body.

    Properly Timed Nutrition for Proper Recovery

    • The length of time of the swim is a main factor on the timing of replenishing the body with proper nutrition. An effective and well-timed nutrition recovery strategy will help the body reduce recovery time.

      The maximum time window for the most effective replenishment is within two hours following a workout. If the workout itself is longer than an hour, start the replenishment during practice. After finishing the swim, eat a snack containing carbohydrates and protein within 30 minutes. However, if you’re really doing a hard workout, add another post-workout snack an hour later.

      Finally, consume your main meal within two hours of your workout. This allows all nutrition to take place within the vital two-hour replenishment window.

    No Pain and All Gain

    • Stretching the muscles before and after a swim helps to reduce the risk of injury and increases circulation to the muscles. The increased blood flow supplies the muscles with amino acids and inhibits protein breakdown. When stretching, push your muscles enough to feel resistance but not far enough to cause pain. If pain occurs during a stretch, this could be an indicator of increasing the possibility of tearing a muscle. Stretch the major muscle groups, including both the upper and lower legs, shoulder, back and neck.

    Drink Something Red

    • Make beet juice or Montmorency tart cherry juice part of your nutrition. According to research from the University of Exeter, cyclists who drank 4 glasses of beet juice before a race finished 3 percent faster than the group without this juice. This red drink helps the movement of oxygen and blood flow to the muscle. Montmorency tart cherry juice is effective in fighting muscle pain due to physical exercise. Research from the University of Vermont indicates that individuals drinking cherry juice experienced less muscle inflammation and less strength loss than the placebo group on the study. Proper nutrition in food and drink goes a long with with helping present swims and improving future workout performance.