How to Cool Down After Swimming

Though you may not feel your body temperature climb while swimming, an intense session or competition does cause your body to sweat, heart rate to rise and your oxygen intake to increase. A full-body workout, swimming puts a lot of demand and stress on your muscles. Cooling down properly can help your body recover and may reduce some of the stiffness and soreness that is often felt after a vigorous workout.

Things You'll Need

  • Kickboard
  • Towel
  • Exercise mat
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Instructions

    • 1

      Slow your pace gradually. Reducing the speed of your movements in the water helps your heart rate to safely lower, the muscles to release and the blood flow to return to normal. Suddenly stopping intense exercise can cause your heart rate to quickly drop, which may cause dizziness and can be dangerous, especially in the water. Continue to swim laps for five or 10 minutes, slowing the pace of each lap a little bit more.

    • 2

      Perform kickboard drills for five to 10 laps at a moderate pace. Place a kickboard flat on the water in front of you. Take hold of the top of the board with both hands. Push off from the wall and flutter kick. The kickboard cool-down allows your lower-body muscles to loosen while your upper body relaxes and your heart rate returns to normal.

    • 3

      Vary your strokes. The cool-down is an opportunity to vary your strokes; the point is to continue moving at a slow pace while your temperature slowly lowers. For swimmers, it is an opportunity to practice the motions of various strokes without the intensity of a workout or competition. Varying your strokes during the cool-down also gives your muscles a break from the same repetitive motion. For example, if you primarily swim freestyle, try using the backstroke or breaststroke at the end of your workout.

    • 4

      Focus on a specific technique of a stroke, though keep your pace slow and the intensity reduced. Working on a specific aspect of a stroke, such as the catch in freestyle, keeps your body moving yet without the cardiovascular demand of a training session.

    • 5

      Listen to your body. Don’t rush the cool-down or limit it to a specific amount of time or number of laps. Go Swim reports that a vigorous swim or intense competition can take 20 to 30 minutes to cool down from. Keep swimming or moving in the water until you feel your heart rate returning to normal and your muscles relaxing.

    • 6

      Stretch for 10 to 15 minutes after your cool-down. Stand in the shallow end of the pool and use the wall to assist in stretching your back, chest, shoulders, arms and legs. Sit on a towel or exercise mat to stretch poolside. Hold each stretch for 20 to 30 seconds while slowly breathing in and out through your nose.