Swimming Technique and Active Recovery Session
Swimming workouts designed by Heidi Fearon
A.
I.
4 Minutes of Hip Flexor Mobility of Your Choice
4 Minutes of Anterior Shoulder Mobility of Your Choice
4 Minutes of Quad Mobility of Your Choice
4 Minutes of Lat & Subscap Mobility of Your Choice
Focus on relaxed breathing throughout these mobility drills. If you cannot breathe properly, the stretch is too intense and you need to back off to the place where you can maintain a rhythmic breathing pattern.
II.
Swimming Tip of the Week: I highly recommend purchasing a Finis snorkel so that you can swim without worrying about breathing. This will keep your hips lifted and your head in the proper position.
Warm-Up Technique Drills
Four sets of:
50 Meter Breathe Every 5th Stroke (working on body position)
Rest 20 seconds
Followed by…
Four sets of:
50 Meter Pull – work on smooth roll with hips lifted
Rest 20 seconds
Followed by…
Four sets of:
25 Meter Stroke Count
Rest 10-15 seconds
Main Set
Two sets of:
50 Meter Finger Tip Drag
Rest 10 seconds
100 Meter Breathe Every 3rd Stroke – emphasize rotating your head, not lifting it
Rest 20 seconds
200 Meter Breathe Every 3rd Stroke
Rest 30 seconds
100 Meter Breathe Every 3rd Stroke
Rest 20 seconds
50 Meter Finger Tip Drag
Finishers
Four sets of:
25 Meter Breathe 1-3 times – focus on body roll, head and hip position
Rest 30 seconds
Followed by…
Four sets of:
25 Meter Pull
Rest 10 seconds
Followed by…
Four sets of:
25 Meter Kick
Rest 10 seconds
Cool Down
200 Meters Finger Tip Drag and focus on body position – waterline at the crown of your head
(If your head is lowered into the water, then the hips and feet rise towards the surface. Rather than having the water line at your eyebrows, forehead or hair line, drop your head so that the water line connects with the crown of the head.)
B.
Mobility and Maintenance
* Choose 1-2Â Thoracic Mobility Drills and spend 5-10 minutes with them.
* Choose 2-3 Lower Body Mobility Drills and spend 10-12 minutes with them.
* Choose 1-2 Upper Extremity Mobility Drills and spend 5-10 minutes with them.
– AND/OR –
* Body work from a licensed body worker (ART, Graston, acupuncture, etc…)
C.
Inflammation Maintenance
* This could be a lot of things, but think in terms of compression (we love the NormaTec units at Invictus), electrical muscle stimulation (Compex or Marc Pro), contrast baths, salt baths, castor oil packs, etc….
D.
Nutrition Preparation
* Ensure that you have quality foods prepared in the appropriate quantities to fuel your efforts for the remainder of the week.
E.
Mental Restoration
* Different for everyone – could be meditation or could be gathering with friends; the key is to engage in activities that make your life full and help you recharge your batteries.