There are two types of warm up procedures, one you would normally undertake before a training session and the other a pre-competition warm up. Even though both procedures are similar in many ways the pre-competition procedure does contain an extra element, and that is to establish a positive mental attitude towards your race. You should picture yourself swimming your goal times and place as high a belief as possible on the outcome. Use mental preparation to reinforce techniques, adapt to any unexpected situations and focus on the task ahead

Pre-competition warm up should be firmly entrenched in a swimmers mind. Each pool has a different feel and distinctive problems as well as peculiarities that may require you to make adjustments to your techniques. Therefore you should get acquainted with the pool during your warm up.

Reasons for Warm Up

• To adjust the body physiologically for the race. (Increased pulmonary ventilation and cardiac output, increase muscle temperature).

• Will help to stretch the muscles and tendons, loosen the joints and increase flexibility, which in turn will improve stroke efficiency and reduce risk of injury.

• To tune up the neuromotor system to accelerate responses and feel the stroke.

•  To adjust to the pool orientations and appraisal of conditions.

• Mental preparation to enforce technique and focus on the task ahead.

Warm up

• Before warming up in the competition pool, you need to find a safe area and complete 5 minutes of land based exercises such as arm and leg swinging, body rotation exercises as well as some basic stretching exercises.

• Take full advantage of the time available for warm up.

• Begin the water work with along initial swim involving full stroke.

• Then include race specific practices using individual medley. (50m techniques, 35m build up and 15m race pace.

• When the sprint lanes become available complete a number of 25m sprints from the blocks turning at the end. (This will help to elevate muscle temperature and give you chance to get use to the starting blocks.

• If time allows begin a short recovery pace swim gradually reducing pace.

Where a warm up pool is  available and dependent on the time elapsed between your warm and race time, you may be asked to complete a second warm up.

After the Race

• After you have completed the race you must return to your coach. Analysis of a race is all-important and feedback from the coach to swimmer and visa versa will help in evaluating the swim.

• Where facilities are available and after the race analysis you must swim down whether you have swam a 50m race or a 1500m.This will help to remove lactate more rapidly and reduce any soreness.

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