Get Ready to Go Swim

A Simple, 30-Minute Routine of Stretching and Strengthening Exercises that Gets Every Member of Your Team Ready to Go Swim.

Watch any elite swim meet or practice and you'll see that getting ready to swim means more than putting on your cap and goggles and jumping in the pool.

Getting ready means warming up the muscles, loosening the shoulders, lengthening the spine, and preparing every part of your body for the specific movements of swimming.

These 30 simple exercises, which most swimmers can do in under 30 minutes, will give you a head start before you even get in the pool.

As you stretch and loosen, you'll also be strengthening your core, working on your streamline, and increasing your range of motion.

You'll start by standing straight, lengthening the spine, and loosening the shoulders.

You'll then move on to exercises that strengthen the muscles surrounding your shoulder joint.

Once you're on the mat, you'll do exercises that activate the spine, strengthen your core, and make you more aware of body alignment and posture.

The exercises are simple and require no machines or equipment. They can be done by swimmers of any age, and because the routine combines stretching and strengthening, it is gentle enough to be part of every practice session.