Swim for recovery

An excellent way to loosen up the ol’ bod from the day’s previous activities is to swim in the evening for recovery. Even if you feel wasted from a hard workout, it is amazing how much better you feel after a dip in the pool to revel at the joy of buoyancy and kick out the legs (if your pool has a good hot-tub, with powerful jets for a leg massage – you’re golden!). If you approach it as a a technique/relaxation session, instead of more training where you pound out the miles with your eye on the clock, you may be surprised at just how fast 2000m flies by and how both your weekly swim volume and your psyche get a boost. Use the time to play, feel the water, and think about your form. Work on those pesky elbows that tend to drop at the catch by doing some sculling; make yourself breath to your non-dominant side if you aren’t a perfect bi-lateral breather; do some double arm back stroke to open up those pecs from hours in the aero position or at your desk; dolphin kick on your back to strengthen your core; work on your butterfly because it’s FUN… the options are endless.

We find that if we end the day with a “flop” – the above described pool time -  instead of  a long/hard bike, or especially a run, we sleep better and feel more energized and ready to go the next day. Raising your HR by doing a few short, harder efforts (some 25’s fly, 25 sprints etc. ) can help flush metabolic waste products from your system and speed recovery as well.  If you’re short on time, try scheduling the occasional swim workout (a real training session, not just the ‘flop’) as your last workout. It will still help leg recovery from riding and running.