Welcome back to this week’s edition of 2-Minute Tuesdays where we are talking about one exercise topic for two minutes and giving you three reasons why you should follow our advice. Now this week, we are talking to those of you who are about to hit the pool to get some laps in. What things do you need to make sure to do with your exercise in order to keep swimming and make sure your body stays safe while you are swimming?
1) Keep Up With Your Weight Training
Tip number one – we know you love swimming, but we need to make sure the rest of your body stays strong, healthy, and balanced. So, make sure you are still doing your weight training twice a week. This will help you work all of your muscles and keep them strong and healthy during swimming season.
Action Step: Plan on hitting the weights at least twice each week in order to make sure that the strength and health of your muscles stays intact. It does not have to be a long weight training session, but 20-30 minutes of focused work will do wonders for your body as you keep up your pool work.
Related: 3 Reasons to Move Slowly When You Lift Weights
2) Mix Up Your Cardio
Tip number two – make sure to mix up your form of cardio every once and awhile. Look, when the weather is nice, it is awesome to be able to swim some laps. But, consider, going for a bike ride, getting in a run, or hopping on the elliptical at least once each week to mix up the stresses you are placing on your body when you exercise. This may help you prevent overuse injuries from swimming.
Action Step: Once a week, plan on doing something different! Again, it doesn’t have to exhaust you to the point where you don’t want to swim, but mixing up your form of cardio can help to ensure that you are able to keep swimming for the long haul.
Related: Achy joints and muscles? Here are three exercise tips.
3) Get MAT® Regularly
Tip number three – make sure you get Muscle Activation Techniques® (MAT®) on a consistent basis. There are a number of injuries that are unique to swimming, whether it is shoulder injuries or upper back injuries. Make sure you are getting MAT® to maintenance your muscular system to help ward off these common overuse injuries.
Action Step: If you are swimming regularly, plan on getting into your local MAT® practitioner at least one every four weeks. This will help to keep your muscles tuned up so your body stays healthy and strong. You can find a practitioner in your area here.
