10 Risks of Swimming without Stretching

Swimming without warming up beforehand will not be good for your body because there is a chance your muscle will be stiff after you swim, especially on the leg part, or you will have foot cramp.

A lot of people still do not know that stretching before going into the water would help your muscles to get ready for facing different temperature in the water.

Then, for doing different motions that you could not do above the water.

Stretching or warming up motions before swimming

Stretch for 20-30 minutes before swimming is one of the best solutions to prevent cramp or joint and muscle pain. Here are some of the best stretching motions you can try to do before swimming:

Simple Yoga poses
Light exercise
Run around the swimming pool arena
Light jumping
Simple Aerobics moves
Perform lightweight gait movements
Perform a light fitness movement
Walk in slow to fast pace around the swimming pool area
Push-ups or crunches
Move your body under the water
Take a breath and hold it under water, do this for 10-15 times

You are at risk of having an injury when swimming if the body is shocked or not yet adapted to the water temperature and the strokes you do under water. This condition can trigger your muscle to be tense and stiffen because the nerves of the body undergo some changes in shape and enlargement of blood vessels.

Bad effects of Swimming without Warming Up

Below are some bad effects of swimming without doing warming up:

Ankle Sprain

Without warming up, someone who gets into the water to swim will easily experience muscle sprained and cramp. Those things can because the body muscles are shocked by the temperature change or by being forced to do some moves under water so that you can go forward or stay afloat, although the muscles are not ready to so.

Pinched Vein

Before swimming, it is highly recommended to warm up your body for at least 20 -30 minutes with the purpose of avoiding stiffness and injuries from a pinched vein that can cause certain body parts to feel pain and aching, such as on your hands and back.

Problem on Body Nerves

Swimming without doing stretching in advance can cause the nerves of the body to experience tension and shrinkage due to the response of a nervous shock. There is a risk that the nerves are not ready to experience the motion of swimming movements. If the nerves of the body are disturbed, it will cause pain in your muscle and tendon the night after you swim or even days after.

Headache

Feeling tense and stiff around the head and neck muscles can also happen because of swimming without warming up beforehand. Headache and neck pain are common things that people suffer from when they don’t stretch before jumping into the water.

Also read: How to Relieve Chronic Tension Headaches

Stiff shoulder

Swimming without warming up can cause body pain and aches. Having sore muscles, cramps, and joint pain can be stressful to deal with. The pain or discomfort will possibly disrupt your sleeping time.

6. Get Tired Easily

If you keep not doing warming up before swimming, your body would get tired easily and you might feel tight on the chest or hard to breathe. Similar to the risks that have been said above, this condition happen because your body cannot keep up with sudden movements under water to make you float above the water.

Pain on hands and feet muscle

Without doing stretching the right way, someone who likes to swim all day long is at risk to experience pain and ache on the hands and feet. This state can be felt at night after he or she finish swimming. It happens because the legs and hands muscles are forced to do some movement that they’re not ready to do.

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Chest Pain

Swimming without doing light exercise beforehand will possibly shock your respiratory system. There is a chance it cannot follow the rhythm of the sudden movement that you do while in the water and sudden pressure of the water. As a result, your chest will feel heavy and aching after you swim and it can last for couple hours or more.

Blood Circulation Problem

Swimming without warming up first can also have an effect on your blood flow. The lack of oxygen while you are under water will make your blood flows more slowly than normal. Other than that, the sudden and heavy swimming moves take part on making your blood not flowing in a pace that it should be. Consequently, you will suffer from body ache, muscle pain or bruises on some parts of your body.

Heartburn

Gets into the water without warming up your muscles and joints can also cause heartburn. This condition happens because your chest is experiencing pressure repeatedly from the water when you do swimming movements. The muscles around your chest and belly are not ready to make sudden movements under water and it will have an impact on your internal organ, especially your heart and liver. As a result, it can cause you to feel nauseous and want to vomit because of the heartburn.

Some Tips to Prevent Muscle Problems after Swimming

Rub muscle cream before stretching

Before you go swimming, it s better to apply a cream which is formulated to loosen up your muscle. This muscle cream is useful to accelerate muscle relaxation and blood circulation especially around the foot, so that your muscles are ready to do swimming moves.

Use comfortable swimming wear

The risk of swimming without stretching beforehand can be higher, and obviously will not be good for your health, if you wear a bathing suit that is too tight or has a size that does not fit your body shape. Swim wears that do not fit perfectly with your body shape will make you get injured more easily, be it when you are doing stretching or swimming. Therefore, wear swimming clothes that feel comfortable or in accordance with the shape and size of your body.

Avoid doing extensive exercise

Doing excessive swimming moves for hours or more without taking a rest in between is not good for your body. It will affect your blood circulation flow; it will drain your stamina, and it will make you sick rather than make your body healthy and stay in shape. In this fashion, take a rest fro 5-10 minutes before you continue to swim and know your limit.

Those are complete explanation about how many risks of Swimming without Stretching.