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If you do a quick google search for “do swimmers need to stretch”, there are thousands of articles that go through the “top stretches for swimmers.” While there are certainly benefits to stretching, like increasing mobility in a tight muscle and muscle relaxation, are there better ways get those desired results? Are all of those stretches for swimmers really beneficial? Does a dryland workout for swimmers need to include stretching? The answer is….Drum roll please….. it depends.
Stretches can be broken down into two categories, static and dynamic stretching. Static stretching is when you a hold position for a given amount of time. Dynamic stretching is active moment that take a joint through its full range of motion. This blog will focus on static stretching.
It is often thought that static stretching can reduce the risk of injury. However, there is evidence of this. In fact, there is more evidence to show stretching has no impact on whether someone gets injured or not (Witvrouw, 2004). There also is no clear effect on performance after static stretching. Many coaches I have worked with in the past were under the impression that static stretching before practice/a race would negatively impact a swimmer’s performance (Beam, 2016). As a long as the stretch isn’t held for greater than 60 seconds, static stretching will not worsen a swimmer’s performance (Chaabene, 2019). There also isn’t much evidence saying static stretching will improve performance either.
We know that acute static stretching can temporarily increase ROM for around 30 minutes. There are two possible mechanisms for this. First, that static stretching can temporarily reduce tendon stiffness. Second, there are neural adaptations that occur and improve the muscle and tendons stretch tolerance.(Beam, 2016). Notice, neither of these actually increase the length of the muscle. Frequent stretching, > 5 days a week, done over a prolonged period of time create lasting increase in range of motion. The mechanism for this is thought a combination or neural and mechanical adaptations described earlier (Thomas, 2018).
This is where it becomes tricky. Most swimmers, tend to be hypermobile. Generally, increasing range of motion in someone who already has excess mobility is not the best idea unless there some form of soft tissue restriction limiting motion that the athlete needs. Common soft tissue restrictions for swimmers are found in the latissimus dorsi and posterior rotator cuff musculature. Tight lats limit overhead motion and a tight posterior rotator cuff limits internal rotation, which are both required for swimming.
When there is a soft tissue restriction, you are working towards restoring that muscle or muscle group back to its normal range of motion. Not increasing range of motion above baseline. Many of the swimmers I see in the clinic with shoulder problems tend to have some form of shoulder instability. Increasing the amount of shoulder motion, they have would be asking for problems. When someone is hypermobile, typical stretches would likely stretch the shoulder joint capsule or the tendons surrounding the shoulder, NOT the muscles itself. The tendons and joint capsule are passive restraints that keep the humeral head in the socket, helping to prevent instability. Stretching the tendons and joint capsule, would increase the chance of instability, thus increasing the risk of injury.
Long story short, if there is a specific restriction a swimmer has, then stretching may help. If a swimmer is stretching for no specific reason other than to be more flexible, that may not be helpful, and could actually be harmful.
Yes! Strength training has actually been shown to have similar range of motion increases compared to stretching (Afonso, 2021). A typical dryland workout for swimmers already include strength training, so this is a great finding! Making sure a swimmer is using proper form through a full range of motion will help make sure a swimmer improves mobility with strength training. In my experience, eccentric exercise has been a great tool to increase mobility. Using a foam roller, lacrosse ball, or tennis ball too is a great way to decrease any tension in the shoulder muscles after a dryland workout for swimmers.
Typically, with the athletes I work with as a PT or coach, I do not prescribe swimming stretches in a dryland workout for swimmers unless there is a significant limitation in a joint that impacts sport or training performance. If there is some sort of restriction, I typically prescribe myofascial release exercises with a foam roller or lacrosse ball instead of stretching. Here are three commons ones I give to swimmers. Otherwise, I rather use the time for strength training, which will not only build power and strength, but also help increase mobility.
Afonso J, Ramirez-Campillo R, Moscão J, Rocha T, Zacca R, Martins A, Milheiro AA, Ferreira J, Sarmento H, Clemente FM. Strength Training versus Stretching for Improving Range of Motion: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Healthcare (Basel). 2021 Apr 7;9(4):427. doi: 10.3390/healthcare9040427. PMID: 33917036; PMCID: PMC8067745.
Behm DG, Blazevich AJ, Kay AD, McHugh M. Acute effects of muscle stretching on physical performance, range of motion, and injury incidence in healthy active individuals: a systematic review. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2016 Jan;41(1):1-11. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2015-0235. Epub 2015 Dec 8. PMID: 26642915.
Chaabene H, Behm DG, Negra Y, Granacher U. Acute Effects of Static Stretching on Muscle Strength and Power: An Attempt to Clarify Previous Caveats. Front Physiol. 2019 Nov 29;10:1468. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2019.01468. PMID: 31849713; PMCID: PMC6895680.
Lempke L, Wilkinson R, Murray C, Stanek J. The Effectiveness of PNF Versus Static Stretching on Increasing Hip-Flexion Range of Motion. J Sport Rehabil. 2018 May 1;27(3):289-294. doi: 10.1123/jsr.2016-0098. Epub 2018 May 22. PMID: 28182516.
Thomas E, Bianco A, Paoli A, Palma A. The Relation Between Stretching Typology and Stretching Duration: The Effects on Range of Motion. Int J Sports Med. 2018 Apr;39(4):243-254. doi: 10.1055/s-0044-101146. Epub 2018 Mar 5. PMID: 29506306.
Witvrouw E, Mahieu N, Danneels L, McNair P. Stretching and injury prevention: an obscure relationship. Sports Med. 2004;34(7):443-9. doi: 10.2165/00007256-200434070-00003. PMID: 15233597.
2 Responses
Very helpful and interesting. Thanks!
Thanks for reading Terry! Hopefully this information will be helpful as you are in the pool.