I’m back!
I have so much post-game English Channel stuff to share, you guys. But between working full-time (by hours, if not by pay… yet), catching back up to everything, oh yeah, our great European adventures, and a potential new project, this is the first day that I’ve actually sat down with the intention of writing something coherent enough to post. Don’t worry, all of the other stuff is written… but editing is boring and tedious and Ima need some tiny steps before I start prepping the archives to post.
Side note – I like to pre-game writing my posts by reading really funny things, in the hopes that they will inspire me to amuse and entertain. My go-to is something I’ve mentioned before – the hilarious stylings of Allie Brosh. It may not be your cup of tea, but she makes me laugh until I cry, even on subsequent readings. Unfortunately, I’ve read everything she’s got, so if you have suggestions for things that will make me laugh until my husband questions my sanity, please comment!
So, where to begin? I thought that the most helpful thing I could post, in this, my inaugural post-post-Channel post, would be my Magic English Channel Stretching Routine. I’ve already shown it to my Masters swimmers, and I’ve had some good feedback. It is the stretching routine that kept my body (and possibly soul) together as I trained. But (quite surprisingly, because I told myself every day of relentless dedication to the cause that I never had to do it again), I have continued to do it because it is awesome and I feel better when I do. Like, life better, not just swimming better.
I am starting to think that humans were meant to regularly assume other positions than “on chair at desk.”
When I do it daily, I get fewer headaches, I ward off plantar fasciitis (even though I stand on a concrete pool deck for my job), and, still being a swimmer, it helps my shoulders stay healthy. It also helps a lot with hip tightness that I didn’t even know I had, as well as helping remind me about my (historically abysmal) posture. It’s just great, and I’ve found a way to get in a lot of targeted stretching in about 15 minutes, as well as finding a place for it in my day so that I actually do it.
The most important thing about the routine is that it is incredibly adaptable. A lot of it was developed in coordination with my chiropractor… but a LOT of it was also developed by me googling, “how do I fix this thing that’s gone wrong,” trying out what I found, and keeping what worked.
And now I pass my carefully honed and crafted routine on to you. For you await the benefits of me making so many bodily things go wrong in two years. I am not looking to become some sort of stretching proselyte, but this is another of those things that I’m pretty sure humanity would feel better if they did. Just sayin’ 🙂
Magic English Channel Stretching Routine
My notes are somewhat stream-of-conciousness – enjoy? But more importantly, don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions or are looking for help with staying in top shape to swim or other. I never could have made it through the last year without doing this (well, maybe with a time machine to go back to being 17 again), and it has been a great addition to my training and just life. Happy to help anyone who would like it!
Very quickly:
1. Make it your own – these are the things that I carefully crafted – I switch them up as needed. Find what works for you!
2. Adapt – I aim for this to be dynamic, but I don’t hesitate to take it static when I hit something spicy. Over a year, I developed a real feel for what I needed to do and for how long. It takes time – be patient and consistent.
3. “Motion is lotion” – I used to just try to rest in order to recover from workouts – I feel SO much better now that I am cognizant of the need to move things that need loosening.
4. Tiny habits – The most important thing is to HAVE a stretching routine. Figure out where it can fit into your life (I do it while my toast is toasting), and do at least a little every day. Even if it’s just the one stretch that helps the most, it makes a difference.
Here’s what I generally do:
– Hang from door, 1 arm at a time:
Lat stretch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V5tSn9oEJg
I replicate this as well as possible holding onto the top of the door.
– Hold doorknobs, arms crossed, stretch back:
Doorknob stretch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNOMmQARQTQ
I tried this using the doorframe as he suggests – crossing over to the doorknobs worked better for me – the frame sides were too far apart. I love coming up and down through this stretch
– Double chin stretch – lean up against wall (a door with panels worked best to get shoulders back) and small movement from head forward to everything pressed against wall. Then (and this is my innovation), turn head each direction and do nerve flossing-esque movements back and forth (also, while pressed up against the door, roll back and forth over those places at the top of the hips that can get sooooo sore)
– Eagle pose arms – move up and down
– **Arm swings in opposite directions. No idea why this was so good, but it once got my shoulder going again DURING a practice when it was having a tough time. I did this before most practices and OW training sessions as well. And after if I thought about it (sadly, rarely)
– Touch toes, stretch out lower back. On the way up, roll up slowly, going over any spicy spots. Upon standing up, roll shoulders back and look up and down to stretch neck. Repeat as necessary (my lower back was often quite sore, until I trained to keep my core up in the water even during long swims).
– **Bent-over double arm swings for shoulder rotation. This was based on an amazingly effective dynamic stretch that Harry Delong showed me about 13 years ago. I thought of it sometime earlier this year and added it in, and it was just as helpful as ever. But to do both arms both directions with as many rotations as I liked ate up a lot of stretching time, so at some point it occured to me to try to do them simultaneously. If anything, it worked even better, and was so much more efficient. I checked with my chiropractor, and he said it was fine, as long as I was careful not to hurt my back. If anything, it helped stretch that too, but I am careful to make sure to engage my core (suck it in) when I’m doing it. I count to 20 (just counting one arm as a full rotation) each direction when things are tough, 10 when I just need a top-up. Like the arm swings in opposite directions, I did this before and after training , and any other time I thought of to do it.
– Squatting yoga hip stretch. A lot of times I was so sore that I just went down part way and then shifted side to side to stretch out the hips – felt great.
– Sitting toe touch. At first, doing this with my feet up against the stove really helped. I’m so bad at this one still, so I just try to do whatever I can to stretch what needs stretching. Sitting up as straight as I can and then looking down was great for those annoying little muscles in my upper back. (And gently turning my head side to side while doing so)
– Shavasana – just the absolute best. I really think we’d all feel better if we made sure to lie flat on our backs on a firm surface each day.
– On back: Knee to chest, then rotate ankle each way (about 3 times – always pressed for time). Then, leg straight up, rotate ankle each way. Then, knee to chest again, twist knee to floor (well, towards floor), opposite arm straight out to the side. Then, slowly move that arm along the floor, up and over head, eventually ending up in fetal position. Then, move arm back the opposite direction until you are back on your back. Then pull knee into chest, grab ankle, and let knee fall to the other side as a hip opener. Repeat on other side.
– Still lying on back, lift one arm straight over head until it lies on the ground extended above head. Then roll toward that side onto your side to stretch out the shoulder (as many times as needed – usually 2-5). Repeat on other side.
– Sit up.
– Butterfly stretch (more head and neck stretching in this position as well)
I’ve added some in since the swim, influenced by catching up on my backlog of Swimmer Magazines when I got home :):
– Cat/Cow
– Quadruped rotations (May/June 2022 issue of Swimmer – page 11)
– Floor slide knee lift (May/June 2022 issue of Swimmer – page 10) – I do this one before I sit up
https://www.usms.org/swimmer/SWM_22Mj_DigitalEdition/index.html#page=2
– From the Quadruped rotations I use a downward dog to stand back up again
Adding things in that are basically done during transitions is a really effective way to be time-efficient with your stretching, and to make it more dynamic.
Time being of the essence, I focused on what needed the most stretching on any given day. And, the nature of EC training being what it is, I’m sure I forgot to do some stretches more often than I realize. It was being consistent with doing SOMETHING every day that made the difference. I usually did it after I had gotten back from morning practice and showered. I always did it before I would give myself food because I learned that after sitting down with food, I just wouldn’t end up doing it 🙂 (I did start having to have a quick scone when I got home to get me through the showering and stretching without passing out. Looking back, the talent that got me across the English Channel may have been my ability to shove vast quantities of food into my face 🙂
Sometimes, after hard swims, it would make me nauseous to do this. I did it anyway. In my analysis, it was quite worth it. (Though I won’t miss that!!) But my point is – don’t worry if you don’t feel good WHILE stretching – sometimes getting those metabolites out of the muscles and into the bloodstream comes with consequences. Drink plenty of water and give them a chance to clear your body. THEN see how you feel. Sometimes a little discomfort is necessary to get to a better place. (Obviously, none of the stretches should hurt you – go farther little by little.)
Finally, here are a couple of yoga videos that were also really helpful during parts of my training (Huge thanks to Heidi for suggesting!):
Happy stretching!
