What are the best stretches for your shoulders after a hard swim practice?

Question

My shoulders are always sore after practice, i have been competitively swimming for seven year and i have tried all the stretches there are yet my shoulders are still sore. i have 3 practices a day: 2 from swimming and one from water polo, each of them are 2 hours long and my shoulders have been really really sore lately and its affecting my performance in the pool

Answer 1

I'm no pro swimmer, but i have shoulder issues. I find if you sleep with your arms straight out it helps (if possible). I find i sleep on my sides and that effects the shoulder over periods of time. Also stretch when your done swimming, and heat packs and messages are the best. Your muscles are obviously under a lot of pressure, which is good, chicks dig muscles.

Answer 2

Uh oh, shoulder issues!!! When you say your shoulders are sore, what part or parts are you refering to? The shoulder joint itself is just one instance but there are a variety of msucles that may be bothering you that work in conjunction with that joint. Without knowing what hurts and where and when I couldn't tell you how to stretch.

Go to your coach and tell him your shoulders hurt and you want help stretching. He should be able to pinpoint the soreness and massage or stretch it out.

If your shoudlers continue to bother you, please see a doctor. Shoulder pain and injury in swimming should not be taken lightly. I didn't want to be a wuss or a baby and I didn't want to stop swimming so I swam through the pain for almost a year. By the time I finally broke down and went to the doctor the damage was so extensive I had to have surgery and was restricted from all swimming for six months afterward. That injury cost me a college scholarship but it didn't have to. My own stubborness and perceived invincibility were my true downfall. I can swim again now but the injury ended my scholastic career.

Answer 3

make sure when you stretch that you move them gently, don't swing them around. I also like to lay flat on the floor and stretch them out that way. But it sounds like you have just been overexercising them. My shoulders and ribs started hurting when I was swimming that much and it could really hurt your muscles.