So you want to be a dolphin. Or perhaps you want to be a competitive swimmer. Or maybe you just want to swim faster.

Unless you are really lucky (or would that be unlucky?) you probably weren’t born with webbed feet or toes, so you will have to look at other ways to increase your speed in the water.

The best way to increase your swimming speed, is to increase the flexibility of your ankles. Flexible ankles act like flippers, which will help to propel you through the water faster.

How to Increase Ankle Flexibility

A basic exercise you can do to increase ankle flexibility is as follows:

Swim Faster

• take your shoes off
• sit on the floor or on a mat
• extend your legs out in front of you at full length
• keep your heels on the floor
• point your toes out straight as far as possible
• hold for 5 seconds
• now flex your ankles and point your toes back towards your face as far as possible
• hold for 5 seconds
• repeat for 2 minutes

Another exercise you can do, is the calf raise:

• can be done standing or sitting, standing is best for ankle flexion
• can be done weighted or with bodyweight, adding weight will help you get a deeper stretch
• at the top position you want to be as high on your toes as possible
• at the bottom position you want your calf to be completely stretched
• hold both positions for 5 seconds
• repeat for the required number of reps (whatever your current training program dictates)

Try to warm up your ankles and calves before a swim by using the first exercise.

Now go race some seals, but don’t get bit!

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Project Swole is managed and mostly written by Steve, a formerly IFPA and ISSA certified personal trainer and sport nutritionist, who has been studying, practicing, and experimenting with fitness and nutrition since 1992. Please use the content at Project Swole to supplement the advice of your doctor or physician. All medical questions should be directed towards a qualified medical professional, and the advice provided at Project Swole should be used at your own discretion.

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Related posts:

1. How to Maintain Flexibility
2. What is Isometric Stretching?
3. Eat More Protein, Burn Fat Faster
4. What is Dynamic Stretching?
5. What is PNF Stretching?

Tags: Flexibility, flexibility training, swimming

This entry was posted on Friday, February 26th, 2010 at 11:45 am and is filed under Fitness Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.