The benefits of swimming

Swimming is a sports activity that has the reputation of being accessible to all, because it is not very traumatic. 

In contact with water, this practice brings a physical and moral well-being useful in the event of rehabilitation or to regain better health.

Practiced alone, with family or friends, in the pool or in open water, swimming fits easily into a weekly routine with Lifeguard Certification Near Me.

This article reviews the benefits of swimming 

Joints

All medical professionals agree: the absence of impact on the joints and on the back, in fact a first choice and affordable activity at any age . The practice of swimming helps to soothe rheumatic pain linked to body aging (osteoarthritis, arthritis) with American Lifeguard USA. 

Swimming preserves and improves bone density in pre-menopausal and menopausal women. It is therefore also an excellent means of preventing bone fractures associated with aging.

In case of obesity, the body carried by the water is relieved of two thirds of the weight. Thus, one can move more easily, practice a physical activity without the joints of the legs and the back being harmed. 

In the daily life of an overweight person, this is a time that can also become a time when joint pain no longer exists .

Swimming is good. Swimming well is better. Indeed, it is not enough to chain lengths to preserve the body thanks to swimming: it is still necessary that the gestures are correctly carried out. A gesture poorly performed over several lengths and several sessions can be a cause of sudden cessation of this activity. On our blog, you will find, among other things, advice, exercises for swimming the front crawl , or swimming the back crawl . 

Few medical contraindications oppose the practice of this sport: there are essentially problems in the cervical and shoulder areas. But even in this case, you can swim with a board, keeping your head under water in line with your body (you can bring a board , a frontal snorkel and flippers ). Joint problems in the knees are a contraindication to the practice of breaststroke .

Muscle tone

The swimmer fully immersed in the water must find his balance while being in motion. This work solicits the entire musculature.

The resistance to movement created by the aquatic environment is enough on its own to work on muscle strengthening at a minimum. And a few weeks of practice are enough to notice a muscular gain on the whole body (especially in the arms, pectorals…).

This aquatic resistance combined with the buoyancy of 80% of the body makes it easier to build muscle than on the ground.

If you want to work a particular muscle group and strengthen yourself, you can, for example, use a pull-buoy and/or platelets. The pull-buoy tight between the thighs and immobilizing the legs just below the surface makes it possible to work much more with the arms . You can add finger paddles that will accentuate this work of the upper half of the body.

Different strokes engage different muscle groups at different intensities. They do not all require the same energy: the calorie expenditure differs according to the strokes practiced . 

Note that if you fear aches after a sustained muscular effort, in swimming, the draining effect of the water massage avoids this effect.

The breaststroke is one of the most energy-intensive strokes : symmetrical, not only does it solicit the greatest number of muscle groups (sets of muscles in the legs, arms, shoulders, etc.), but it requires great energy to maintain speed during the non-propulsion phase. 

It is the only stroke which evolves in a linear way, and which gives a proportional relationship between speed and energy expenditure : whereas for the other strokes, the resistance of the water being less felt with the gain of speed, they have an exponential relationship.

This technique is not the simplest in synchronizing movements between the upper and lower body: the upper limbs are strong when the legs are at the end of the effort, and vice versa.

If you are a beginner , you will find in our blog, a precious help to get started in breaststroke .

The front crawl is easier to set up, although it remains technical and requires good body placement and the right gestures to be quick. Unlike the breaststroke, there is no non-propulsion phase , and less resistance, so gaining speed is easier. The work of each arm is staggered relative to each other in the effort phases, while the legs work alternately. The front crawl helps tone the upper body and refine the legs. 

On this subject, if you want to improve your crawl we have implemented programs aimed at creating effective workouts.

The backstroke develops and evolves on the same pattern as the front crawl, adding effective back muscle work.

The butterfly requires perfect coordination and good basic musculature. This stroke requires a lot of energy to undulate (deep abdominal strengthening), effective kicking of the legs to propel the upper body out of the water, as well as strength in the arms to pull and propel the water. No time out is allowed on this swim, which makes it all the more demanding.

To be complete and solicit all muscle groups , the ideal is to include the four strokes in your workouts. On our blog, sign up to receive our “Technical Guide to the 4 Swimmings” .

Cardiovascular and respiratory capacities

While requiring muscular effort from the whole body, swimming solicits the cardio-respiratory system : it improves breathing and endurance, it develops cardiac capacities. 

Swimming is an activity recommended for people suffering from certain cardio-respiratory pathologies. Some swimming clubs have also set up the Nagez Forme Santé program of the French Swimming Federation, a course program aimed at improving health capital with regard to certain pathologies.