What Does Swimming Do for You?

Swimming combines the aerobic benefits of running with the strengthening benefits of a weight-training regimen. Although this form of exercise works all of the muscles in your body, it doesn’t put as much pressure on your joints as do other land-based exercises, such as jogging or aerobics. Swimming is also a suitable exercise for people of a wide range of ages and capabilities.

  1. Stretching and Strengthening Benefits

    • If you’re performing strokes correctly, you can lengthen your muscles as well as boost flexibility. The repetitive nature of a swim stroke combined with a regular regimen of swimming laps can also improve endurance. Because water acts as resistance -- a natural weight – swimming is a form of resistance training, conditioning your muscles. In addition to a workout for your upper and lower extremities, swimming activates the muscles in your abdomen, hips and back to maintain your body’s stability as you move through water, according to “Janet Evans’ Total Swimming” by four-time Olympic gold medalist Janet Evans.

    Pumping Oxygen Into Your System

    • When swimming laps, you only have so much time to lift your head and gulp in air before your face plunges back into the water. This rhythmic breathing cycle in which your breath is limited in terms of volume and frequency increases your lung capacity as well as the consistent consumption of oxygen. Because swimming requires the simultaneous use of so many muscles, your body is under pressure to deliver oxygen to every part of your body. Compared to other athletes, swimmers typically have a more developed capillary system to maximize the delivery of oxygen to their muscles, according to “Strength Training for Faster Swimming” by Blythe Lucero. They also have lower resting heart rates.

    Connection is Key to Locomotion

    • Swimming demands the coordination of several moving body parts, which work as links in a chain reaction to propel you forward in the water. Energy travels through your body, progressing from one link in the chain to the next, which is known as a kinetic chain. Think of your body as a trail of dominoes. Once one domino is tipped, its movement triggers the movement of the subsequent domino. You have to develop motor coordination skills to produce the connected movement necessary to swim. If you use your upper and lower extremities in an unconnected way, you’ll tire out quickly.

    Proper Form Key to Injury Prevention

    • If you’re not correctly performing a certain stroke, such as freestyle or butterfly, it can put excessive pressure on your musculoskeletal system. Because you’re using all of your muscles in a kinetic chain, if one of those links or muscles is being used incorrectly, it can throw your entire stroke off base. Your movements can become uncoordinated, resulting in injury, according to “Swimming Anatomy” by Ian McLeod. Swimming also depends on repetitive movement, particularly with regard to your shoulders. Overuse injuries of the shoulders, knees and back are common but can be managed with attention to correct form.