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Swimming for Fitness
Swimming is a good form of exercise. Because the density of the human body is approximately that of water, the water supports the body and there is less stress on joints and bones. That is why swimming is frequently used as an exercise in rehabilitation after injuries or for the disabled.
Resistance swimming is one form of swimming exercise. It is done either for training purposes, to hold the swimmer in place for stroke analysis, or to enable swimming in a confined space for athletic or therapeutic reasons. Resistance swimming can be done either against a stream of water set in motion by a (usually) self-contained mechanical device (often termed a swimming machine) or by holding the swimmer stationary by means of elastic attachments.
Swimming is primarily an aerobic exercise due to the relatively long exercise time, requiring a constant oxygen supply to the muscles. An exception is short sprints in which the muscles work anaerobically. As with most aerobic exercise, swimming it is believed to reduce the harmful effects of emotional or mental stress. While aerobic exercises usually burn fat and help with losing weight, this effect is limited in swimming, even though being in cold water burns more food energy to maintain body temperature.
Water cools the body much faster than air, and most researchers believe that the body aims to maintain a layer of fat under the skin for insulation.
It is believed that appetite decreases as the body temperature increases, as for example during exercise. However, the body is cooled almost instantly during swimming as the surrounding water is usually cooler than the body temperature, and some researchers believe that this may actually increase the appetite. This assumption is not yet proven by research, however.
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Fast swimming requires a high level of effort, meaning glycogen rather than fat is burned. Prolonged exercise at lower intensity is better for fat-burning.
Some researchers also believe that the metabolism of the body increases at higher body temperature, burning more food energy. Again, during swimming the body is cooled down by the surrounding water, reducing the metabolism, and subsequently the amount of food energy burnt. This assumption is also not yet proven by research.
There is also a theory that people with a genetically higher body fat content tend to be more successful as swimmers since the increased buoyancy of the fat aids in flotation or the rounder shapes offer less resistance to the water.
Swimming exercises almost all muscles in the body. Usually, the arms and upper body are exercised more than the legs. In competitive swimming, excessive leg muscles can be seen as a disadvantage as they consume more oxygen, which would be needed for the muscles in the arms, although this depends on the swimming style. While breaststroke generates significant movement with the legs, front crawl propels the body mainly with the arms.
Sometimes the swimming consists of swimming laps using a conventional stroke, such as the front crawl; other forms can include different forms of exercise performed in the water, such as water aerobics. Swimming may be good for asthma sufferers, although it is not clear how effective it is at the moment.
Swimming uses all three energy systems, which are the creatine phosphate system, anaerobic glycolysis (also known as Lactic acid system), and the aerobic system. These three systems require energy in form of ATP to function.
Further Reading:
- Michael Phelps – Greatest Olympic Swimmer – Workouts and Diet
- Rebecca Adlington – Olympic Double Gold Winner – Her Swimming Workout
- Swimming Workout – Sport Specific Circuit Training
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Tweet Me!Recommended Reading
• Swimming for Weight Loss and Muscle Toning• Chris Hoy’s V02 Max Interval Training Workouts
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• Swimming Workout – Sport Specific Circuit Training
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