Work It In The Pool!

It’s great fun to dive into a pool every now and then or swim in the sea with your friends, but have you ever considered opting for swimming workouts to get in shape? Running and walking are great exercise options as well, but swimming can help you shed that excess weight and give you a full body toning workout at the same time! Whether you opt for the muscle strengthening freestyle, the endurance building breaststroke, the posture enhancing backstroke or the calorie busting butterfly stroke, swimming workouts are an excellent method to shape up in a fun way!

Mix It Up!

Did you know that when your muscles become accustomed to performing a particular exercise you end up burning fewer calories? Walking and running will help you burn calories initially but as your muscles become efficient at this form of exercise, you will see a drop in the number of calories you burn per session. Adding swimming workouts to your weekly fitness plan will add variety to your regular exercise mix and challenge your muscles. This will ensure that the number of calories burned does not decrease.

Easy Does It!

Aerobics, intensive cardio workouts and other forms of exercise put a lot of stress on your muscles and joints. You are at a heightened risk of suffering from muscle strains or injuries. Swimming workouts are classified as low impact, low stress cardio workouts that do not put excessive pressure on the knees, ankles or back.

Perfectly Toned!

To work your way through the water you need to fully engage your abdominal muscles, back, chest and shoulders. This not only stretches and strengthens your muscles, but it also gives you a well-toned physique!

Benefits Of Different Swimming Strokes!

Now that you know all about the benefits of opting for a swim workout, let’s evaluate the advantages of various swimming strokes and how they can give your body the workout that it needs!

Breaststroke!

Incorporate this stroke into your swim workout to enhance your breathing capacity, and strengthen your triceps, legs, chest and shoulders. Be sure to warm up before performing this swimming stroke. Ten minutes of breaststroke burns 250 joules of fat.

Front Crawl!

The front crawl is one of the fastest strokes and is excellent for full body toning and back strengthening. Ten minutes of front crawl burns 420 joules of fat.

Butterfly Stroke!

Incorporate the butterfly stroke into your swim workout for a full body stretch workout and burn 625 joules every ten minutes!

Backstroke!

The backstroke helps you to shape up your arms, shoulders, legs, back and stomach. With the backstroke you can burn 35 joules of fat every ten minutes!

Why Run When You Can Swim?

For all those who shudder at the idea of working up a sweat, swimming workouts are a perfectly sweat- free method of exercising and toning your body. Vary the combination of strokes regularly so your muscles do not get accustomed to the workout. A great way to start your swimming workouts is by forming a group of fitness enthusiasts who will keep you motivated to stick to the routine!