8 Simple Reasons Why You should Start Swimming

Want a healthier, fitter, and all-around leaner body? Then it’s time to dive into a comprehensive workout regime that builds your cardio, sculpts your core, and allows you to tap into some pool-side fun all at the same time.

Swimming is a marvelous way to get fit, meet new people, and achieve the top fighting form you’ve been looking for. Though the benefits of a dip in the pool are often obvious habitual swimmers, there are still athletes out there who consider swimming to be child’s play when compared to lifting weights and pushing steel at the gym. The truth is, swimming is actually a rigorous and effective workout, ideal for building lean muscle and drowning unwanted calories.

Who has not seen Rocky III? Apollo Creed had Rocky swim lap after lap. If Rocky can do it, so can you! and soaks up calories like nothing else.

In the following, we’ll cover just some of the reasons why you should consider jumping into the pool, just as summer starts to draw closer. It does not have to be a pool either. Find a fresh water lake, or a small river, or even the ocean and go for it!

1. Balance Your Build

Looking for a way to balance your workout and reap the rewards across your entire body? Swimming is ideal for building upper pectorals, glutes, calves, and arms. What’s more, the limited amount of oxygen that your body has access to helps to boost your heart rate, so that you work harder to keep afloat.

In other words, you get a killer workout, without feeling it as much as you might on dry land. What’s more, swimming builds longer, leaner muscles that offer a perfect complement to the denser, shorter muscles that are developed through weight training.

2. No need for Fancy Accessories

Another poignant thing about swimming, is that it doesn’t require the use of any expensive equipment. Unlike alternative workouts that might have you spending hundreds of dollars on home-gym machines, all you need to swim is goggles, a cap, and a swimsuit. Not even that really. All you need is a swimsuit!

You can even ditch the first two if you’re feeling particularly frugal, as just mentioned. Even if you do choose to add in some extra equipment, such as a kickboard, these items won’t exactly break the bank, meaning you can work out in style without violating your checking account.

3. The Perfect Way to Spend Your Days Off

When the weather starts to heat up, rest days can quickly turn into restless days, where you desperately search for ways to relax and cool down. Visiting the swimming pool will not only help you to cool off, but studies have also shown that swimming on your off days actually helps to boost your physical performance when you do return to the gym, thanks to the low-impact aspect of the sport.

4. Max Out Your Cardio

The ultimate aerobic activity, swimming is a prolific way to build your heart rate, as there’s more breath control involved than there is with running, and you get to avoid the uncomfortable feeling in your knees that comes from pounding the pavement for too long. In other words, by swimming, you get more bang for your buck exercise-wise, in a much shorter period of time.

5. Drown Out Work Stress

Stress and anxiety make up a natural part of most of our lives, and although you might feel as though you’re struggling to stay afloat in your day-to-day routine, studies have shown that swimming is one of the most cathartic exercises available. In fact, swimming is such an ideal way to combat stress and anxiety that it’s actually comparable to yoga if done over the course of twelve weeks.

6. Rest Your Joints

If you’re struggling to take part in your usual favorite sports as a result of painful knees and aching joints, then taking a dive could be the best solution. Not only is water easier on your joints, but the more time you spend swimming, the more that water-based resistance training will have a positive benefit on your physical health.

Studies have found that men who had knee operations and were subjected to 12 weeks of swimming training had a 32% increase in their extensor power, as well as a 50% increase in their knee flexor power.

7. Better Flexibility

A heated pool is a powerful way to relax your muscles, increase your flexibility, and enjoy some very important stretching. What’s more, after you’ve taken part in a lactic-acid-building intense workout, a swim will help to flush away extra toxins to prevent muscle soreness and tightness.

Swimming is just incredible. Swimming is a fabulous way to move your body and burn calories. Your muscles will also love you as well.

8. Live Longer

The impact that swimming has on your lungs and heart could contribute to a longer life, according to a study conducted at the University of South Carolina. These researchers found that active swimmers were 50% more likely to enjoy a longer life than runners. This is all thanks to the limited breaths you take during swimming ? which teaches your body how to use oxygen more efficiently.