Taking your workout to the pool is one of the best ways to get involved with a workout that you can continue for many years to come. The cardiovascular benefits of swimming compare pretty evenly with running or jogging, but without the pounding to your joints. As well, because swimming forces you to keep yourself level in the water, you engage core muscles you wouldn’t normally use during running or biking. Lastly, for those that find outdoor running difficult to stick with in hot weather – a pool is a welcome break. And when the weather turns cool, you can either crosstrain with a jog outside or seek out an indoor/heated pool.
- If you’ve never actually used swimming as a workout, you’ll want to keep a few things in mind:
Get a properly fitting swimsuit. Boardshorts will weigh you down in the water and impede your ability to swim efficiently. Sporting goods stores and specialty swim shops carry men’s swimwear in a variety of coverages; not just the typical “speedo.” - Be sure to stretch well before getting into the pool. May people assume that just because there is less impact in the water that there is less chance of injury. Remember that swimming is a resistance-based activity and tight muscles and cramps are dangerous in the pool.
- Learn proper stroke motions. If you’ve never learned a proper freestyle, breast stroke and backstroke, it’s time to learn. Instructional videos and diagrams can be found in abundance online. Butterfly is often difficult for beginners and best saved for after you’ve mastered other strokes.
- Know the basics. One length of the pool is 50 meters (when dealing with an Olympic-sized pool). A lap is two lengths (100 meters). A mile is 1500 meters. If lane markers (ropes) are not in use, use the marked lines on the bottom of the pool to guide you. Crossing into another person’s lane is considered bad form.
- Breathe! When starting out, a good policy is to breathe on every other stroke of a freestyle. In other words, every time your left arm is stretched out, turn your head to your right side and inhale. Exhale in the water as you stroke with your right arm. Repeat. On other strokes, simply breathe when your head is elevated above water.
- Start slow. Even experienced runners find that swimming taxes their fitness more than they expected. Again, this is because swimming is a resistance exercise. You’ll get more benefit from swimming slowly for greater lengths of time than you will from maxing out your ability in a short period. Don’t worry – distance and stamina will come with time.
I try to grab a swim almost everyday. I wish more people would do it. Because the older you get you need more exercise to keep your body fit. I am 42 years old and i started swimming from i was 4 years. will tell all of my friend about this article.
Great article.
I used to swim all the time. Reading this makes me remember how much I enjoyed it.
I swim 5 days a week before work. Its great. Burn fat and not sweat.
I’m a swimmer. Nothing like it. Great form of cardio.
I have a pool in my back yard. After I do my morning jog I jump right in for a lap or 2 to cool down. So refreshing to swim.
I have never used the pool in the gym. It looks rather inviting after reading this I feel inspired to try it out.
I was just thinking I need to do something different other than the treadmill and stairmaster. This is my answer.
Swimming might be my answer! so tired of using the machines everyday. And its a full body workout.
I find a goodswim after a long days work helps me to wash my problems away.
For years I would just do the same ol treadmill and bike in the gym, until one day my bestfriend invited me to go swimming with her. Lets just say I havent stop since.
Great story. I incorporate swimming in my workout 2 days a week. No kidding it never gets boring.
I never thought about it but this article is right. More muslces are used in swimming than most of the other forms of cardio. Im going to have to start to through some swimming in my routines.
Love swimming. My wife and I turn it into a competition to see who can swim the most laps. She wins everytime, but I like the challenge.
Smimming is a great exercise and is easy on my joints.
Started pool swimming about a year ago, training for triathlons. Just love it, but open water swimming is the best. Adds another dimension to your workout, if you haven’t tried it you should.
A “Olympic” sized pool is 25yds, the pool that is used in the Olympics is 50m. Pools that are 25 yards or meters are referred to as “short course” and 50 meter pools are called “long course”. A mile is ~1650 yards or ~1600m, the 1500 is call a metric mile even though it is 106m short of a standard American mile.
The best and probably the fastest way to get up to speed in swimming as an adult is to join a masters swim program/team. They are teams world wide and are open to anyone over the age of 19. Not only will you have coaching but you will also have like minded people that you get to swim with at every practice. Don’t worry about being slow people are placed in a lane that matches your speed.
One more thing, in pools that get a lot of swimmers you don’t always get to have the lane all to yourself you have to share. If their are two people in your lane you can split the lane, you get one side of the line they get the other. If there are two or more swimmers you will need to “circle swim”, this means you will always have the line at the bottom of the pool to your left -swimming in a very long oval. If you are faster than the person swimming in front of you you can tap them on the feet to let them know you want to pass, DO THIS ONLY ONCE, when they get to the end of the pool they should let you pass. This applies to you too, if someone wants to get by swim to the end of the pool and let them pass. Finally, as a rule of thumb the faster lanes are in the middle, if you are slow or you plan on hanging out at the end of the lane a lot please use the outside lanes. If you are confused on what to do, ask the person you are sharing a lane with most people are very helpful