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If you are looking for the perfect workout that allows you to build muscle without causing any unnecessary pain on your bones and joint then swimming is definitely a fantastic option. Being able to swim and glide through the water is a fantastic way to improve the strength and flexibility of your body. When you think of a swimmer’s body the first thing that comes to mind is toned with broad shoulders and flat stomach, this clearly shows that swimming is a great exercise for gaining muscle.
Which muscle groups will swimming strengthen?
It is no surprise that when you swim you are working your entire body which in turn strengthens all of your muscles. As you would be aware there are several different types of strokes when it comes to swimming, and it might come in handy to know which muscles are being used with each stroke. Let’s take a look below at some helpful information
- Freestyle- This is a fantastic exercise to strengthen the upper body back, abdomen and torso. The arm movement means you will tone the shoulders and deltoid muscles and at the same time. Freestyle also includes a lower body workout as you will be working your leg muscles whilst doing the flutter kick which will also strengthen your foot muscles and hip flexors
- Mixing the strokes- When conducted all the strokes in a training session means you can be sure you are working for your entire muscle groups. Mixing the strokes will make your workout as efficient as possible and will also make it more enjoyable for yourself.
- Backstroke- This is very similar to exercise to freestyle as all the muscles are being used and targets several muscles at once. The difference between freestyle and backstroke is with backstroke you do not need to use your neck muscles to turn each time to breathe, you are on your back the entire exercise. This is a fantastic exercise for working your stomach muscles and also works your lower body including the hamstrings and hip flexors.
- Breaststroke- This particular stroke seems to be a lot more popular with people who have less experience with swimming and the elderly. When performed, breaststroke is less strenuous compared to backstroke and freestyle, it works the lower body such as the limbs, glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps. The other part of breaststroke is the sweeping movement which uses your chest and arm muscles, in particular your pictorial muscles, deltoids, biceps and triceps.
- Butterfly- Out of all 3 of the swimming strokes, the butterfly seems to be the least popular and the reason for this is because it is the most difficult. The Butterfly uses the most energy out of all 3 of the strokes, it focuses on the lower body and also works your abdominal, lower back and glute muscles as you move through the water. The butterfly will also give your arms and shoulders a fantastic workout.
Swimming is a fantastic way to build muscle and has a lot of advantages compared to other exercises because it is a low impact workout. Being low impact means there is no stress on your joints and bones which in turn can be enjoyed by all ages including the elderly and people with disabilities. When people think of gaining muscle mass they first think of being at the gym lifting weights, a lot of people don’t realize that swimming is just as beneficial and will improve your endurance the same way as training at a gym.
What equipment can be added to make swimming more effective?
Another way to make swimming more effective is to use equipment such as weights and kickboards in the pool. A lot of the professional swimmers use kickboards whilst swimming which helps gain muscular strength in the lower body and legs. When using equipment such as a kickboard you are not using your legs which in turn focuses on building strength in the lower body only. Other popular pieces of equipment to strengthen the legs and lower body are fins, leg floats and pull buoys. To focus on building muscle in the upper body you could always use paddles or to give your upper body a thorough workout you could combine using a pull buoy and paddles at the same time. As you can see there are many options when it comes to adding equipment in the pool for muscular strength.
Making sure you have the right nutrition
When you are on the journey to gaining muscle it is extremely important that as well as exercise, you are getting the correct amount of nutrition. It is important that you support your workouts with great nutrition, so choosing healthy options such as protein, complex carbohydrates, fruit and vegetable will give you the best results. Yes we all love a treat from time to time and that’s fine, but just remember to limit the number of processed foods and sweets in your diet.
Swimming is highly beneficial but also fun!
Working out in the water is not only a fantastic way to gain muscle but it is also a great way to enjoy exercise and have some fun. It is a proven fact that if you do something you enjoy you are more likely to stick to it which means you will achieve your results quicker and enjoy what you are doing at the same time. If swimming is something you enjoy, then having your own fiberglass pool in your backyard would mean you could live a healthy lifestyle and enjoy all the benefits from your backyard.
Barrier Reef Pools have been transforming homeowners backyards for the past 30 years, helping thousands of Australians improve their lifestyle with one of our top-quality fiberglass pools. Our Team have extensive years of experience in the pool industry and are passionate about helping customers in any way we can so please feel free to give us a call today!
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This content is brought to you by Brad Hilbert.
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