Swimming Workouts Suggestions

One of the best forms of aerobic exercise is swimming. Anyone who intends to become fit should consider integrating swimming workouts into their exercise program. Swimming workouts use more of the body’s major muscle groups than most other exercises. A 125 lb person can burn about 453 calories in one hour of moderate intensity swimming, which is similar to an hour of biking or 12-minute mile run.

While swimming workouts involve the use of both the upper and lower parts of the body, the fact is the upper body gets more work when you are swimming so fitness experts recommend adding other forms of exercise such as running or walking at least twice a week to for as truly balanced workout.

One unique advantage of swimming workouts lie in the water’s buoyancy, which makes the body float in water. Hence, there is less impact on the joints when you do swimming workouts so it is very suitable to overweight people or those with physical limitations. Swimming is in fact the exercise of choice for most people undergoing physical therapy. It is also a safe and enjoyable way for older people and even pregnant women to stay active.

For those just starting with their swimming workouts, a 12 to 20 minute swim is ideal. Do not over exert yourself. Exercise at a pace that is comfortable to you and measure your heart rate from time to time. As you continue with your swimming workouts each week, you will be able to improve your endurance and you can swim longer, farther and faster. Soon you can swim for 30 minutes or even an hour just like an advanced swimmer.

The strokes you use in your swimming workouts have an effect on how strenuous your session would be. The front crawl is the most tiring so you may want to mix it with other strokes such as breaststroke or backstroke. Do four laps of each stroke to work out more muscles.

Aside from swimming laps, you may also add in some simple water exercises to tone your muscles. Exercise your legs, stomach and back by doing leg lifts in the water. Hold onto the side of the pool, lift each leg ten times to your front, back, and side. Running in the water is also a very good alternative to swimming. You can mix in other water aerobic exercises even dancing to make your swimming workouts fun and interesting.