Swim done good for your body and to Your spirit. Accessible to everyone, swimming allows you to gently tone and refine your figure.
We reassure you, it doesn’t stop there! This is why we have put together a list of 8 benefits of swimming to make you want to swim.
What are the benefits of swimming?
Swimming is full of benefits:
- She allows to gently tone muscles.
- She good for your heart.
- She helps you feel better in your head.
- It helps you to refine your figure.
- She is without impact on your joints.
- She relieved And warns your back pain.
- She favors your blood circulation.
- She you keep healthy.
Now that you know a little more, we can get down to business by detailing each benefit!
1. Swimming gently tones your muscles
When you swim, the water resistance makes work all the muscles of your body candy.
Why gently? Because the movements are returned more fluid And painless thanks to water !
Swimming requires especially the upper body and your abdominal strap. THE sheathing is very important to maintain a good position in the water. Your abs are therefore (almost) at work all the time.
While swimming, you will also work on your quadriceps, dorsal, glutes, shoulders, pectorals, etc.
According to the swims, THE muscle groups requested are not not always the same.
The muscles used by breaststroke
With breaststroke it is mainly the abs, the interior of thighs, THE glutes, THE calves, and the biceps.
The muscles used by the butterfly
With the butterfly you will mainly work your abdominal strap, your lumbar and your pectorals.
The muscles used by the crawl
The crawl is a stroke that will especially put your back, your biceps, your triceps, your pectorals, your shoulders and your legs at work.
The muscles used by the backstroke
By swimming the crawl, you of course tone your back, but also your abs, your lumbar, your legs and your glutes.
By varying the strokes, you will be able to tone your entire figure. And who says toned and muscular body says:
- Better posture.
- Fewer injuries (or even zero).
- Less risk to have chronic pain.
Want even more details? We have what you need ! Head to our article on the muscles used by swimming. 👀
2. Swimming strengthens your heart
By swimming, you maintain And strengthen your heart ! This then makes his work easier when he is at rest, but also when he is in full effort.
Swimming is ideal for maintain and improve your endurance. The more you swim, the more your cardiovascular capacity develops.
In increasing gradually your cadence swimming sessions, you will quickly feel a difference!
Swimming forces you to breathe well in water, inhale outside and exhale underwater. Which allows you to have a better breath and of better lung capacity.
Swimming will also allow improve oxygen supply which reaches your muscles during exercise.
And if you want more information again, we still have what you need! Take a look at our article on swimming and cardio. 👀
3. Swimming to make you feel better in your head
How ? Well quite simply, because the fact to be in the water helps you relax and to release tension Daily.
The state of weightlessness created by water allows you to relax your muscles, thus facilitating the let go. You relieve stress and anxiety to give way to a feeling of well-being.
When you swim, you must concentrate on your movements. But also on your breathing. This allows you to to empty in your head.
Like other sports, swimming will also cause endorphin secretion, this famous hormone that makes you feel good.
But it doesn't stop there:
- Swimming affects your mood, you are less angry.
- Exercising helps you improve your sleep.
By leaving your telephone in the locker room and, because you are in water, you make a (small) screen cure.
4. Swimming refines your figure
This activity makes you burn as many calories as possible. For one hour of swimming at a moderate swimming speed, you will burn around 400 calories.
So, believe us with Healthy eating, swimming to help you lose weight it is not a lie ! For refine your figure neither for that matter.
We also have an article on how refine your legs with swimming ! So if you want toned legs And fine, you know where to find the information… 👀
In addition, water offers you a draining massage for free when you swim! Nothing better to fight against cellulite. You can say goodbye to orange peel skin.
And you know what ? We also have an article on swimming and cellulite ! So if you want to know everything about it, take a look. 👀
THE wide movements swimming also allows to lengthen your muscles, to stretch and tone them lengthwise.
5. Swimming is impact-free for your joints
Like your body is carried by water (effect of weightlessness), your weight seems lighter. What makes swimming a gentle sport And without impact.
This allows you to do move your joints gently, without trauma or shock.
Swimming is perfect for prevent joint pain, because you work on the flexibility of your joints.
It also allows relieve osteoarthritis, because by swimming you strengthen your joints.
This makes the swimming accessible to everyone, except of course those who don't like swimming, or who have injuries that are too painful.
6. Swimming relieves and prevents back pain
In fact, you will to strenghten your muscles back, your lumbar as well as your abs.
With a stronger back you relieve your pain and/or prevent back pain from bothering you.
Swimming keeps you do sports without pain thanks to water. And this, even if you feel tension. However, always seek the advice of your doctor before taking the plunge.
To find out more, we invite you to read our article on back pain and swimming. You will be able (among other things) to know what swims to practice with back pain. 👀
7. Swimming promotes blood circulation
Heavy legs, water retention, poor blood circulation, all that is over with swimming!
When you swim, you repeat different movements who request your muscles. They contract and this relax with each movement, which:
- Promotes blood circulation and venous return.
- Limits water retention.
There water pressure also plays its role, it allows facilitate blood circulation to the heart.
The fact of swim with your body horizontally will also promote blood circulation. Indeed, the blood falls less easily into your legs than if you were standing.
8. Swimming keeps you healthy
Here we are, the last benefit on our list: swimming allows you to avoid certain diseases and or to alleviate certain symptoms. Especially for :
- THE cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Asthma
- THE heart disease
- THE diabetes
It helps you with diabetes
Swimming can help you improve your insulin sensitivity. It will also help you to to balance your blood sugar and your weight thanks to the high energy expenditure that it causes.
It helps you with hypertension
The fact of swim regularly can help you do lower your blood pressure at rest.
It helps you with asthma
In swimming often and making exercises a bit more specific, it is possible to help you increase your breathing capacity.
Swimming, benefits, but also disadvantages
Certainly swimming is full of benefits, but it also presents some disadvantages which is worth mentioning.
Swimming can sometimes cause injury due to :
- There repetition of movements.
- A poor technique swimming.
- A bad posture in water.
There fear of water which can push tense and therefore create tensions muscles.
THE most stressed areas of the body when you swim are the knees, THE shoulders and the back. These are therefore places very often subject to injuries.
THE pain are especially visible in swimmers who practice competitive swimming, but they should not be minimized.
Knee pain
They are mainly caused by repetition of leg movements, including your knees, during breaststroke.
They generally result in a feeling of discomfort and of heat at knee level.
Shoulder pain
The cause comes from the repetition of arm movement when you swim crawl, THE butterfly and the backstroke.
This then leads to a shoulder joint instability. Which can cause a irritation structures located around the shoulder bones.
These pains can then turn into tendonitis (very common), bursitis, etc.
Back pain
The reasons ?
- A poor execution of the propulsion movement during the breaststroke where the butterfly which overloads your back.
- A bad posture in the water, with the body raised so as not to have the head underwater.
Back pain results in a feel of the bar in the back and pain points on each side of the column.
Chlorine and its disadvantages
Water treatment of chlorine swimming pools and other products of the same style can sometimes cause some problems:
- It may dry out your skin.
- It may damage your hair.
- This can irritate, especially if you have skin problems.
To conclude
Swimming is a very complete sport with many benefits : tones and refines the silhouette, strengthens your heart, does not traumatize your joints, etc.
For enjoy its benefits, two small conditions: regularity and an good Alimentation !
Whatever your level, you can swim! This sport is accessible to everyone : elderly people, pregnant women, people in rehabilitation, etc.
It is a sport perfect as a complement to another activity (boxing, running, etc.). So, above all, don’t deprive yourself of swimming!
What if you tried other water sports?
For example, you can try aquagym, aqua jogging Or aquazumba ! If the topic interests you, we invite you to watch our article on different water sports. 👀
And if you're more of the type train alone in your favorite pool, you can also spice up your sessions with different exercises to do at the swimming pool !
Aquabike at Aqua by
Speaking of water sport, at Aqua by we invite you to discover aquabike differently !
The quèsaco aquabike? It's simple, you pedal on a bicycle submerged in water of a swimming pool.
THE aquabike sessions made in Aqua by are done in band And coached in music to mix sport and good humor.
Our sessions are varied (aquapalming, aquacross, etc.) to make the practice more fun and more accessible.
So, if you want to dive into the deep end of aquabike, book your first session !
Our studios located at Paris and to Boulogne are just waiting for you! Take the plunge ! 💦
