Diet & Fitness 
Get FitFitness finderSwimming
Advertisement

Swimming

There’s no better way to tone your muscles and bolster your cardiovascular stamina than with this joint-friendly, water-bound workout.
cardio
flexibility
strength
weight loss
injury potential
schedule flexibility
ratings key and credits

the workout
Most recreational swimmers stick with freestyle, also known as the crawl, but there are three other basic strokes: butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke. You can either swim laps in the pool or head for an ocean or lake.

upside
Water has a natural buoyancy that supports about 90 per cent of your body weight, so there’s no painful jarring of the joints. Not only does this prevent injury, it helps prevent post-workout soreness. Water is also 14 times thicker than air so it offers plenty of muscle-toning resistance.

downside
You’ll need a certain amount of skill so you don’t just flail around in the water. Some scientists speculate that you burn less fat and more calories swimming than you do with land-based workouts. For this reason, swimming may not be the best choice for weight loss.

the pros say

  • Supplement your swimming program with 2-3 weekly weight training sessions so you strengthen your muscles and develop cardiovascular endurance.
  • If you haven’t had a dip in a while, take a lesson or two. Breathing rhythm and technique are the key to gliding smoothly through the water and getting the most out of your workout.

requirements
Gear: a swimsuit and goggles. For skill drills you may want to have a float, swim fins, and hand paddles.
Instruction/Facilities: a pool or other body of water.
Time: 20-60 minutes, 3-5 days a week.

print printer friendly send to a friend

iVillage TV - Diet & Fitness

View video in larger player
iVillage Recommends Sports bras
  
RATE IT
Loading ....
Loading ....
Most Viewed
  1. Raw food diet
  2. Healthy breakfast
  3. British Military Fitness
  4. Healthy Weight Calculator
  5. Simple carbohydrates
  6. Slimming World recipes
  7. Healthy snacks
  8. 10 food fibs that will make you fat
  9. Dinner ideas
  10. Weight Watchers
Most Searched
  1. fitness
  2. low fat snacks
  3. weightwatchers
  4. simple carbohydrates
  5. exercise motivation
  6. weight watchers
  7. diet plan
  8. weight watchers recipes
  9. powerplate
  10. exercise programmes
Delicious   Digg   reddit   Facebook   StumbleUpon