If you're bored with the treadmill, have lost your love for circuits, or appreciate new challenges to help you push yourself even harder, swimming can be the best training option.

Adding a little chlorine to your regular exercise routine can help you rebalance your body and mind, giving your entire body an incredible physical workout. But if you are still not sure if you should dive, find out about the main benefits of the modality with Lifeguard Certification.



1. Low impact form of exercise

Even if you've never swam before, it's never too late to start. The aerobic nature of swimming means you can alter your pace to make the workouts as strenuous or restorative as you like. “Swimming is cited as a fantastic all-round sport to focus on or just complement a regular workout,” explains Nike Swim's Jane McCormick. “Performing a series of strokes allows you to develop cardiovascular conditioning and you can keep your heart rate high while the support of the water reduces the stress caused by the impact on your body. This makes it less demanding on the joints than sports like running and cycling.”

2. Great for recovery

Unlike high-impact sports like running and cycling, the low-impact nature of swimming makes it a great activity to help you recover from injuries as it cushions and supports without putting pressure on your joints. Swimming also strengthens your body's connective tissues, as your muscles need to work harder to overcome the natural resistance of the water with Lifeguard Certification Va.



When you have a joint injury, it is generally recommended to slowly increase the muscles around that joint as you recover. This is easier when these muscles are supported by water. "Researchers from the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland have found that water-based resistance training has long-term benefits when it comes to joint recovery," adds Jane. “Some participants who had knee operations did 12 weeks of swimming training as part of their recovery, and a year later, the swimmers had a 32% increase in knee extensor power and a 50% increase in knee flexion power. knee compared to those who restricted their recovery on dry land".

3. Increases VO2 to the max

If you want to gain speed and endurance so you can swim with less effort, improving VO2 max capacity is essential - and swimming allows you to do that. The physiological measurement is the maximum level of oxygen you consume during exercise and the higher your VO2 max, the more efficient your dive will be.

“VO2 max is improved when you swim while restricting your oxygen intake – the very nature of having your face in the water while swimming does just that, and consequently lung capacity improves,” explains Jane.

He adds that there are several exercises you can do to improve your VO2 potential, such as breaststroke, butterfly or crawl: “Put on a pair of fins and try to swim like dolphins, swim as much as you can. Do this exercise eight times, each time a little more demanding. If you do this over six months, VO2 will be significantly improved and overall performance will be better.” And as your VO2 improves, so does your anaerobic threshold. "This indicates a higher level of lactic acid tolerance, which will result in a greater ability to perform for a longer period of time or accelerate faster," says Jane.

Also Read About: Main Benefits of Swimming

4. Improves mental health

According to the British mental health organization Mind, 1 in 4 people experience a mental health problem. There is evidence that physical exercise can help manage these symptoms - in fact, it is believed that going from sedentary to active at least three times a week can reduce the risk of depression by up to 30% . And a YouGov poll2018 commissioned by Swim England reinforced these results. Findings showed that swimming in a pool actually improves mental health, with 1.4 million adults saying swimming significantly helped reduce anxiety and symptoms of depression. Furthermore, the survey, which studied the exercise habits of 3.3 million Britons, found that 43% of swimmers said that swimming regularly made them feel happier, while 26% were more motivated to complete daily tasks than otherwise. way, they might seem too much.