Swimming Provides Resistance

You CAN maintain your strength if you engage in swimming, especially in the short term. 14 June isn’t too far away now, is it? Just like weightlifting, swimming is a form of resistance exercise! Any resistance exercise enables your muscles to stretch, tear and eventually recover. If your intention is to continue to get stronger, swimming is definitely a better option than biking or even running. Why? The water provides way more resistance than air. When you swim, you’re constantly pushing and pulling against the water, which builds up your endurance!

The next question is, how different is a swimming routine from a gym one? How often should you be swimming?

Gym vs Swimming Routine

If you’re reading this article, there are chances you’re someone who goes to the gym pretty regularly, with your frequency ranging from 3 - 7 times a week. Building or maintaining muscles through swimming requires pretty much the same level of consistency, anywhere from 3 - 5 times a week!

What about your split? You can enjoy your favourite arms day and drag yourself down for THE dreaded (or not) leg day still! On leg days, you can take your arms out of the equation by using swimming aids such as the kickboard. What about your core? When you take your arms out of the picture, you’re essentially engaging your core to keep your body in a streamline position! Oh, it’s time for leg day? Use a pull buoy to focus more on your arm movement and strokes while allowing your legs to recover. Afterall, recovery is key for growth, isn’t it?

Progressively Overloading in the Pool

Another key to growth is progressive overload. It challenges your body and increases the strength of your musculoskeletal system. The ability to progressive overload doesn’t vary significantly in the pool as well! Here are some ways you can progressively overload in the swimming pool:

Swim further than the session prior. (more laps per session)

Swim faster than you did during your last session. Try setting a new PR!

Try out different strokes.

Less rest time between sets/laps.

Improve on your form!

So, yes, there are countless ways to progressively overload outside of the gym!

Reducing Body Fat

If you’re in a cutting phase or if you’ve decided it’s time, swimming is perfect! Swimming burns an insane number of calories, which makes achieving a calorie deficit easier. In fact, you can burn up to 500 calories PER HOUR by swimming laps in the pool! Noting that it’s a low-impact activity, you can actually swim more often and for longer periods of time and increase your “calories out” for the day, without sacrificing your joint health. Pick a few strokes and swim away!

HIIT in the Pool

Ever heard of aqua jogging? It’s basically running, but with higher resistance AND lower impact. With the water level slightly below your neck, run through water with your back straight and your hands balled into fists. Want added resistance? Get hand paddles for your biceps and triceps to get even more involved in your quest to the other end of the pool.

Water Aerobics with Weights

Image Credit : Amazon

If you’ve a private pool, have you ever thought of engaging in water aerobic exercises WITH dumbbells? Good news, that’s completely possible and water dumbbells do exist! The possibilities are endless with this tool. 

(a)Vertical kicking holding a dumbbell.

(b)Adding light weights to your ankles while flutter kicking with a kickboard.

(c)Adding light weights to your wrists to increase the resistance.

Water bicep curls!

Conclusion

A break from your usual gym routine, coupled with the many benefits of hydrotherapy can actually be the silver lining of the whole situation. Not only does water have the benefits mentioned above such as low impact, it also provides pain relief and treatment along with immense relaxation. The lingering stiffness in your neck might be gone after spending the next month at the pool! You’ll never reap these benefits until you give it a try.

Join us at Condo Swimming lesson as we teach you the how to keep fit without going to the gym 

Hello everyone! I'm a gym enthusiast who gets very excited at the sight of dogs. Drinking teh tarik is my form of relaxation. I hope you share my passion for anything fitness-related through my writing!