How Water Workouts Compliment Training

Swimming is a summer staple, and for those who enjoy year-round higher temperatures or have access to a favorite indoor pool, swimming can be a healthy, therapeutic year-round activity. It’s a great way to spend time with friends and family, but more importantly, it’s an amazing way to exercise. Water based exercises create a blend of cardio and strength training that can benefit anyone and round out a weekly exercise regimen.

All Cardio is Not Created Equal

Cardio, love it or hate it, is a core part of conditioning. Water activities like swimming or water aerobics, offer something that land-dwellers don’t get. Resistance. You naturally move slower in water. If you go for a run, your body resists air pressure in the atmosphere. We don’t comprehend this because our bodies are moving against it 24 hours a day. However, water is denser than air, providing a 12% to 14% increase in resistance against our bodies. Because of this, we need to exert more force and energy to move efficiently in the water, and that is where we find our added benefit. Swimming and water aerobics are not purely cardio exercises, they are both cardio and a strength exercise.

Benefits for Athletes

So how can water workouts benefit you as an athlete? Cardio is good for the heart and cardiovascular systems, reducing risks of heart disease and increasing your gas tank when it’s time to compete. Swimming will also burn calories faster than walking or running because of the added resistance in the water. In terms of strength, swimming is a whole-body exercise. Doing a few laps in the pool requires the use of your core, arms, and legs. The added resistance in the water allows you to use your muscles similarly to the way you use them to lift weights. Swimming lets you kill two birds with one stone when it comes to your strength and conditioning.

Another advantage that comes with swimming is the decreased risk for injury. As mentioned before, water provides resistance to the body, making the act of swimming more strenuous over time than other forms of cardio. Water also provides buoyancy. Because our bodies are buoyant in water, there is added support to our weight, putting less pressure on our muscles and joints. If you’re mid-season or training for tryouts, you’ll want all the help you can get to avoid injury. Swimming might be a great addition to your weekly workout schedule.

Before, During, or After

Swimming is almost like a cheat code for extended training. Due to the nature of it, it can be used for training, recovery, or both at the same time. If you just wrapped up a killer workout, going for a swim can be used to soothe sore muscles, work sore muscles, and build up cardio all at the same time.