If you're a water polo enthusiast or need to swim effectively without submerging your face, swimming with your head up is essential. It lets you remain aware of your position and the goal while you swim. Individuals trained in ...
If you want to swim with power, the butterfly is an obvious choice. If you want to swim fast with a smooth, fluid motion, the freestyle is a good option. Butterfly and freestyle swimming are popular competitive events, but they...
The foundation of any coaching job is developing the skills and talents of the athletes you work with, but this is just the beginning. Swimming is a highly intense sport that requires a strong understanding of physiology, psych...
Swimming has advantages over pounding the pavement in running shoes or playing sports with high injury potential such as racquetball or tennis. Swimming puts less strain on your joints but still provides resistance and movement...
Swimming laps with a snorkel mask may sound like something only a diver pining for Caribbean reefs would undertake. In fact, elite swimmers around the world use specially designed snorkels that rise in front of their mask or go...
The backstroke is one of the sleekest strokes in swimming. Instead of pulling your body up and down out of the water, during the backstroke your arms and legs do almost all the work. Still, the stroke isn't easy, and your body ...
Swimming is one of the best exercises for an aerobic workout that does not stress your joints, making it ideal for the older athlete or someone who has a medical condition such as arthritis. You can vary the stroke to add varie...
Let’s say you decide to take a swim. In the early morning light, armed with fresh new goggles and a cap, you hit the pool. Images of Michael Phelps and Dara Torres run through your head. But before you finish the first la...
A dumbbell cuff, also called a cuff weight, differs from a traditional dumbbell in several ways, including use and appearance. The products aid in building muscle mass and are a tool used in some types of physical therapy. Cuff...
Although swimming practice is the best way to improve your strength and speed in competitions, putting in long hours of endless laps might feel like a grind at times. Games help break up the routine, while allowing you to maint...
Ear infections are one of the most common childhood illnesses, affecting as many as 50 percent of all children before their first birthday, Boston University School of Medicine professor of pediatrics Jerome Klein reports on th...
A swimmer might transition into a superman glide Swimming position after completing a lap and kicking off of the wall. Swimming drills involving the superman glide often teach how to transition from a superman glide into a part...
Swimming is a full-body sport that increases your heart rate and respiration while also working the body's major muscle groups. The flutter kick used in the freestyle and backstroke employs the entire leg starting at the hips. ...
In some ways, every swim coach has a unique perspective to offer and approaches athletes in different ways. However, swim coaches share several broad and effective strategies. They train for speed, focus on form and technique, ...
Many people learn to swim at a young age; however, you can also learn to swim as an adult by taking lessons at a local recreational facility such as the YMCA. Instructors teach swimming in stages, which are designed to help you...
In competitions and other events, swimmers must be aware of their surroundings and keep track of their progress through the water. To help guide swimmers, many pools come equipped with specific markings. These marks help swimme...
swimming offers an aerobic and strengthening workout without the jarring actions of weight-bearing exercise like walking or running. Despite being surrounded by water, your body still needs hydration during a swimming workout. ...
Nutrition and epidemiology researcher Christopher D. Jensen says on an exercise website that nausea during exercise is common. All types of physical exertion, including swimming, can result in nausea, and doctors think there ar...
swimming is an effective and low-impact form of exercise for your muscles and cardiovascular system. With multiple swimming methods available, a swimmer can exercise the entire body adequately within a few laps. The use of tool...
Bobbing the head independently of moving the body is a problem shared by 90 percent of Swimmers, estimates Libor Janek, Swim coach to the 2011 Masters National Champions the Cetus Masters Swim Team. The head moves with the ches...
The butterfly is a difficult swimming stroke to master; it requires synchronization between two main parts of your body, your arms and legs. A strong dolphin kick and the strength of your upper body are required to propel and p...
Mastering the butterfly stroke is the pinnacle of achievement for many amateur swimmers. When you're starting out with the stroke, you may have difficulty lasting the same distances you normally manage for simpler strokes. To i...
As any experienced swimmer can attest, a relatively minor shift in your form can dramatically affect your performance in the water. How your feet are positioned will influence the force you generate in the water and how much dr...
Just because you know how to swim doesn’t mean you know how to swim your best. If you’re struggling to keep afloat or moving at a snail’s pace through the water, you’re not getting the most efficient wor...
Throughout military training, individuals are often administered a series of swim tests, focusing on endurance, underwater swimming and diving. While these tests are more extensive for Navy Seals, divers and Coast Guard applica...
The loss of breast tissue following a bilateral mastectomy can decrease your upper body strength and negatively affect your self image. Rebuilding muscle in the chest area can help normalize the profile of your bust, increase s...
A swimming touch pad is an automatic electronic timing device used in swimming competitions. It accurately records an athlete’s time and eliminates human error. An "Athletic Business" article quotes Mick Nelson,...
When United States Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps hits the last few laps of his freestyle races, he switches from a traditional bent-arm technique to a straight-arm one. This change takes both intense strength and practic...
A few seconds can make the difference between a mediocre swim meet performance and a personal record. Many physical and mental factors affect how fast you can swim. It takes preparation and focus to make sure that all these fac...
Splashing around in the pool and swimming laps can be beneficial both during soccer season and once you’ve hung up your cleats for the year. Now that you’ve trained for soccer, it’s important to stay fit and a...
Over time, Swimming increases endurance and strength as you exercise in a pool. Swimming laps or long distances improves your aerobic fitness, but most competitive swimmers need to perform at maximum intensity for short periods...
Winning a gold medal in the Olympics is among the most impressive and recognized accomplishments in sports. Avid sports fans and casual observers are both likely to follow competitions in the summer Olympics, which occur only o...
Mastering the frog kick is necessary for doing the breaststroke. The breaststroke is the only stroke in swimming where the legs produce more power than the upper body. The ankles, knees and hips all must work together to get th...
Freestyle swimming is a style used in swimming competitions, although it usually refers to the front crawl stroke because it is often the fastest mode of swimming. As with any athletic task, changes can always be made to swimmi...
The essentials of swimming remain the same whether you're paddling around a wading pool or taking a swim in the sea, far from coast. On the other hand, when swimming at significant depths, typically with the use of scuba gear, ...
...requently exposed to loud noises from concerts, firearms and industrial workplaces, but protecting ears from physical hazards is less understood. For example, water trapped in the ears while bathing, swimming or surfing can ...
Competitive swimming workouts in the pool require an intense effort to maintain conditioning and to improve speed and distance results. However, your body is not a machine when you get in the water. You have to manage your exer...
Distance runners develop lean physiques to improve their run times, but the same relationship doesn't always hold true for swimmers, whose bodies do not have to work against gravity. However, weight gain affects your buoyancy, ...
Swimming is an adaptable and low-impact exercise that ranks No. 2 on the list of most popular sports activities in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although you can reduce your ris...
...can be effective for rehabilitation because it provides resistance to strengthen your ankle but is also low-impact so you do not run as much of a risk of re-injuring yourself. Ask your doctor whether swimming with fins is an...
Swimming is a sport that combines aerobic exercise with repetitive motion. Strokes must be executed with proper balance and form to maximize your efficiency in the water. A proper freestyle stroke involves extending your arms i...
...he most noticeable symptoms of croup is the loud, harsh barking sound that occurs when your child coughs or attempts to breathe normally. While it may be safe for children with mild cases of croup to swim in shallow areas, m...
If you enjoy swimming but have a tracheostomy, or tracheotomy, you do not necessarily have to forgo this activity. A tracheostomy is a medical procedure characterized by surgically creating a hole in the throat to provide direc...
Kinesiology examines how the muscles and limbs of your body move during physical activity. Swimming is an aerobic activity, which requires oxygen to perform. You breathe in oxygen, which gets circulated through your blood strea...
...make your muscles weak and can prevent you from exercising and performing everyday tasks. Dermatomyositis is one of a group of inflammatory muscle diseases, including polymyositis, called myopathies. Swimming and other gentl...
...dip in the local watering hole might sooth your owies. Not so fast there, Michael Phelps. You could be diving headlong into a teeming puddle of nasty health complications. There are risks attached to swimming with abrasions.
... canal wall down mastoidectomy is a significantly more invasive procedure than a canal wall up mastoidectomy, leaving an opening following the operation which exposes your ear canal. If you decide to swim during your recover...
... happen in your child’s muscles and usually show up in the late afternoon or early evening. While exercising these muscles by running or jogging could be uncomfortable, children might find that swimming can be enjoyabl...
Intramural sports are sports activities that high school or college students can participate in on a voluntary, recreational basis. Some schools that are equipped with competition-size swimming pools offer intramural swimming, ...
swimming is the second most popular sports activity, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This aerobic activity uses most of your major muscle groups, so participating in regular aerobic exercise like swimmin...
...curs commonly in teens and young adults, although older adults and young children can also contract the infection. Mono causes extreme fatigue, making it unlikely you could participate in competitive swimming even if you wan...
Swimming is an endurance sport, and swimmers get a lot of their energy from a process known as aerobic respiration. However, another energy-generating process, anaerobic respiration, also plays an important physiological role f...
swimming is a healthy and vigorous physical activity suitable for all ages. A few laps in the pool or at the beach provide a full-body workout with less risk of overheating. Despite these health benefits, swimming does pose hea...
swimming is often seen as an ideal exercise because you use nearly all your muscles and there is a low incidence of injuries. However, people who train frequently or are involved in competitive swimming can develop knee and sho...
If you’re a swimmer, you’ve probably been advised more than once never to swim alone. While this rule generally applies to open water swimming, exhaustion and drowning can occur in any swimming environment, includin...
Vigorous swimming master’s classes set for 6 a.m. at health clubs often focus on 30 minutes of freestyle. You can join such a group or borrow its ideas for your own 30 minute swim. swimming freestyle can refer to either s...
Whether diving into the pool, swimming underwater or breathing in chlorinated fumes -- swimming can expose you to risks of sinus and ear problems. However, what counts as too much swimming for one person may be perfectly fine f...
A sport that involves traveling over the same area, back and forth multiple times, often becomes monotonous. Swimmers are commonly caught in the cycle of performing lap after lap in the same lane of the same pool with the same ...
Whether you're a professional swimmer or you've just started taking swimming lessons, letting your frustration get the best of you can ruin your workout in the pool. Instead of getting angry and giving up, improve your skills s...
Swimming at high altitudes may be done to train for competition at lower altitudes or may be part of the competition itself. To compete at higher altitudes, it is ideal to train at even higher elevations or in hypobaric trainin...
...engage in some sort of exercise program to supplement their dance training. Your choice of workout requires careful consideration, because it must complement, not conflict with, your dance technique. Swimming exercises stren...
Part of the allure of salt-water swimming pools is that chemically speaking, they are "isotonic." That means their salinity is calculated to match that of the human body, allowing swimmers to enjoy the pool to their h...
Drowning is the second-highest unintentional cause of death in children under 14 years of age, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As a result, basic swimming skills are critical for every child. O...
When you don't have access to a full-size pool, your training schedule often suffers without the ability to swim laps in the water. That's where stationary tether devices come in handy. Tethers, which are available in several v...
...raining. When you continually participate in the same type and intensity of training, you might not get the results you want. Only by challenging your body in new ways will you improve and overcome a swimming plateau.
If you don't like backstroke and have never perfected your butterfly, a swimming workout that uses just breaststroke and freestyle still provides challenge. The workout can be more than swimming lap after lap of endless freesty...
...f the heart, lungs and circulatory system. Achieving cardiorespiratory fitness involves major muscles of the body moving rhythmically for a continuous time. Walking, bicycling, running and especially swimming constitute meth...
swimmers sometimes debate the importance of legs versus arms in swimming but neglect the significance of what connects the limbs together. Your core or trunk generates the lift and speed that distinguishes an elite swimmer from...
Timing impacts almost every part of your swim. From the time it takes you to complete a set in a workout to the time it takes to complete a race, time provides critical input on your time in the water. Whether you swim competit...
Swimming requires significant strength in your arms, legs, core and back. While a generalized strength-training regiment is beneficial, one that focuses on these key areas makes your stroke more powerful. Strength training for ...
The backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle are the four strokes used in competitive swimming. The backstroke and freestyle, which are also called the back and front crawl, respectively, are known as long axis strokes...
swimming is a great cardiovascular and toning exercise that can benefit your health and help you lose weight. It may be used to improve physical fitness, to compete in swimming meets or simply for recreational and leisure pursu...
swimming officials use seed times to determine the most competitive match-ups. Seed times are so vital to a fair, efficient swim meet that they're required on most registration forms and nationally standardized on Official Veri...
Swimming is a low-impact sport that is gentle on your joints. The water-based exercise still works your muscles considerably from head to toe. Neck pain, including muscle strains, is a common injury among swimmers. Altering you...
The sport of competitive swimming requires muscular strength and endurance. While the act of swimming itself can help with the endurance part, swimmers must also engage in cross-training exercises -- often called dryland exerci...
Of the four competition strokes in swimming -- backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle -- breaststroke is the slowest. For example, the world record for the men's 100-meter breaststroke is just 58.58, while the world ...
Swimmers use hypoxic, or oxygen-reduced, training to increase their lung capacity, and to improve their tolerance for oxygen deprivation. Hypoxic training basically involves swimming different drills while reducing the amount o...
Emmett Hines, author of "Fitness swimming," calls swimming the only true life-long sport because people can enjoy the water in infancy and continue swimming throughout old age. If you have the opportunity, time and i...
swimming can provide a relaxing workout but it can also be tiring if you’re not in shape. According to Nutristrategy, a 155-lb. person swimming leisurely for one hour will burn 422 calories. This is similar to the amount ...
Swimming with proper technique is not just for the Olympian. Granted, paying attention to stroke mechanics adds speed and saves energy for the competitive athlete. Yet so much more is gained when strokes are executed correctly....
Swimming offers multiple health benefits. It provides an excellent means of improving your cardiovascular fitness. In addition, it gives your joints a rest when you use it as part of your fitness regimen, cross-training with ru...
Competitive Swimming provides girls of any age with exercise and can teach them life lessons from participating in a team sport. Swimming also is a sport in which girls can engage throughout their lives, reaching even Olympic l...
The front crawl, or freestyle, is the fastest and most energy-efficient of all swimming strokes, which is why it's used in competition. This stroke uses alternating pulling arm motions combined with the flutter kick. Also used ...
Sprinting in freestyle isn't simply a matter of moving your arms more quickly. Freestyle is a long-axis stroke, which means you must put together the movement of your body along your entire length to get the most out of your st...
swimming goggles are devices made to specifically aid in keeping water out of the eyes during swimming and are used by athletes and non athletes alike. Chlorine from pools and salt from oceans may cause irritation to the eyes a...
Like every sport, swimming follows a strict set of rules to ensure competitive balance and to protect the safety of its athletes. Any swimmer who violates the rules may suffer an immediate disqualification. The exact reasons fo...
Swimming is an excellent way to get aerobic exercise as it engages almost every muscle in your body. The hamstrings, the three muscles on the back of your thigh, play an important role in the kicking motion that propels you thr...
Front crawl or freestyle is the fastest of the four competitive swimming strokes. Performed correctly, it also is the most efficient. Because you can swim front crawl longer, with less energy expended, it is the stroke of choic...
Swimming provides an effective cardiovascular workout and helps strengthen your arms, legs and core. Specific drills break down the stroke to its component parts. You may need additional equipment for some drills to support you...
The term “fly” in swimming is short for the “butterfly,” a specific stroke in swimming that is included in individual and mixed medley relay events. Unlike the crawl, in which swimmers alternate arms com...
swimming provides an excellent cardiovascular workout. In addition, it works the entire body, toning your arms, legs and core. Keep in mind that swimming is not an impact-bearing activity. Because you are buoyant in the water, ...
Exercising can be difficult for obese men and women due to the impact of extra weight on the joints. Swimming offers obese people a safe, low-impact workout that can easily be tailored to suit individual fitness levels. Additio...
For those who have only been swimming in a lake, swimming in the ocean presents a different set of challenges. Ocean swimming can be exciting, but also introduces hazards that you need to know about in order to stay safe. By le...
Swimming, unlike many dry-land sports, works most of the major muscle groups simultaneously. Certain competitive strokes use specific muscles as primary movers, however. Strengthening these muscle groups improves your performan...
swimming is often a good choice of exercise for people with sore backs because it is low impact and puts little pressure on the spine. However, swimming with incorrect form can cause you to twist or jerk your back or neck, whic...
Aquatic exercise programs can improve the physical and psychological health of disabled individuals. Programs that offer swimming, aquatic therapy and scuba diving for the physically handicapped are ubiquitously available; howe...
swimming and jogging raise your heart rate, build cardiovascular health and burn enough calories to promote weight loss. However, a slow, short jog or swim does not elevate your heart rate high enough or long enough to burn fat...
Low-impact cardiovascular exercises, such as swimming, can help decrease the severity of edema. Edema is a collection of fluid that can occur anywhere in the body, but is commonly seen in the lower extremities due to the pull o...
Competitive swimming, whether in the pool or in the open water, demands considerable strength, endurance and technique. It can be argued that efficient technique and stroke mechanics allow a swimmer to expend less energy and la...
Bacterial, viral, algal and protozoan infections are common after exposure to contaminated water. Swimming in ponds, lakes and oceans that are near developed areas may increase your risk of exposure to waste-water contamination...
As you recover from a back sprain, swimming can help you recover strength in your back and maintain your fitness level. The buoyancy of the water allows your back to release extra tension, which relieves painful pressure on the...
There are few sights in the water as pleasing as that of a smoothly gliding athlete performing a perfect stroke backward. The backstroke requires a swimmer to move through the pool with his eyes to the sky. The stroke is produc...
For snorkelers and scuba divers, swimming flippers — commonly known as swim fins — are an essential tool for propelling the body through water more efficiently than the human foot. The history of swim fins dates bac...
From your arms and shoulders pulling through the water, to your core rotating to enable your stroke, to your legs kicking to motor you down the lane, swimming freestyle engages every part of your body. Breaking the stroke into ...
Lakes offer swimmers and water enthusiasts a form of recreation on hot summer days. While swimming gives you numerous benefits of performing aerobic exercise, following several important guidelines will help keep you safe in a ...
If you want to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you take in. Aerobic exercise, such as swimming or biking, combined with a healthful diet, can help you reach your goals. The number of calories burned per hour d...
Exercise, in itself, will not remedy your slipped disk or the related pain. However, low-impact activities such as swimming can help you stay active without aggravating the pain. Consult your doctor and seek specific exercise a...
Gliding is a part of good breaststroke technique, but it's a source of controversy in other strokes. In the three other strokes — butterfly, backstroke and freestyle — smooth, continuous swimming is key. However, gl...
swimming is one of the best exercises for pregnant women, according to the American Pregnancy Association. Unlike many other exercises, swimming is easy on joints, does not require balance and doesn't pose a risk of stumbling o...
Since freestyle sprints last only seconds, every movement you take holds importance. Your entire body must come together very quickly to win a sprint, since you do not have time to catch up to your opponents after a major mista...
If you look at any accomplished swimmer, it’s clear that each of the four main strokes -- freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly and backstroke -- provide an effective workout for the shoulders. But each works the muscles in ...
Swimming can be so good for your pregnant body that you’ll forget you’re getting exercise. Taking a dip will cool you down and make you feel weightless -- which can be perfect if you feel bloated and unwieldy. Swimm...
Swimming is a low-impact sport that puts no pressure on your body and is one of the healthiest forms of exercise around. Its benefits can improve life for people of all ages and it provides a way to exercise when injured bones ...
Medical professionals and physical therapists frequently recommend swimming as a therapeutic exercise for their scoliosis patients. Because buoyancy supports a swimmer's back in the water, swimming places a low amount of stress...
COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a family of diseases that limit airflow and strain the heart. Swimming and other aerobic exercises can reduce symptoms of COPD to improve quality of life by teaching your body ...
Swimming engages your entire body and also helps build a healthy cardiovascular system. While it's a good workout to tone throughout, you can use different parts of each stroke to tone specific body parts. Remember to cross-tra...
The crawl, the front crawl, the Australian crawl, freestyle — these are all names for using a scissor kick and both arms to move yourself through the water when facing down. Swimming the crawl uses your entire body, with ...
Swimmer's ear is a term associated with water in the ear that leads to infection. When water sits in the canal, it can alter hearing and equilibrium. Proper care of the ears after being in the water can help alleviate problems ...
swimming is one of many recreational ways that you can have fun and get aerobic exercise at the same time. However, when swimming in ponds, lakes and even certain parts of the ocean, you don't have the protection of chemicals t...
You may perform a 3000-yard swimming workout in a couple of ways. The first is to jump into a 25-yard pool, start swimming and 120 lengths later, you've done it. Another way is to use stroke drills, anaerobic intervals and tech...
After you've completed your strength training at the gym, head for the pool to improve your cardiovascular fitness. An aerobic activity like swimming gets your heart and lungs working harder, helping to balance out anaerobic we...
The nutrition you require as a swimmer supports not only your basal metabolic needs but also your body’s increased demands for protein, calories, vitamins and minerals. How much you need of each depends on both your body ...
Whether you practice the conventional style or the wave style of breaststroke, you can improve your performance and speed by attending to the many details that contribute to the stroke's specific form. If you're practicing inde...
swimming is an active sport that can be enjoyed by all ages and fitness levels, including preschoolers. Preschool ages between 3 and 5 are a good time to institute the basic fundamentals of swimming techniques. swimming lessons...
swimming is a popular sport for many Americans. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 8.8 million residential and public-use swimming pools exist in the United States. In 2006, swimmers made approximately 339 million po...
Having a strong core is an important part of being a successful swimmer. Your arms and legs will become more driven through the water if you engage your central muscles when you swim. Performing swimming drills, such as singl...
Peripheral neuropathy is a condition in which the nerve fibers of the peripheral nervous system have been damaged, thereby impeding communication to and from the central nervous system located in the brain and spinal cord. Symp...
...flammation in joints, often the big toe. After a first attack of gout, 50 percent of people will have another gout attack in their lifetime. Some dietary changes can help to reduce gout inflammation. Swimming is a form of ex...
The stakes are high in Olympic swimming, so judges scrutinize the performance of each swimmer. The Federation Internationale de Natation or FINA establishes and enforces rules and regulations for Olympic swimming events. As the...
Basketball players use a variety of muscles to play the game, including leg, lower back, abdominal and arm muscles. Because swimming is a full-body exercise, getting in the pool is an effective way to strengthen and tone the mu...
Starting a swimming regime can add years to your life. A 32-year study by the University of South Carolina found that death rates among men who swim were reduced up to 50 percent in age groups ranging from 20 to 90 years. The...
Diarrhea, or loose bowel movements, is cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the most common recreational water illness. Swimming makes it easy to spread diarrhea because water can get contaminated so easil...
Water noodles are a handy tool for swimmers. The inexpensive pieces of lightweight polyethylene foam can be used in a variety of ways. Sold in different colors, they provide buoyancy in the water, can be bent in every direction...
...ure is used to fix tears and perforations of the eardrum and to correct infections that may occur in the small bones of the ear. Exercise and activities that change the pressure in the ear, including swimming and diving, are...
The breaststroke is one of four competition strokes, along with freestyle, backstroke and butterfly. Of these four strokes, the breaststroke is the slowest; it is also one of the most complicated. When you start to learn the br...
Swimming is great exercise for people of all ages. It burns calories, increases metabolism, strengthens heart and lungs and firms every muscle without any strain on joints. It requires little equipment — a swimsuit, goggl...
During a swimming sprint, your stroke, body position and breathing must come together immediately, since the race only lasts for a matter of seconds. Sprinting has an entirely different strategy than an endurance race, as you d...
...f the elbow is called tennis elbow; tendonitis on the inside of the elbow is called golfer's elbow. The first phase of treatment for tendonitis is rest, so if you have tennis or golfer's elbow, don't swim until your elbow is...
...and bend the arm at the elbow. When you bend your elbow, your biceps contract and your triceps lengthen. When you straighten your arm, your triceps contract and your biceps lengthen. As a result, any swimming stroke that inv...
...n. If you are recovering from a hernia, exercise is an important part of your healing process; you need to strengthen the muscles around your injury and keep your cardiovascular system in good shape. Swimming is safe as long...
Swimmers perform the flutter kick in three scenarios in the water: backstroke, freestyle and treading water. The technique for the flutter kick remains the same, regardless of whether you're swimming on your front, your back or...
Like other competitive strokes, the breaststroke engages several large muscle groups. The pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi -- your pecs and lats -- are the upper body muscles most recruited by the breaststroke. The stroke'...
After a rhinoplasty, or plastic surgery on the nose, there are many instructions to follow for successful healing. You cannot blow your nose, chew gum or even swim immediately after the surgery. As time passes and the bandages ...
Each stroke has its nuances. Whether you are swimming competitively or for fun, you have to do it correctly if you want your swim to be efficient and enjoyable. No matter what stroke you choose, four aspects are shared by all s...
Your freestyle stroke differs from other strokes because of the muscle movements involved with the propulsion of your body. While most observers notice the arm motion first, the rest of your body also has a role in sending you ...
Freestyle is the competition name for the stroke also known as front crawl. Freestyle, like backstroke, uses a flutter kick to help propel a swimmer through the water. Flutter kick is one of the simplest swimming kicks in compa...
The muscles that you use during a freestyle swim remain different from the muscles that you use with other swimming techniques. Since your arms reach forward throughout the stroke, you rely on your core muscles to stabilize you...
Although it can be difficult to start working out, it's easy to catch the bug once you get a rhythm going. This can motivate you to add more exercise sessions during your week. Swimming is a good choice because of its high calo...
Nasal irritation, rhinitis and asthma are common conditions experienced by swimmers due to allergic reactions to chlorinated pool water. Long-term exposure to chlorine can aggravate the symptoms of these diseases. Limiting ti...
Strength, power, energy and endurance are all important factors for anyone who participates in any freestyle swimming events. However, while a swimmer has to constantly work to stay in top condition, he also has to work on his ...
Calisthenics are exercises that use your body weight for resistance. Be sure to perform a 10-minute warmup prior to exercise, using light aerobic activity, such as swimming a few laps, jogging, cycling or brisk walking. As a sw...
...rdiovascular exercise make up the largest component of a weight-loss program because it can burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time. You have many options to choose from when doing cardio -- swimming and the ellipti...
...e derailed by mild cold or allergy symptoms. If your symptoms are mostly mild and nasal, sinus or chest congestion is your biggest complaint, you might not have to cancel your workout. In some cases, swimming with congestion...
Perhaps you remember from your childhood being told about the dangers of swimming on a full stomach. The theory behind this warning is that swimming on a full stomach might restrict blood flow to your muscles and cause painful ...
Whether your child should swim with a fever depends on several factors, including your child's age, other symptoms and how high the fever is. Also consider the nature of the swimming activity: Recreational swimming is probably ...
Swimming and cycling are both effective cardio exercises for weight loss. The question of which is better will be determined by your personal preference. You'll be more likely to stick to an exercise routine if it's something y...
When learning how to swim, butterfly is often the last stroke taught, and for good reason. Butterfly is a challenging stroke requiring coordination, speed, endurance and strength. Unlike freestyle and backstroke, butterfly requ...
The aquatic equivalent of riding your bike downhill fast, Swimming with fins gives you the thrill minus the spill factor. Swim fins can help improve your stroke, but not all fins work the same way. You can use fins every day to...
Triathlons test an athlete's abilities as a swimmer, bicyclist and distance runner. The triathlon is a distance event, but there are several different types of triathlons that test athletes of varying experience levels. One of ...
In competition, the 500-yard swim is done while performing the freestyle, which is sometimes called the front crawl or simply the free. When done in a 25-yard pool, it takes 20 laps to complete this event; when done in a 50-yar...
The whole-body benefits of swimming are just one reason it is the second most popular sports activity in the United States behind walking, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From toddlers to the elderl...
Swimming offers many benefits as a full-body exercise. Every stroke uses multiple large muscle groups in your upper and lower extremities while placing far less stress on your joints than land-based exercises. The backstroke, w...
swimming provides a full-body workout that burns calories, improves your cardiovascular health, boosts your mood and is easy on your joints and bones. To work various muscles of your body, swim laps alternating among the four m...
Whether you're Michael Phelps or a beginning swimmer, providing your body with the right nutrients is an important part of your training. Good food choices can positively impact your performance in the water. Choose from comple...
Swimming has a lot of health benefits. It can help you tone and lose weight, and it doesn't put stress on your joints. Some enthusiasts say they don't even feel like they're exercising. That comes as no surprise since the worko...
Learning how to do a turn on the wall while swimming is just as important as learning proper technique for your swimming strokes. While backstroke and freestyle use a technique called a flip turn, butterfly and breaststroke use...
...ardiac output has more to do with whether a person feels winded during activity. But a study in the "International Journal of Current Scientific Research" in 2011 shows chest expansion increases with swimming and allows grea...
Any aerobic activity, such as Swimming, jogging or cycling, done on a regular basis for 20 to 30 minutes is beneficial to your health. Swimming has some particular advantages: It is a low- to no-impact sport that's easy on the ...
Indoor Swimming pools offer avid swimmers the opportunity to indulge their passion for paddling year-round, even in climates with cold winters. Swimming indoors leads to several health benefits, but it should not be your only f...
...e in the breaststroke, you must be meticulous about your body position in the water. Proper technique reduces underwater drag and maximizes the propulsive force produced by your kick. While not every swimmer is destined to b...
Whether you're a sprint specialist, long-distance swimmer or triathlete, proper kicking techniques can greatly improve the efficiency of your freestyle stroke. Racing swimmers can generate substantial force with a good kick. Tr...
Inner tubes belong in the water, not as a ring of flab around your waist. Tone up and trim your tummy in the swimming pool. Low-impact aqua exercise uses the resistance of the water to build muscles and increase endurance. Doin...
Triathlons are multisport endurance races, most commonly comprising an open-water swim and cycling and running sections. The shortest standardized triathlon distance is the sprint, which features a swim of less than 1,000 yards...
The breaststroke provides benefits for swimmers of all different skill levels because of its simplicity. Since you control the pace of the stroke, you can swim through the water at a slow pace or swim more rapidly for an intens...
Food remains an important part of any swimmer's training regimen, because energy is needed to train and compete throughout the season. You cannot simply eat a healthy meal right before an event and expect to have enough energy....
Sprinters and distance swimmers place different types of stresses and demands on their bodies. Both require good aerobic fitness, but a sprinter's success is much more dependent on his body's anaerobic efficiency. Sprint traini...
swimming is the first of three consecutive sports in the typical triathlon, followed by cycling then running. swim distances vary according to the overall triathlon distances -- a sprint-distance race usually has a swim of less...
Competitive swimming became more and more sophisticated in the first decade of the 21st century. New technology allows coaches to videotape swimmers from both above and below the water, using slow motion and stop action to anal...
Swimming can be aerobic or anaerobic, depending on the duration and intensity of the exercise. It remains aerobic at milder intensities below the lactate threshold that allows oxygen to be used for energy production. Anaerobic ...
Swimming in pools containing chlorine often irritates sinuses because the chemical used to purify pool water is a disinfectant that breaks down into hydrochlorous acid. The sensitive mucous membranes inside the nose are not des...
Can a swim cap help you get through the water faster? The simple one word answer to this question is yes. swimmers can gain numerous advantages by wearing a cap. The most significant benefit is less drag. swimming involves many...
Competitive swimming is an exhausting sport that can leave you feeling chronically fatigued. A healthy diet during your training and competition season can give you the energy you need to succeed. Eating healthy carbohydrates i...
A beginning swimmer who has mastered the basic strokes can dramatically improve his endurance, form and speed by sticking to a level-appropriate routine. If you are uncertain of your level, ask a local swimming instructor to re...
Competitive swimming events feature strict rules and regulations, keeping the competitors safe and ensuring that every race comes to a fair conclusion. If you behave in an unsportsmanlike manner, misuse the lane dividers, wear ...
...y position and breathing together very quickly, as no room for error exists. Practice each part of this process individually, as this allows you to adjust each portion of your stroke rather than your swimming style as a whole.
When people think of Swimming exercises, most imagine Swimming laps or water aerobics. Swimming exercises that use water dumbbells tone the body by using the natural resistance of water to make otherwise easy movements challeng...
If you have a group of swimmers who can go for 300 yards without stopping and are familiar with all of the basic strokes, you've got an intermediate group. You can structure a swimming class in a number of ways, largely dependi...
As a swimmer, your nutritional needs depend on the type of swimming in which you participate. As a long-distance swimmer, for example, your dietary needs differ from those of a casual, recreational swimmer or one who competes i...
...nd. Successful backstroke sprinters understand that fundamental skills are as important as raw power. Even a small flaw in the most basic technique can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Swimming practice laps a...
Whether you've paid for swimming lessons, there's a birthday party or your child is simply dying to head to the pool, holding him back because of a chest cold sometimes feels cruel. Chest colds often have little outward symptom...
A competitive swimmer is someone who swims in competitions or meets regularly against other swimmers. USA Swimming governs competitive swimmers, which is a 300,000-member organization that provides resources for swimmers and c...
Scabies is caused by the human itch mite burrowing along the skin and laying eggs. Itchy blisters and red patches form over the eggs. Scratching can lead to serious skin infections and skin infections can lead to blood and kidn...
Distance swimmers possess mental and physical toughness, and they sometimes tease sprinters for being lazy, but swimming sprints takes strength and excellent conditioning. Distance is a relative term when swimming in a pool, bu...
Whether you are looking to lap swim year-round or desire water aerobics classes, there are several health clubs in Camden County, New Jersey with indoor swimming pools. The health clubs range from family-owned facilities that h...
Swimming exercises for the knees are designed to help you improve flexibility and motion in your knees while performing a low-impact exercise. Swimming puts only a small amount of pressure on your knees, making it easy to exerc...
Breaststroke and flutter kick are two of the three kicks necessary to do the four strokes used in swimming competition. Breaststroke is also called frog kick, because the leg movement mimics a frog's. Flutter kick is performed ...
Swimming offers both mental and physical benefits. It's also a relatively low-cost sport, requiring little more than goggles, a cap and swimsuit. To get the most from a workout, have a coach observe you and offer tips. In the a...
The muscle of your arms, including the triceps, propel you through the water when swimming. If your triceps are sore from prior exercise, it can be difficult to jump in the pool and begin swimming immediately. Regular swimming ...
...mmercial fisherman or weekend kayaker, being stranded in open water without a life vest is the ultimate nightmare. If you ever find yourself in this situation without a boat to climb on to or a short swim to land, you need t...
