What You Need To Know About Swimming

Do you dream of becoming the next Michael Phelps in the making? Or making it big in the next Olympics? Well, your ambitions might not be very high, but certainly most of us are interested in swimming. Perhaps, some regard it as a great hobby, for some it is a stress buster while others might dream of carving a career out of it. Let’s have a look at the popular sport which has since long charmed people from all over the world.

Whatever your aspirations might be, swimming offers its own horde of benefits:

• Strengthening and Toning Muscles: If you compare other aerobic exercises with swimming, you will find that it offers a better alternative for increasing muscular strength and muscle tone. This is because of the resistance offered by water in swimming. A swimmer has to exert more force in water and hence this aids in increasing muscle strength.

• Flexibility: Swimming requires a lot of motion and hence aids joints and ligaments to remain flexible. Almost every part of the body is in motion simultaneously. Since, with every stroke you tend to move forward, hence it also gives you a good stretch better than any other exercise.

• Cardiovascular Benefits: Heart is one of the most important muscles in the body. Since swimming is an aerobic exercise hence it is quite beneficial for the heart. Swimming enhances the efficiency of heart with a better blood flow throughout the body.

• Weight Reduction: Perhaps this will come as a relief for most of the people who search for different ways to reduce weight. Swimming aids in burning lots of calories and hence helps in keeping a check on the weight. However the number of calories you burn is completely dependent on the amount of hours you spend.

So now when you have decided to learn swimming, what is the basic swim equipment which you must have? Let’s have a look:
Essentials:

Swim suit: This goes without saying that you would need a swim suit. Men either opt for swimming briefs or trunks. Wearing other stuff such as shorts can create a lot of drag in the water. You certainly would want to be at as much ease as possible while swimming. You should wear stuff which is not too loose and comfortable at the same time. Women quintessentially opt for one piece swimsuits. Speedo’s swim wear is preferred by many athletes.

Swimming goggles: Swimming goggles are always preferred when you want to deep dive into water. They protect your eyes and offer you a more relaxed and seamless swimming experience.

Swimming caps: Though, there is nothing technical about having a swimming cap but you should have one if you use public pools. It protects your hair from harmful chlorine that might be present in the water.

Pull Buoys: This is great for beginners especially those interested to master arm motions. You can put it in between your legs and get the buoyancy so that you do not have to struggle with the leg work at all. Such flotation devices are great for training purposes and help in building strength and endurance.

Kickboards: Similar to pull buoys, kickboards are also flotation devices and are used to let your legs do all the work while staying afloat. You simply have to hold on to them and coordinate your kicking while giving your arms some rest.

There are some other flotation devices such as fins, hand paddles, gloves, aqua jogger and water dumbbells which are not necessarily required but can be of great help to beginners.

Now, we compile a list of tit bits that will help you in your swimming journey:
• Do not compromise on the swim gear. If you are beginning to learn swimming, then the use of training accessories can not only fast track your learning but also help you focus on the special aspects of the stroke.
• Practice lung strengthening exercises to learn to breathe properly while swimming. Wrong techniques can cause muscle imbalance too. Hence this forms an important component of swimming.
• Since swimming involves a lot of exercise, hence make sure that you carry food with you. Once you are done, you can satisfy the hunger pangs!