Swimming – styles, warm-up, health effects. Burn calories while swimming

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It slims, relaxes and improves condition. It’s all true, there is only one condition – you have to be able to swim properly.

Do I need to warm up before swimming?

Definitely yes. It is extremely important, even on an amateur level. Otherwise, back pain may occur after getting out of the water. Without warming up, we will perform incorrect movements in the water that will not give the desired effect. Warming up before swimming involves imitating swimming movements. Its purpose is to warm up and stretch the parts of the body that are actively working during activities.

Warming up before swimming is especially important in winter, when we enter the swimming hall on a frosty day. Thanks to it, we will prepare the muscles for exercise and avoid cramps. In addition, the body temperature will increase. It is worth remembering to warm up before putting on a swimsuit. We can do it, for example, in the gym.

Warming up stimulates blood circulation and heart rate. In the case of swimming, it does not have to be as intense as, for example, before strength training. It is worth taking place both on land and in water – it is enough to cover a few lengths of the pool at a very leisurely pace or swim for a while by the lake shore. Many people enter the water with the attitude that they will be swimming continuously for 30-35 minutes, and this often ends in breathlessness.

How to start swimming?

There are two techniques. One of them is jumping into the water; the other is on slow ascent. Which one to choose should depend on the difference between air and water temperature. If it is hot and you bask in a sun lounger for a long time, let’s take a moment to dip gradually before swimming. A sudden jump into hot water can result in a thermal shock and a cessation of heartbeat.

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The way you start swimming should also depend on the water depth. If we like jumping, then it is worth checking in advance that the water in question is at least 180 cm deep. While this should not be a problem when using the pool, in the case of rivers and lakes, it is worth checking their depth. Even if we are sure that the depth of the body of water is sufficient, let’s check if there are boards, metal elements etc. at its bottom.

Is there a different way to swim in the sea than in a lake or river?

Swimming in salt water is easier at some point as it floats. However, traversing the waves is a strenuous task. It causes the most difficulties when struggling with the so-called a reverse wave, that is, one that goes back towards the open sea. Its current can carry a swimmer even several kilometers from the shore. In order to avoid the current, it is worth sailing along the shore.

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Swimming in the river can be dangerous if we come across water turbulence. To avoid the vortex, which usually appears near the bridge supports, lie on your stomach and try to circle around it. If it pulls us into the water, try to bounce off the bottom of the river slightly to the side. It is easier to get out of the vortex under water because it has the shape of an inverted cone.

The most common mistakes while swimming

Correct technique is extremely important when swimming. Many beginner swimmers make the same mistake of waving their arms too wide and too vigorously. The second common mistake is keeping your chin too high in the water. In many cases, this results in neck pain and muscle tension. In addition, novice adepts, e.g. frog swimming, often stiffen the ankles too much.

In turn, when swimming with a crawl on the back, swimmers bend the lumbar spine too much and make too vigorous turns of the torso. As in the case of frog swimming, they also keep their head too high in the water and cannot work their legs rhythmically. The positioning of the feet is a big problem for beginners. When crawling, especially at the beginning, it is easy to breathe out incompletely.

How many calories can you lose while swimming?

Swimming is an activity thanks to which we will get rid of unnecessary kilograms in a fairly short time. However, the amount of fat you burn will depend on factors such as training time, distance traveled, and swimming intensity. The swimming style we choose is equally important – the most effective are the crawl and the butterfly style.

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According to specialists, we can burn about 600 calories within an hour. However, it should be an intense swim, with the swimmer weighing around 60 kg. Recreational swimmers can burn about 360 kcal per hour (also weighing about 60 kg). We will burn fewer calories while swimming in the backstroke – about 290 kcal, also weighing about 60 kg. We will also get rid of unnecessary kilograms, as much as 400-700 kcal, thanks to 1 hour of aerobic exercise in the water.

How to improve your swimming technique?

After putting pieces of rubber, e.g. from exercise rubber or a car inner tube, on your legs so that they are joined, try to regain the correct body position. To do this, you will need to tone your torso muscles. It is these muscles that are responsible for stabilizing the body in water. The second method is to put an empty cup on your forehead and swim so that it does not fall off.

We will improve crawl swimming by swimming in constant rotation. Rotating your body and tilting it from one side to the other will put more muscles in your back and shoulders to work. Thanks to this, we will get more driving force. The more relaxed our body is, the better we will swim. While swimming, it is worth looking at the bottom of the pool instead of into the distance – although it may seem unnatural at first.

What are the different swimming styles?

1. Kraul – this is the fastest swimming style. During a crawl ride, the legs work all the time. We move our hands over the water alternately so as to grab it under us. The swimmer’s feet point outwards, and the main “drive” is the thighs, from which the leg starts working. Equally important are the hands and shoulders, which also work intensively.
2. Backstroke – it’s a back swim. It is considered the simplest of all swimming techniques. The swimmer lies on his back and works with his legs just like a crawl. Thanks to the work of the legs, he can keep himself in balance. The hands work alternately. Thanks to the backstroke, we can improve the muscles of the legs and the muscles responsible for stabilizing the spine.
3. Butterfly (dolphin) style – This is the most difficult swimming style to master. To swim properly, the so-called a dolphin must have strong arms and legs. Swimming is the simultaneous movement of the arms and legs. A dig is made under the water and the hands move when the head is out of the water. Butterfly style is one of the best ways to burn fat.
4. Żabka – this is one of the simpler swimming styles. Most people start with it, although this does not mean that it can be fully mastered in a few lessons. The key skill in learning to swim in a breaststroke is good synchronization of the work of the legs and arms. Many beginner swimmers have a hard time with this. They often make too sweeping movements.

Can an adult learn to swim?

You can start learning to swim almost at any time in your life, as long as your health allows it. This is much more important than age. Nevertheless, children learn the fastest how to swim properly, because they have flexible joints. Adults, on the other hand, tend to be less persistent, less agile, but easier to communicate.

Anna Kamińska, a swimming instructor from Warsaw, said: “I am now working with a lady in her sixties who used to dive only her feet in the open waters. She was afraid to lie down in the water. Now he swims with his back and crawl. It took two years to get to this stage, but for some people a month to six months is enough. ” As you can see, even older people can learn to swim using techniques that are intended rather for younger people.

To learn to swim, you can sign up for classes in swimming halls. The pass costs from 80 to 250 PLN, and the exercises usually take place once a week, although you can increase their intensity. If we sign up for a group, it is worth checking in advance what level of advancement the participants are. The instructor’s substantive and practical preparation is also important, which is also worth checking in advance.

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Total Immersion – a revolutionary technique to improve swimming?

The method was developed by an American Olympic coach. The trainees perform exercises, thanks to which they refine individual sequences of the crawl movement. Unlike many swimming courses, classes also have a theoretical part in the form of lectures. This is also the reason why the technique has its supporters primarily among adults.

Proponents of this method say that it can be used to learn crawl swimming in one weekend. Others compare it to yoga or tai-chi because it combines the harmony of movement, attention to detail and conscious body control. Proper body position (streamlined silhouette) and skilful work of the limbs translate into pace. You don’t need to put more effort to swim faster, it just flows more efficiently.

– I decided to start in the triathlon, but after crawling over two pools, I was exhausted – says 32-year-old Agnieszka from Warsaw. – I signed up for Total Immersion classes (www.szkolakraula.pl; www.ti-europe.com) and after four meetings I swam a kilometer without any problems. I was surprised myself! The difference is that I am now able to control my fatigue.

Why is swimming healthy for the spine?

Because he lifts several dozen kilograms every day, and entering the water makes this weight much lighter and the spine can relax and stretch. Just lying on the water, which only seems to be laziness, is enough. In fact, keeping the body afloat requires muscle tension, and we sink to the bottom inertia.

Orthopedists recommend swimming several times a week for patients who suffer from back pain. It strengthens the deep back muscles that keep the figure upright like a corset. In addition, this sport discipline does not burden the joints, and therefore is good for everyone, even the elderly, for whom dry exercise would be too strenuous.

Is it true that swimming increases lung capacity?

This effect can be achieved after a few weeks of systematic swimming. On land, we usually use 30-40 percent. lung surface. In water, this number rises to nearly 100 percent. Such maximum oxygenation is a fantastic energy boost not only for the brain, but also for every cell of the body.

Do not go into the water if …

— you have a fresh tattoo or a new earring in your skin

– there are unhealed wounds on your body

– you are treating an intimate bacterial or fungal infection

– you suffer from epilepsy (tell the paramedic about it)

– you have lung, bronchial or heart disease

– you have inflammation of the urinary tract

– you are allergic to chlorine or ozone (applies to the swimming pool)

– you are after drinking alcohol (slowed reflexes, poor assessment of the situation, risk of cramps)

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