Whether you use the lightness of the water to relax or go swimming regularly to train your stamina and muscle strength – hardly any sport is as varied as swimming. The sport offers holistic training, whereby you can regulate the intensity of your workout yourself at any time. Design your swimming training according to your taste: relaxed or demanding, alone or with friends, for relaxation or to improve performance. We give you an overview of the health benefits of swimming and introduce the most important swimming techniques with Lifeguard license.
Swimming as a sport – healthy training for all ages
If you want to train both your strength and your endurance, but at the same time protect your joints [1] , swimming is an ideal sport for you. [2] When you swim, you complete a holistic workout, the intensity of which you can determine yourself.
Health benefits of swimming
Solid swimming skills are not only vital, they also allow you to have an effective full-body workout. The health benefits are as diverse as the sport is: [3]
Strengthening of the cardiovascular system: Swimming stimulates blood circulation and strengthens the cardiovascular system, which in turn has positive effects on the immune system. Moderate exercise gently strengthens the heart while increasing your lung capacity.
Muscle Strengthening: When swimming, your body has to fight against the resistance of the water, which builds muscles. When swimming, almost all muscle groups are also addressed.
Increasing endurance and improving lung function: As with other endurance sports, the respiratory muscles are trained when swimming. The respiratory volume increases, which in turn has a positive effect on your endurance performance.
Relief for the spine, joints and ligaments: Under water, gravity is not as strong as on land, which makes a swimmer “lighter”. Thus, the joints, tendons and ligaments are relieved during training in the water. The torso muscles are strengthened and tension in the neck, shoulders and back is relieved.
Stress relief: Many people find the smooth movements and the almost floating feeling in the water relaxing. When swimming, you can leave the possible ballast of everyday life behind you and concentrate only on your training. Sport also releases endorphins, which create a noticeable feeling of happiness in many people.
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More reasons for swimming
Would you like to start swimming training as soon as possible? No problem: The equipment you need for swimming is very manageable and already available in most households: All you need to start is a bathing suit, bikini or swimming trunks, slippers and well-fitting swimming goggles . You may also want to invest in a bathing cap for hygiene reasons and to protect your hair.
Another big advantage of swimming is that it is suitable for every age group, fitness level and training goal . Swimming can also be ideally combined with other sports if you are looking for more variety:
Supplement to other sports: e.g. B. to increase endurance
Compensation for other sports: e.g. B. for the regeneration phase in sports with higher stress/intensity
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Dive
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surfing
Swimming as a sport for children and adults
Swimming is suitable for all ages – and it’s never too late to learn to swim and practice it as a sport. The weightless movement in the water is a lot of fun for children : Babies and toddlers can therefore already gain their first experience with the element of water when they get used to it. There are also numerous positive effects on the development of older children [ 5] :
Promotion of motor skills when learning swimming techniques
Improving coordination through various movement sequences
Supporting a healthy posture by strengthening the muscles
Strengthening of self-confidence and social skills through membership in the swimming club
At the same time, the joint-gentle sport is also ideal for older people. Gentle training strengthens strength and endurance without putting too much strain on the back, joints or tendons. The blood circulation improves, the metabolism is stimulated – this is a huge advantage for the immune system. Seniors also benefit from the sense of community in the swimming club.
Swimming for beginners
Don’t push yourself too hard too quickly when swimming: even if you feel light in the water and your movements are smooth, swimming is still a strain on your muscles, cardiovascular system and lungs.
Therefore, divide your swimming training into shorter sections first. Concentrate on learning the right technique and increase your endurance . Train for e.g. E.g. three times a week for 20 minutes or twice a week for 30 minutes and increase the intensity of your workout over time.
Especially as a beginner, it is often difficult to independently assess your own fitness level or level of performance. You can find professional instruction in many swimming clubs. There you will also be taught what effective swimming training should look like.
Swimming techniques at a glance
Improving your swimming skills not only ensures that you benefit from the health benefits of sport as effectively as possible. Training in the correct swimming techniques also ensures greater safety in the water for children and adults. This is especially true when bathing in open water , where the level of difficulty is generally increased.
If you want to get into more serious swimming training or hone certain techniques, a swim coach or attending a swimming class can help. There are numerous offers in a swimming school or a swimming club , which often range from training for beginners and hobby sports to swimming training at competition level.
There you will learn how to perform the correct movement sequences cleanly and safely . In this way you also prevent possible incorrect loading due to incorrect movement sequences or poor posture in the water. You can also find out there which swimming technique suits you and your training goals best.
