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Swim your way to fitness

Common strokes

Front crawl - fastest
Side stroke - most powerful
Breast storke - restful
Back stroke - easiest & safest

Just using a kickboard can strengthen your arms, abdomen and back muscles.

View swim strokes.

Swimming is the oldest and most complete form of exercising in water. It can help you get your body back on track toward a healthier life.

Master the art of swimming : raising your performance with the Alexander technique
Steven Shaw.
London : Collins & Brown, 2009, c2006.
Take the Alexander Technique into the swimming pool—and improve your technique! Focusing on the most popular strokes, Steven Shaw shows swimmers how to release tension from the head, neck, and back. He breaks his exercises down into a series of therapeutic movements that swimmers can practice either alone or with a partner, and in water or on dry land. His unique insights will become the building blocks for a better, more healthful swimming experience. nbsp;nbsp;
     
Technique swim workouts
Blythe Lucero.
Maidenhead : Meyer & Meyer Sport, 2009.
Coach Blythe's Swim Workouts are appropriate for the self-coached swimmer and triathlete, as well as for coaches looking for workout content for the athletes they train.
     
Mastering swimming
Jim Montgomery, Mo Chambers.
Champaign, IL : Human Kinetics, c2009.
Trim seconds off your time, train more efficiently, or simply maximize your fitness workouts with Mastering Swimming.
     
Pools and spas
by Curtis Rist, Vicki Webster [writers], and the editors of Sunset Books.
Menlo Park, CA : Sunset Books, c2008.
Perfect for readers in the market to build or install a pool or spa, or for those looking to enhance their existing pool or spa, this new edition navigates the many choices and steps involved in making a dream pool or spa a reality.
     

Swimming provides a total body workout. It provides a cardiovascular workout, improving your heart's and lung's ability to transport blood and oxygen to your muscles. It gives you endurance and flexibility for the range of motion in your joints. It also provides muscle tone, along with strengthening your muscles to see how much and for how long your muscles can generate force.

Swimming provides most of the benefits of an aerobic workout that running does. And because water provides a natural buoyancy, it goes easy on the joints.

Other benefits from swimming can include:

  • Reduce joint stiffness
  • Lower high blood pressure
  • High energy levels
  • Relieve stress
  • Relax stiff muscles
  • Burn calories and lose weight
  • Stimulates circulation
  • Increases your energy level
  • Can be done indoors or out
  • A great way to come back from a sports injury

Whether you are 2 to 92 years old, locate a pool, take the plunge and get into the swim of this lifetime sport.

Article by: St. Louis Public Library staff