A lot of people completely ignore swimming. They do not realize all of the health benefits included in a good swimming workout. It doesn’t matter what your fitness goals are adding a regular swimming regime will help you get results faster. I workout on a powerline home gym and started swimming and have never felt better. Swimming is an effective way to burn fat and increase lean muscle mass. Lets examine exactly what you are missing out on by not getting in the pool.

The major benefits of swimming are:

Great Cardio- swimming improves heart strength and lung capacity just as running does.

Low Impact- swimming doesn’t cause stress and damage to joints like other running.

Toning- water resistance is 14 times greater than air meaning you will tone better.

Weight Loss- an hour of swimming can burn 350-450 calories.

Lean Muscle Mass- swimming is a total body excercise that adds muscle to your entire body.

Stress Relief- swimming is very soothing for the body and mind.

Now that you clearly see that swimming is something that can really add a lot to your workouts lets look at how to start. Swimming is hard and it takes practice. Many people new to swimming will try to start off by sprinting as fast as they can for a lap or two and then be completely worn out. Do not make that mistake. Take a comfortable and challenging pace and rest for 30 seconds after each lap. Try to complete as many laps as possible using a variety of strokes. One you have completed your laps take some time to stretch out your muscles. Stretching improves muscle growth, reduces soreness, and help to prevent injury.