Swimming Body Transformation – Introduction
What are the effects of swimming on body transformation?
It’s generally accepted that to be fit and healthy; most adults need to clock up around 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week.¹
This means activities like jogging, running, cycling, group exercise classes, or lifting weights.
150 minutes of regular exercise per week protects against chronic diseases, helps you manage your weight, and produces positive improvements in general fitness. Among various exercises, swimming stands out for its cardiovascular benefits and unique ability to transform your body.
But, while almost any type of exercise is good for your health and could even help you live longer, there is one that could save your life – swimming.
Being able to swim is an essential life skill and could be the difference between drowning and surviving an unexpected encounter with water.
So, the question is: Can you get in shape by swimming, and what are the health benefits of choosing the pool over the gym?
This article explores the benefits and positive effects of swimming for transforming your body and improving overall fitness.
Why Swimming is Great for Your Body Transformation
Not sure if swimming is for you?
Consider these advantages and benefits:
#1. Non-impact
While running is a great workout, it can also be hard on your joints.
When you run, your feet hit the ground with force roughly equal to eight times your body weight.
This can affect your feet, ankles, knees, hips, spine, and the associated muscles.
As such, running is not the best workout for heavy exercisers or those with underlying musculoskeletal issues, such as arthritis.
However, the water supports your weight when you swim, so there is very little stress on your joints.
Because of this, swimming is an excellent low-impact exercise for overweight people, those with joint pain, and anyone who prefers to avoid high-impact activities.
Swimming is a low-stress activity, so you can swim almost every day if you wish, although three workouts per week should be enough to produce noticeable results.
#2. Full-body workout
There are four main swim strokes—front crawl, back crawl, breaststroke, and butterfly stroke—and between them, they work a remarkable variety of muscle groups.
Swimming works your whole body simultaneously, unlike most types of cardio, which are lower body dominant.
Because swimming engages your major muscle groups, it’s an efficient way to achieve a total-body workout that promotes weight loss and muscle gain.
As such, it’s a very time-efficient way to exercise.
#3. Versatile
You can swim to achieve several different fitness goals.
Long, slower-paced swims are good for building aerobic fitness, muscular endurance, and burning calories and fat.
In contrast, short, fast swims and interval training will improve your anaerobic fitness levels, tone your major muscles, and strengthen them.
You can even combine both types of swimming into one workout to achieve all these goals simultaneously.
#4. A life skill
We’ve said it before, but it’s such a huge benefit that it’s worth mentioning again – being able to swim could save your life and even the lives of your family, friends, and strangers.
While no one plans on falling into the water, 11 Americans drown every day. ²
Being able to swim could prevent you from adding to this statistic.
When I was just thirteen years old and on my high school swimming team, I was able to save a grown man of 28 who had drowned in a motel pool at Lake George—because I knew how to swim and apply CPR.
My personal experience reinforces just how critical swimming can be.
7 Powerful Ways Swimming Changes Your Body
Are you on the fence about swimming?
Not sure if it’s a good workout for you?
Consider these fantastic effects!
#1. Weight loss
Like all types of exercise, swimming increases your calorie expenditure, so when paired with a sensible diet, it could help you lose weight, burn fat, and even get ripped.
Depending on how fast you swim, you should be able to burn a lot of calories, between 500-800 calories per hour.
#2. Better cardiovascular fitness
Cardiovascular fitness refers to the heart, lungs, and circulatory system and the ability to take in, transport, and utilize oxygen.
The fitter you are, the harder and longer you can exercise and the more calories you’ll burn per workout.
Better cardiovascular fitness will make many daily activities less tiring, such as walking up the stairs, gardening, and playing with your kids.
#3. Better cardiovascular health
Improvements in cardiovascular fitness are intrinsically linked to better cardiovascular health.
Swimming regularly can help lower your risk of several potentially life-threatening conditions, including:
- Heart disease
- Cardiac arrest
- Hypertension
- Stroke
Swimming has also been shown to be an excellent intervention for lung and breathing problems, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
However, if you have any lung or breathing-related illness, you should consult your doctor before you start swimming.
#4. Stronger, more toned muscles
Swimming is one of the few cardio workouts with the potential to strengthen, tone, and even build all of the major muscles in your body.
Most notably, swimming works your chest, shoulders, back, core, hips, and legs.
Sprint swimmers are particularly muscular, so it’s worth doing some short, fast swim intervals if you want to shape up, get fit, and control your weight.
Swimming emphasizes your chest, shoulder, and back muscles.
When well developed, these muscles will give your body an attractive V-taper.
Of course, if you are serious about hypertrophy (muscle growth), strength training is the best way to go, but combining swimming with your gym workouts should help you transform your body and sculpt the physique of your dreams faster.
For more information on the best weight training to improve swimming, see The 10 Best Strength Exercises for Swimmers + Workout.
#5. Improve sleep quality
Sleep is essential for overall health, fitness, and mental health.
Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep per night, but many people are bad sleepers and struggle to get enough shut-eye.
Swimming can improve sleep quality and duration and make falling asleep easier.
Whether you want to lose weight faster, recover better from your workouts, or just be sharper at work, getting more sleep will help, and swimming could be the sleep aid you’ve been looking for.
#6. Reduced stress
Swimming is a rhythmical activity where your breathing is synchronized with your movements.
It can be vigorous but, at the same time, relaxing.
Swimming can even be somewhat meditative.
As such, swimming is an excellent way to reduce stress.
Stress is bad for almost every aspect of mental and physical health. It can also lead to weight gain (comfort eating) and make it harder to lose weight and get lean.
Swimming provides a haven from the day’s stresses and is an excellent opportunity to reflect and think.
You may even find that swimming improves creativity and your problem-solving abilities.
#7. Develop a Lean, Athletic Swimmer’s Body
If you get into the habit of regular swimming, you will change your body into a swimmer’s body.
What does a swimming body transformation look like?
Because swimming is a full-body workout, this great exercise can actually change your body in surprising ways that even a million dumbbell curls cannot accomplish!
Besides reducing your body fat percentage and increasing your muscle mass, it will also improve your muscular strength for propelling yourself through the water, cardiovascular endurance, and lung capacity.
For this reason, competitive swimmers are often admired for their fitness levels and lean muscle mass, so why can’t you?
Swimming regularly will change your body from jello to lean and muscular.
Of course, you have to maintain proper nutrition through clean eating and consistent swim workouts.
Professional swimmers are not just born with the perfect ripped body; they have to work hard for it, and so do you.
How to Get a Swimmer’s Body
Drawbacks of Swimming for Body Transformation
There is no denying that swimming is a great way to get fit, control your weight, tone up, and improve your health.
However, before you head to the nearest swimming pool and dive in, consider these drawbacks, too.
We list these not to discourage you from swimming but to ensure you understand the pros and cons of swimming for fitness.
A Few Swimming Disadvantages to Consider:
Swimming is a skill
Learning to swim can take time and practice.
You may even need swim lessons from a swimming instructor.
Until you can swim proficiently, it won’t provide much of a workout.
To get the most from swimming, you need to be able to swim for 20-30 minutes non-stop, and that’s all but impossible if you can’t swim efficiently.
It won’t strengthen your bones
Because swimming is non-weight-bearing, it won’t do much for bone density.
As such, you may still experience age-related bone loss unless you include weight-bearing activities like walking and weightlifting exercises like deadlifts, squats, bench presses, or bodyweight exercises like push-ups in your weekly exercise schedule.
Otherwise, loss of bone mass can result in osteoporosis if left untreated.
Facilities
You’ll need a body of water to swim.
This could be an indoor or outdoor pool, the ocean, a lake, or a calm river.
However, without water, you won’t be able to swim.
The best workouts are convenient and slot seamlessly into your lifestyle.
So, if you’ve got to commute an hour to find somewhere to swim, you may find that swimming is just too inconvenient to do regularly.
If you live in or will be in the Big Apple, visit the best Indoor Swimming Pools in NYC.
Not very sociable
While you can chat with a friend at the gym, during a run, or when you are out on a bike ride, that’s not possible when swimming.
Even if you go to the pool with a friend, swimming can be a solitary workout as you won’t be able to speak with your face in the water.
But, of course, you can still enjoy a quick chat between laps and at the end of your workout.
Boring
Some people may find swimming boring, especially if you do most of your swimming in a pool.
With only the bottom of the pool to see, your workout may feel much longer than it is.
Waterproof MP3 players and headphones can provide entertainment during a swim, but you may still find swimming lap after lap tedious, as there is very little to look at as you exercise.
Dehydration
Believe it or not, you still sweat when you swim.
You also lose water through exhalation.
As such, it’s possible to become dehydrated during a swim workout.
You can avoid this if swimming in a pool by leaving a water bottle on the poolside and drinking regularly to replace lost fluids.
But, if you do an open water swim, rehydrating may be more challenging.
Dehydration can cause cramps, which can be a serious problem during swimming.
Safety
Pool swimming is a pretty safe workout, but open-water swimming can be riskier, especially if you go alone.
With no lifeguards nearby and possibly far from shore, your life could be at risk if you encounter difficulties.
If you swim in open waters, it’s worth towing an inflatable safety buoy behind you.
This makes it easier for you to be spotted in case of trouble and provides emergency buoyancy if you need a rest.
Some also have water bottle pouches to carry a drink with you!
Water temperature
While nothing is nicer than a cool swim on a hot day, swimming in cold water temperatures is likely not your idea of fun.
Even though you’ll probably warm up eventually, the first few minutes of a cold-water swim will be very uncomfortable and could be enough to prevent you from entering the water.
NFL 10-Time Pro Bowl Star’s Swimming Body Transformation
Swimming for Body Transformation – Wrapping Up
Workouts don’t come much more all-encompassing than swimming.
Swimming will tone, strengthen, and even build all your major muscles. It will also help you burn fat and lose weight, improve your cardiovascular fitness, and be good for your health.
It is the all-rounder of workouts!
Swimming is good for every aspect of fitness and health, and it’s especially beneficial for men over 50 or even well into their later years. Its low-impact nature makes it perfect for maintaining joint health while achieving a full-body transformation without the wear and tear of high-impact exercises like running.
Swimming is also a skill that could save your life or someone else’s. If you spend any time near water, being able to swim will help lower the risk of drowning.
While learning to swim can take time and may not come naturally to some people, it’s worth persevering if it’s something you enjoy.
While swimming might not be the most exciting or sociable workout, it is undoubtedly one of the most beneficial forms of exercise you can master.
Essential Swimming Gear to Get Started
You need the right gear to begin your swimming journey and transform your body. Here’s what to consider:
- Bathing suit – Essential for swimming, whether in a public or private pool.
- Swim cap – Many facilities, like your local YMCA, may require swimmers to wear swim caps to help keep hair out of the pool. This reduces the buildup of hair in the water filters, improving the pool’s cleanliness and hygiene. A swim cap also helps keep hair away from your face, protects it from chlorine, and reduces drag, making your swim workout more efficient.
- Goggles – Protect your eyes from chlorine and help you see underwater.
In addition, some pools (including many YMCA facilities where I swam in high school and still swim today!) offer pull buoys and kickboards for free use:
- Pull buoys – Great for isolating arm movements and improving upper body strength.
- Kickboards – A helpful tool for isolating and strengthening your lower body muscles.
However, certain items like pool fins and webbed gloves are typically not provided by public pools and may need to be purchased for personal use:
- Pool fins – Useful for building leg strength and improving swim technique.
- Webbed gloves – Add resistance to your arm movements for a more challenging workout.
With these essential items, you’ll be fully equipped to maximize your swimming workouts and ultimately change your body shape.
In short, you can start swimming your way to fitness for just a few dollars.
What’s Next
Swimming is an incredible way to transform your body, but what if you don’t have access to a pool or the ocean? Don’t worry; there are other ways to change your body without water workouts.
No indoor pool, no problem!
Never give up on your fitness goals, whether swimming or any other exercise. You can set up a home workout routine with minimal space and equipment that delivers powerful results.
For instance, focusing on two compound exercises—pushups and deadlifts—can dramatically change your body. These exercises require little space but provide a full-body workout that rivals any swim routine.
How do I know? Ten years ago, at age 55, I was obese with a 50-inch waist. I was doing the treadmill and dumbbell lifts at the local Y, but it wasn’t until I discovered deadlifts and started eating clean that I saw actual results. In just six months, I lost 75 pounds and launched The Fit Apprentice® Blog to help other men, even over 50, achieve their goals.
It’s not too late—get started today and see the transformation for yourself!
Related Posts
- 12 Incredible Ways Running Transforms Your Body and Life
- 27 Sensational Ways Deadlifts Transform Your Body
- Top 8 Body Composition Exercises for Body Transformation
- 13 Remarkable Ways Rowing Transforms Your Body and Life
- Squats for Weight Loss and Body Transformation
- The Ultimate 12-Week Body Transformation Workout Plan
Footnotes
¹ How Much Physical Activity Is Enough per Week – National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)