Swimming – Jump into the water with these tips

 We are in the middle of the heat of summer and the water temperature does not get much higher than now. Perhaps you have enjoyed the waves on holiday and want to start swimming? Swimming is good for many things and you can benefit from continuing swimming over the winter with Lifeguard Training.

 Today's training focus: Swimming

Swimming is a nice form of exercise and is preferred by many. Either you are into swimming or you typically prefer another form of exercise. If you experience pain or discomfort when walking , running or cycling , swimming can be less painful, as you do not experience the same strain on your joints.

1. This is what you get out of swimming: 
2. With regular swimming, you will experience:
3. Better fitness  and strength of your heart , as you have more focus on breathing when you swim
4. Strength of your legs, arm and core muscles
5. Less pain in the joints and muscles that you normally experience pain in when bearing weight

When should I avoid swimming?

Swimming is good for many things. Especially since you get to move your whole body and thus create blood supply to your muscles and joints. Since there is no weight bearing on your bones when swimming, it is good to combine swimming with other activities such as walking , strength training or running to prevent osteoporosis. If you are pregnant, you can swim, but be careful to avoid backstroke or back crawl when you get further along in your pregnancy, as the weight of the baby can press on your blood vessels in the stomach.

 How many times a week should I swim?

If you choose swimming as your primary form of exercise, it is most optimal to swim 3 times a week. It is partly to strengthen the muscles, as well as to create regularity in the training. If you only have the opportunity to swim once or twice a week, this is also fine - but it is a good idea to supplement swimming with another weight-bearing form of exercise.

How long should I swim for the best effect?

How long you have to swim depends on your basic form. If you've never swum before, it's good to start quietly and maybe swim a few laps. Try to swim at least 300 meters, the equivalent of 12 25-meter lanes. If you can last 20 minutes, it will be the best, as you will get the most out of your training in relation to your cardio and circuit training.

How do I start swimming?

Whether you want to swim inside or outside, you need some swimwear. If you are a beginner, you don't need to invest in the newest and most expensive swimwear, but just start with what you have. A pair of swimming goggles would also be good to avoid too much water in the eyes. In addition, it is important that you have control of your swimming technique. Here is a small guide to what you should pay attention to when swimming:

Breaststroke

Most people know breaststroke and it is often breaststroke that you start with learning to swim. However, this does not mean that the technique in breaststroke is less important than the other types of swimming. When swimming breaststroke you must:

1. Ensures that your fingers are fully joined - this gives less resistance when you swim.
2. Your arms and legs should be fully extended at the same time - make sure to bring your hands and feet together as much as you can.
3. Extend your arms out to the side while lifting your upper body up.
4. Exhale while your arms and legs are in the return.
5. When you stretch your arms and legs, you bring your head under the water again.

Freestyle swimming

If you want to swim a little faster, then freestyle swimming is obvious. In contrast to breaststroke, the head is constantly underwater and there is constant movement in the arms and legs. When swimming freestyle you must:

Start with outstretched arms in front of the head.

Make small leg kicks below the surface of the water.

Pull one arm under the water while bending the elbow while the other is going down into the water.

When you bring your arm up, you turn your neck and breathe. You must therefore alternately turn your head from side to side as you move your arms.

Must Read: How many calories do you burn by swimming?

Bow tie

Butterfly requires a little more technique than the previous swimming events. But it's not impossible to learn butterfly - it just takes a little practice. These are different movements than we are used to doing and therefore butterfly may well require more coordination of the muscles. When swimming butterfly you must:

Master the body wave movement, which is the main movement in bow tie. The body wave movement is where you move your body in a wave from forehead to toe. You can read more about the body wave here .

• Have control over your movements in the neck and feet so that you do not overload your muscles.
• Add the arms when you have the body wave under control.

Should I swim inside or outside?

There are pros and cons to both. If you are a beginner, it is best to start in a swimming pool. Partly because you can swim regardless of the weather and wind, at the same time as you are under controlled conditions. It is therefore easier to achieve regularity in your swimming by swimming indoors. However, it can quickly become monotonous as you can only swim back and forth. You therefore get many turns, which can be a nuisance if you want to swim longer distances.

If you want to swim in the open sea, you must have a handle on the swimming techniques and have good basic swimming form. You will experience increased water resistance in the sea, which can make swimming more challenging. If you swim in Denmark, you may find that the water is significantly colder than in the swimming pool with American Lifeguard Association USA, which requires you to swim with a wetsuit. If you swim in the open sea, you must have at least one person with you who can keep an eye on you. In addition, it is not recommended that you swim in water that is colder than 13 degrees.