Why Swimming is the Perfect Workout for Cardio

Getting bored of your regular cardio workout? Let us explain why swimming is the perfect workout for cardio.

Swimming counts as cardiovascular exercise because it involves lots of large muscle groups working together simultaneously and continuously. This means that your heart works harder to pump oxygen throughout your body, and as a result, your heart rate increases. With swimming, the energy of pulling yourself through the water means that your body needs more oxygen to function the muscles, and your cardiovascular system has to work harder to supply this. Swimming trains the body to use oxygen more efficiently.

Swimming also burns a significant amount of calories. Doing freestyle or backstroke burns around 300 to 450 calories. Although other forms of cardio exercises, such as running, burns more calories, it is forgotten that swimming also has the muscle building component that is critical to a balanced workout with both strength and cardiovascular workouts. 

It is also the best form of cardiovascular fitness that is low impact, this involves the heart, lungs and is a great way to stay in shape for a lifetime. This helps to train your body to use your oxygen more efficiently. The water also has a resistance that allows you to work out more vigorously with little chance of injury. Swimming for just thirty minutes a week can help protect against heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Swimming also has many other health benefits that you can learn about here.

The frequency of swimming for weight loss is the same as other cardiovascular exercises, so aim for four to five days a week for the best result. It is important to remember to have a varied and mixed workout routine, including that of dryland training.