What is the best sport? In our opinion, it is not the one that burns the most calories, nor the one that makes the muscles or the heart work the hardest with lifeguard certification near me.
But the one that you like and that you will enjoy doing !
Because playing sports is a process that must be part of the very long term, and be an integral part of your life and your routine.
If the sports you’ve chosen are perceived as a chore, it’s a safe bet that you will have abandoned them within a year.
If you think swimming is a sport that can give you pleasure and you’re like a fish to water, then go for it, because it’s an activity full of benefits.
The benefits of swimming
As you may know, swimming is one of the best low impact activities.
It can be suitable for all people , regardless of age, regardless of weight, regardless of fitness level.
It has many advantages such as working all the muscles of the body and above all, the heart.
It is also excellent for mental health and can help reduce stress.
Due to its low impact nature , it is unlikely to cause injury and pain, some studies even credit it with improving arthritis (1) and joint stiffness/ pain .
To learn more, I invite you to consult our article on the benefits of swimming .
Does swimming make you lose weight?
Any activity that involves the movement of your small buttocks can be part of a weight process, especially if you take care of your eating habits at the same time with lifeguard certification near me.
But it must be admitted that a swimming session can explode all the quotas of calories burned!
Your 80kg grandfather who does lengths for 30 minutes can hope to burn up to 400 kcal!
If he does not lose all his efforts during the aperitif following the activity, this represents a serious calorie deficit!
To learn more, see our swimming calories burned calculator.
How to start swimming well?
There is only one sticking point left to overcome… knowing how to swim, and having a swimming pool, incidentally.
Well, there are swimming pools everywhere, in your city, at your rich neighbour’s, in the local ocean (ok, not everyone is lucky enough to be able to swim in the sea )…
The fact is that the only obstacle to this practice, ultimately, is the technique!
While most adults learned to swim very early, not all are good swimmers.
If you swim like an iron, know that fortunately, it is never too late to learn to swim!
Lessons are usually offered at local pools, a great option to make sure you’ve mastered the basics before literally jumping into the deep end.
Make sure that the lessons take place in small groups so that the instructor observes you well (better, take private lessons).
Learning to swim alone is theoretically possible with YouTube tutorials or resources here and there on the web.
This will still require you to be able to practice in a space where you will not disturb anyone (we forget the public pools in the evening) and in which you will be quiet.
In short, it’s not impossible, but you may waste less time taking a few lessons, especially if you have brakes to block such as a fear of water with lifeguard certification near me.
Theory is good, but to learn to swim…you have to swim and experience sensations!
What stroke to learn for a beginner?
When we think of swimming for beginners, we usually think of the breaststroke, perhaps because it’s the one we learn as a kid…and yet!
The breaststroke is not so simple technically, far from it!
The breaststroke is even considered the most technically difficult stroke !
Coordinating the legs, arms and breathing while perfectly mastering the technique is not easy…
For more info, read our article on learning the breaststroke pour .
Perhaps it is better then to fall back on the crawl, although the latter requires a lot of breathing work to tame.
The best solution would be to mix your lengths between breaststroke (head out of the water to start), a bit of front crawl and back crawl .
But ultimately, the best stroke for a beginner is certainly the one with which you feel comfortable and which allows you to loop and chain your lengths.
Beginner swimming program
Once you are comfortable in the water and able to do lengths (outside the paddling pool), you can break up the routine with a few exercises that will make your training less monotonous.
Just as you don’t go to the gym without a good training plan, it’s best to go swimming with a swimming plan .
It can be simply the number of lengths to be done or the duration of the training.
When you are a beginner, the smallest length seems like the (chlorinated) sea to drink!
Track your progress and always try to increase the volume of training , even if only by a small length with each session with lifeguard certification near me.
To push you to always go further, you can count on certain accessories.
You can for example:
- Swim a full length
- Follow up with a length with a plank, thus relying solely on the work of your legs to push you forward.
- Then use a pull boy to move forward this time exclusively with your arms.
Repeat this routine for 15-20 minutes for a full body workout.
Another format for beginners, you can also:
- Do lengths for 5 minutes, pausing 30 seconds at each end.
- Use the plank for another 5 minutes of lengths.
And repeat this cycle 3 times for a good cardiovascular workout.
What you will need for swimming
Swimming is a sport that doesn’t require much except for a few inexpensive essentials!
Invest in proper swimwear that is well-fitting, comfortable, and doesn’t restrict your movement (typically men’s swim shorts).
A towel will also be a big plus!
The bathing cap is another essential, often mandatory elsewhere.
It protects the hair from the harsh elements of water and prevents them from obstructing your view.
The same goes for swimming goggles, which protect the eyes and are frankly essential for… well, seeing in the water, a big plus!
Find a comfortable pair that doesn’t leak, some “smart” glasses are even able to show you real-time data!
Some swimming pools offer the loan of boards and pull boys, good accessories for implementing the beginner programs discussed above.
