Why is swimming such a good form of exercise what are the benefits?

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Originally Posted by eej

why is swimming such a good form of excercise what are the benefits?

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In water your body weight is completely supported so you have less tendency to injury as compared to normal exercise. Swimming uses more muscles at the same time then almost any other exercise. It is one of the best overall exercise. It's a nonimpact, low stress exercise, and it can strengthen injured joints and limbs. If you suffer from pain from arthritis or back injuries-it's great cause its done in a warm, humid setting. Hope this helps!;)

I have swam competitively for 8 years. The sport itself is very hard working, with very few injury possibilities. The only real injuries you get are swollen rotator cuffs from hours of hard practicing without proper stretching. So for recreational exercise, if you are being aerobic (movement without stopping) at a good pace, you will get a wonderful workout with little possibility of any injury, as long as you stretch and stay hydrated. It works all muscles together, so you don't need to worry about switching up a work-out every so often to keep everywhere on the same level. You build muscle, but it's not mass, it's endurance, so you don't have massive muscles but you stay lean and in a very fit look. If you are caring about physical "rewards" of the sport per se.

Swimming is a very good cardio exercise. It keeps the heart and the whole cardiovascular system very healthy.