Is Swimming Good For Body Shape?

While swimmers' height and long limbs may be genetic traits, most of the sculpted, defined physique that you see them sporting comes from their dedication to regular swim workouts. Swimming is one of the best workouts around for burning a gazillion calories. It also trains the lungs, improving lung capacity and breath control. That helps improve running performance — something that might interest athletes with asthma.

Back muscles

Your back muscles get a workout when you swim, and they don't take a break like in other exercises that engage just one muscle group at a time. Swimming also strengthens your core and raises your heart rate, and you can burn 270 calories in half an hour at a moderate pace. Swimming targets all major muscle groups, although different strokes focus on certain ones more than others. Breaststroke and butterfly require heavy engagement from the pecs, thighs and glutes, while freestyle and backstroke target the arms and shoulders. While swimming builds strength, it does not build bone density. To increase your bone strength, you need to do weight-bearing exercises and eat foods rich in calcium. However, swimming can reduce your risk of osteoporosis by helping you maintain a healthy weight. In fact, studies of sedentary women who swam three times a week saw decreased hip, waist and abdominal sizes. The buoyancy of the water helps your joints by taking pressure off them.

Booties

A year-round closet staple, booties can be styled to match casual and dressy looks. Block-heel styles pair perfectly with jeans and a cozy sweater during colder weather, while sock booties tuck in tightly to beautifully elongate legs when worn with a cute dress or skirt. And for more rugged takes on the ankle-grazing style, consider lace-up styles with a stylish flair or weather-ready options from lug soles to fleece-lined. If you want to accentuate your legs, try a pair of booties with laces or zippers that are a similar color to your skin. And remember, no matter what your body shape is – curvy, slim, straight or anywhere in between – exercise and a healthy diet are key to helping you look and feel your best. Just don’t forget the most important rule of all: love your curves! Because they’re a natural part of what makes you, you. Then you can be free to rock your unique style with confidence!

Legs

The resistance of the water challenges your leg muscles and helps you burn more calories, so it’s a great option for people who want to lose weight. Plus, swimming helps you build strong, lean legs and thighs that support your posture and give your butt that “swimmer’s body.” Whether you swim freestyle, butterfly, breaststroke or front crawl, all strokes work the upper and lower leg muscles. The constant kicking action works the quads, hamstrings and glutes. The leg muscles are also heavily stimulated by the back movements in different swimming strokes, such as the pulling motion in freestyle and butterfly. This sculpts the shoulders and arms, leaving regular swimmers with toned shoulders and triceps. The lungs get an intense workout as well, and swimming improves your cardiovascular fitness and lung capacity. This can make everyday activities, such as climbing stairs or playing with your kids, less tiring. Cardiovascular fitness also means that your blood pressure and cholesterol levels are lower and you’re less at risk for metabolic conditions like diabetes.

Abs

Almost any form of cardio exercise is good for you and helps keep your body in shape. But swimming is different, because it's a full body exercise that you can do at any age or fitness level and for your entire life. The various swim strokes work all major muscles in the upper and lower body, including the core, glues, and back. That's why swimmers have more defined abdominal muscles than those of people who don't swim regularly. Swimming also tones your core muscles and is a great fat-burning exercise. You'll start to see (and feel) changes in your waistline and that tight T-shirt or jeans will fit looser after 6 to 8 weeks of regular swimming. However, it is important to combine your swimming workouts with strength training to build muscle and see more dramatic body transformations. That way, your legs and butt will be stronger and you'll be able to run and walk more quickly.