Can You Build Muscle Only By Swimming?
Elite swimmers are some of the most physically fit athletes in the world. Ever wonder if you can build muscle through just swimming? Yes, it turns out that swimming is a great way for someone to build lean muscle through low-impact movement. Read on to learn more about how swimming builds muscle and causes other health benefits.
How You Build Muscle
Swimming is considered a resistance training exercise. Participants propel through the water, which provides the resistance that, with repetition, will lead to muscle growth. Muscles are able to grow when they stretch and recover through this resistance caused by swimming.
Swimming provides resistance for athletes in a low-impact way which will ultimately be less taxing on their bodies and is less likely to result in injury. However, there are downsides to low-impact training. For example, it is possible for athletes to hit a plateau in their muscle growth, and, in order to grow more, they would need to incorporate more resistance training into their workouts.
Swimming is also a full-body workout, so it provides the opportunity for participants to build muscle all over their bodies. Other forms of training, such as strength training, are the opposite and only target a specific muscle group. Swimmers can target different muscle groups through the use of different strokes that can provide resistance to different parts of the body.
Other Factors That Help Swimmers Build Muscle
The addition of weightlifting and aerobic exercise can allow a swimmer to build even more muscle. Strength training increases bone density in an athlete, which assists with muscle growth. When combined with strength training, it will ultimately result in better athletic performance by the swimmer.
In addition to training, a swimmer’s diet plays a key role in their ability to gain muscle. After all, one’s diet is just as important as physical activity when it comes to building muscle in a quick and safe way. To optimize muscle growth, a swimmer should increase their intake of lean protein while simultaneously decreasing their intake of refined sugars. With this combination of additional training and a healthy diet, swimmers should have no problem building muscle.
Other Benefits of Swimming
Swimming can provide many other health benefits other than just building muscle. In addition to improving physical health, swimming has the ability to improve a participant’s mental health, especially in reducing anxiety as well as stress. Swimming releases endorphins which leads to individuals experiencing less anxiety and depression during the sport. Furthermore, because swimming can build muscle, it can also help people lose weight in a low-impact way.
Swimming is also extremely beneficial for cardiovascular health and can help improve endurance. Like other aerobic activities, swimming can contribute to longer duration and better quality sleep which can ultimately improve a participant’s quality of life. Lastly, swimming can be practiced in a variety of ways, including incorporating different strokes, paces, and distances. This variety differentiates swimming from other sports and allows swimmers to create the best workout for them based on their level of experience and interests.