Why Swimming is One of the Best Workouts

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“When life gets you down, you know what you got to do? Just keep swimming,” sings Dory, a character in the Pixar movie “Finding Nemo,” as she swims and drags Marlin, the main character, into a dark abyss. Whether you’re like Dory, who just keeps swimming when she’s feeling down, or a beginner who has just learned how to swim, there are many reasons why you should implement swimming into your fitness routine.

Take public health science major Kadiatu Sesay who started learning how to swim this semester by taking kinesiology 154N (a beginning swimming course) at the Geary F. Eppley Recreation Center.

“I wanted to go on a cruise, and I didn’t want to go on a cruise if I didn’t know how to swim because God-forbid Titanic part two. So I was like yeah, let me learn. At least let me learn how to float if need be,” Sesay said.

Now, Sesay comfortably swims in the pool, doing butterfly strokes with ease. She added that with her newfound confidence, she was able to go on a cruise to Cancun and jumped in the beautiful Caribbean sea.

“I wouldn’t have done that if, you know, I wasn’t comfortable in the water like I am now,” said Sesay.

Another student in the same swimming class as Sesay, sophomore psychology major Rome Romelus, said, “I’ve been collecting skills to have a good life.” A mentor taught Romelus about the idea of gaining 100 skills necessary to have a good life. According to Romelus, swimming is one of those skills.

Longtime regular swimmers Liz Pritchett, a sophomore environmental horticulture major, and Eden Lakner, a sophomore cell biology and genetics major, said that for them, swimming is an awesome full body workout that feels refreshing.

Some may think that the fast swimmer with a smooth pace in the lane next to you who owns all the gear is getting a better work out, but you really don’t have to be a hardcore swimmer to get the most out of your swim.

There are many substantial benefits to “taking a dip” in the Eppley pools. Our University Recreation and Wellness Assistant Director of Aquatics Natalie Taylor shared some of the major benefits of swimming with The Campus Trainer.

1. Swimming Improves Your Cardiovascular Fitness

There are lots of benefits to swimming, with the biggest being to your cardiovascular health.

“Any type of long swimming at a consistent pace is going to allow your heart muscle to continue working and develop and gain strength,” Taylor said.

No matter what level swimmer you are, your cardio and endurance are guaranteed to improve.

Taylor added that many people who swim at Eppley will say that they can’t do a 125-meter swim workout, but if they keep practicing, they’ll find that the more they do it, the easier it becomes and the further they’ll be able to go.

“We’ve had people that have come in and said, ‘I’m going to start with a 50 [meter swim]’ and by the end of the semester they’re doing a 500 [meter swim],” Taylor said.

2. Swimming Has a Calming Effect

Whether you’re floating aimlessly in the shallow end or doing fast-paced laps in one of Eppley’s many lanes, water has one of the best calming effects.

Taylor said, “Generally if you have a problem that you want to think through, going for a swim helps you. Just that repetitive motion allows your brain to kind of go through and sort through all the problems. You can mindlessly drift, and a lot of times you’ll come out with the answers to your problems after a swim.”

University of Maryland Director of Assessment and Decision Support Michelle Appel is a regular five-day swimmer at Eppley.

Appel said, “[Swimming] is relaxing. Meditative. Especially, because if you’re swimming laps, you try to keep count, and I focus on the count. It’s blissful. I feel like I’m in a little cocoon. I start my morning in this little cocoon of focusing on myself and like just focusing on the laps. It’s an amazing way to start the day.”

3. Swimming is the Fastest Way to Get Into Shape

According to Pete McCall, MS, CSCS, for those who have the time and really want to gain bulkier muscles or a sculpted body, isolation exercises are great. However, those exercises aren’t really effective for “maximizing the calorie burning effects of exercise.”

It is compound exercises, like swimming, which use multi-joint movements and incorporate more than one muscle group, that are most effective for quickly improving your overall fitness level. Through compound exercises, you can achieve benefits from all three categories of fitness: cardiovascular, strength and flexibility.

Taylor said that if later on in her life she is out of shape and needs to get back into shape quickly, swimming will be her go-to. Because water is denser than air, you get added resistance when you swim.

“It’s similar to running, say, at a strong headwind. There’s that added resistance that you have to deal with when you swim,” Taylor said.

“It’s better than any other workout I’ve ever found to work your entire body,” Pritchett said. “I recommend everyone to try it, just cause it is a good full body workout and it’s good cross-training. So, anyone that does like weightlifting or literally any other kind of work out, it’s really good cross-training.”

4. Swimming Is Better For Your Joints and Causes Fewer Injuries

According to Taylor, for people who have joint injuries, swimming helps because of the weightlessness of water.

“[When you swim], you don’t have to put as much pressure on your joints as you would say when you go for a run. ” Taylor said. She added that swimming is helpful for people who have arthritis and other joint-related issues.

Appel, who now swims for relaxation and to get a good start to her day, started swimming because of a significant foot injury, which occurred roughly two years ago.

“I realized I needed to figure out a way to get moving that did not involve walking. And at some point, I was like ‘Oh, we have a pool on campus, and I can swim. I wonder if that would work,’” Appel said.

It turns out, swimming not only helped Appel strengthen her injured foot, but it also helped her sleep better. Swimming was so enjoyable for Appel that she became a regular swimmer, swimming 30 laps to 40 laps each morning for five days each week.

Appel said, “I just feel healthier. My husband says my arms are more toned… But, you know, I think the big thing is that I just, mentally, feel healthier and feel better… I’m sharper when I have that time. And mental health-wise, I am more able to deal with the challenges of work and home.”

Whether you’re looking to gain skills to go on a cruise to Cancun, or for a better overall workout that can provide you with cardio and resistance training, look no further than the Olympic-sized pool at Eppley Recreation Center. What you’ll get out of a swim workout is swim-pressive.