Swimming

Swimming sports are a collection of individual or team events where people compete by propelling their bodies through water in various ways.

One of the most popular categories of Olympic sports, swimming races are based on specific styles with unique techniques and training routines that include butterfly, breaststroke, backstroke, freestyle, and medley (combination of styles).

While swimming is a general human activity done in a variety of pool types, competitive swimming is done in 50m long swimming pools comprised of multiple designated lanes for each swimmer to occupy. Swimming equipment is designed to minimize water friction and includes swimsuits, swimming caps, and goggles.

Science

Swimming relies on the nearly neutral buoyancy of the human body. On average, the body has a relative density of 0.98 compared to water, which causes the body to float. However, buoyancy varies on the basis of body composition, lung inflation, and the salinity of the water. Higher levels of body fat and saltier water both lower the relative density of the body and increase its buoyancy.

Since the human body is only slightly less dense than water, water supports the weight of the body during swimming. As a result, swimming is “low-impact” compared to land activities such as running. The density and viscosity of water also create resistance for objects moving through the water. Swimming strokes use this resistance to create propulsion, but this same resistance also generates drag on the body.

Hydrodynamics is important to stroke technique for swimming faster, and swimmers who want to swim faster or exhaust less try to reduce the drag of the body's motion through the water. To be more hydrodynamic, swimmers can either increase the power of their strokes or reduce water resistance, though power must increase by a factor of three to achieve the same effect as reducing resistance. Efficient swimming by reducing water resistance involves a horizontal water position, rolling the body to reduce the breadth of the body in the water, and extending the arms as far as possible to reduce wave resistance.

Just before plunging into the pool, swimmers may perform exercises such as squatting. Squatting helps in enhancing a swimmer's start by warming up the thigh muscles.

Infant swimming

Human babies demonstrate an innate swimming or diving reflex from new-born until the age of approximately 6 months. Other mammals also demonstrate this phenomenon (see mammalian diving reflex). The diving response involves apnoea, reflex bradycardia, and peripheral vasoconstriction; in other words, babies immersed in water spontaneously hold their breath, slow their heart rate, and reduce blood circulation to the extremities (fingers and toes). Because infants are innately able to swim, classes for babies of about 6 months old are offered in many locations. This helps build muscle memory and makes strong swimmers from a young age.

What muscles does swimming work?

Swimming is a sport that uses most of the muscles in the body, but the five most important muscles used in swimming are: the last (middle back muscles), triceps, pecs (pectoral chest muscles), core muscles (abs), and the quads or quadriceps (front upper leg muscles).

How do you breathe while swimming?

To effectively breathe while swimming, the swimmer needs to be comfortable with full face submersion, and finding a rhythmic breath. During a freestyle swim, exhales need to be performed while submerged underwater; when turning to breathe, the lungs should be empty to inhale fresh air. Forcing a rhythm of the breath needs to be practiced, and this should be constant with no pauses.

How many calories do swimming burn?

The number of calories burned while swimming depends on the individuals’ metabolism and weight. The amount of calories burned also depends on the type of swimming. Swimming breaststroke for an hour burns a similar number of calories doing a fast freestyle. Butterfly burns the most calories estimating a 130 pound person to burn 649 calories swimming an hour.

Details

Railing Height (Tall): 37.4” | 95 cm Railing Height (Short): 29.5” | 75 cm Length (Underwater): 52.4” | 133 cm Width: 1’10” | 56 cm Depth: 25” | 63.5 cm Standoff: 4.7” | 12 cm