Swimming what does it tone

Each of the various strokes focuses on different muscles, so using a combination of strokes when swimming will allow you to feel the burn -- and get the tone you want -- faster than many land-based exercises.

In order to tone muscle, you have to work against resistance. When you are swimming, the water provides the resistance your muscles have to fight against as they kick and stroke to propel your body across the pool. In fact, water is more resistant that air and land, so your muscles have to work harder to move you through water than they do to move you through air or across land. Doing each stroke properly not only lengthens and stretches the muscles used, but the repeated movement to stay moving through the water helps you develop muscle endurance as well.

The result is more toned muscles throughout your body. When you swim, every stroke engages your shoulders, biceps, triceps, upper back and chest.

Your arms are responsible for reaching forward during the upstroke phase of the each stroke, and for pulling you forward by pushing through the water on the down stroke phase of each stroke. Some studies suggest that swimming may increase your risk for asthma because of the chemicals used to treat pools. Talk to your doctor about the potential risks of swimming if you have asthma, and, if possible, look for a pool that uses salt water instead of chlorine.

People with multiple sclerosis MS may also find swimming beneficial. Water makes the limbs buoyant, helping to support them during exercise. Water also provides a gentle resistance. In one study , a week swimming program resulted in significant reduction of pain for people with MS. These people also showed improvements with symptoms like fatigue, depression, and disability.

Learn more about water therapy for MS. Swimming is an efficient way to burn calories. A pound person burns approximately calories an hour while swimming laps at a low or moderate pace.

That same person may burn up to calories an hour swimming at a more vigorous pace. A pound person doing the same activities would burn between and calories an hour. A pound person might burn between and 1, To compare these numbers to other popular low-impact activities, that same pound person would only burn around calories walking at 3. Yoga might burn just calories per hour.

And the elliptical trainer might burn just calories in that hour. Swimming may have the power to help you sleep better at night. In a study on older adults with insomnia , participants reported both a boost in quality of life and sleep after engaging in regular aerobic exercise. Nearly 50 percent of older persons experience some level of insomnia, so this is excellent news. The study focused on all types of aerobic exercise, including the elliptical, Stairmaster, bicycle, pool, and exercise videos.

Swimming is accessible to a wide range of people who deal with physical issues that make other exercises, like running, less appealing.

That can make swimming a good choice for older adults looking to improve their sleep. Researchers evaluated a small group of people with dementia, and saw an improvement in mood after participating in a week aquatic program.

Exercise has been shown to boost mood in other people, as well. Of the people surveyed, 44 reported being mildly depressed and feeling stress related to fast-paced life.

After swimming, the number of people who still reported feeling stressed decreased to just eight. While more research needs to be done in this area, the researchers conclude that swimming is a potentially powerful way to relieve stress quickly. Pregnant women and their babies can also reap some wonderful rewards from swimming.

Unsurprisingly, your arm and shoulder muscles benefit the most from swimming — just look at Michael Phelps, a human inverted triangle! All swimming strokes work to target your upper arms, forearms and shoulders thanks to the resistance against the water as you pull through. Flat stomach anyone?

Swimming is often recommended if you have back pain or other joint issues, because it allows you to both strengthen and tone while being gentle on the problem area. Strengthening your back and the muscles along your spine can help correct several postural problems — breast stroke and butterfly are especially good for this. It helps with upper body strength, toning your chest, stomach, arms particularly your triceps and your back muscles.

It helps to increase your flexibility, suppleness and stretches out the body to improve posture. Love Swimming Swimming Strokes. Calorie Cruncher. Enter amount of time in minutes mins. Front Crawl slow. Front Crawl fast.