What Are the Benefits of Swimming?

Unlike some other endurance activities, swimming is a full-body cardio workout. You'll use muscles in the arms (biceps and triceps) to pull your body through the water and muscles in your shoulders (deltoids) and back (latissimus dorsi) give your stroke more power and speed. Your core keeps your body streamlined and hydrodynamic, while muscles in your glutes and legs are active when you kick, propelling you forwards.

While swimming doesn't provide the same strength-training benefits as lifting weights, there are ways to increase resistance and make your muscles stronger when you swim. For instance, many swimmers use paddles on their hands to increase water resistance and build a stronger, more efficient stroke.

If you're looking for more cardio and strength-training exercises, be sure to download the Nike Training Club (NTC) App.

Doing a repetitive, rhythmic activity while immersed in water can be meditative for many people. In fact, some call it mindful swimming.

In an interview with the New York Times, Terry Laughlin, founder of Total Immersion Swimming explains that "by swimming mindfully, we can transform routine lap sessions into an immersive form of moving meditation".

He goes on to suggest that swimmers should set an intention to be fully present in the water and then focus on breathing and stroke mechanics. He adds that listening to the sounds of swimming and practising gratitude can provide additional mental health benefits.

According to an article published in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) News in Health, mindfulness practices like this can help people manage stress, cope with serious illness and reduce anxiety and depression. People who practise mindfulness also report a stronger ability to relax, greater enthusiasm for life and improved self-esteem.

Regular swimming workouts—when combined with a healthy diet—can help improve body composition (ratio of muscle to fat). It's important to note, however, that vigorous swimming, in comparison to casual water workouts, generally provide the greatest benefit.

For example, a 2015 study published in the Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation found that when middle-aged women swam vigorously for 60 minutes, three times a week for 12 weeks, their body fat dropped by almost 3 percent. The swimmers also demonstrated improved flexibility, cardiovascular endurance and blood lipids.

Many popular contact sports and individual athletic activities carry a certain risk of musculoskeletal injury from impact. This can include contact with tarmac, other players or equipment that can lead to bruises, bone fractures and even more serious injuries. In this regard, swimming provides a safer environment to work out in.

The likelihood of these types of injuries taking place during swimming is minimised because moving in water is considered a low-impact exercise, as it reduces the effect of body weight through buoyancy, according to a 2015 review in the Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation.

Swimming isn't a risk-free sport though. Depending on the intensity you swim at, you could experience tendonitis in your biceps or a tear in your rotator cuff. But aside from injuries, there's one more risk at play when you swim in a pool.

For instance, a 2014 report published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization (WHO) explains that swimming in pools, and other recreational water facilities, carry a risk of drowning or exposure to communicable diseases—aka infectious diseases—that can be spread from one person to another through blood, bodily fluids or airborne pathogens.

The good news? The authors added that careful pool and spa safety regulations can substantially decrease these risks.

Swimming may help you reduce your risk of developing hypertension, or high blood pressure. According to a 2018 study in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, it may even lower your blood pressure if you've already been diagnosed with the condition.

Case in point: in a 2014 study in BioMed Research International, 62 women with mild hypertension were randomly assigned to participate in high-intensity swimming, moderate swimming or a control group.

Researchers found that the high-intensity and moderate swimming groups decreased their systolic blood pressure (the top number), resting heart rate, and body fat percentage. But no changes were seen in the control group.

Aside from lowering blood pressure levels, swimming can offer a host of other health benefits. Researchers from a 2020 study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, found that swimmers who swam in cold water had decreased triglycerides, better insulin sensitivity, fewer mood disorders and reduced risk of upper respiratory tract infections.