Everyone knows that swimming is a great way to stay in shape, though most of us only do it during the summer months for fun. It tests your endurance and strength in ways that no other exercise or sport can and causes virtually no risk of injury. There is no impact on your joints, which makes it ideal for people of all ages and those in all physical ability levels. Therefore, the idea of swimming on a competitive level is appealing to a lot of people. Especially if you add in the different types of competitive swimming competitions that are available to swimmers.

Why Swimming is the Ideal Sport

One of the main reasons that people pursue swimming as a sport or exercise is simply the fact that it is enjoyable to do. It is calming for some to be weightless and relaxed in the water, but it can also be invigorating if the water is cool. There is also the fact that it is ideal for a good cardio workout. Water provides you with a natural resistance, so every slight movement is going to work out your muscles in bigger ways than they would outside of the water. This builds strength in weakened muscles and gives your heart a reason to pump a little harder. This extra resistance will also make you breathe a little harder which could help your lungs stay healthier.

Competitive Swimming

Typically, you may think of competitive swimming as what you see on television during the Summer Olympics. Swimmers are in a pool and doing laps as quickly as possible, tagging off with their teammates to try and take home the win. This is one form of competition, but there are others. Open water swimming allows you to swim in open water and then you have different competitions for people who want to swim using different techniques such as the backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. Swimming may also be competitive when used alongside another type of sport, such as a swim-run where a team of two takes turns swimming and running to get to the finish of the race.

What Type of Swimmer are You?

To prepare for competitive swimming, you have to spend a lot of time getting into good shape. You have to be fast and able to go the distance, whether you are in a pool or in a lake. In non-competitive swimming, you simply have to be willing to reach your goals and anyone can swim quickly if they want to. When doing it competitively, you will want to be as streamlined as possible to ensure that you get every burst of speed that you can. This is why swimmers are hairless and wear the right types of bathing suits or speedos along with hair caps to cover their hair. When speed matters, you do not want anything to slow you down. To swim as an exercise that you enjoy doing, you do not have to worry about speed. You simply have to worry about pushing yourself to do a little better than you did yesterday. Which do you prefer?