Rock-hard glutes thanks to swimming - Plenty of scientific research has confirmed that the top 5 “first things you look at in a woman or a man” include…. their butt! The glutes are actually a group of three muscles (gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus) that keep your back straight so that your body remains upright. The gluteus maximus is the most powerful muscle in the human body, as well as the biggest and strongest. So, what can you do to strengthen and tone them? Swimming, a...

Lose weight…with water! - Today we’ll learn how something as simple as water can be useful when following a weight loss plan. But I’m not going to talk to you about how to swim or move in the water. I’m going to explain what an important role water has in a balanced diet and exercise scheme and why you’re often suggested to “drink a lot of water”. First of all, importantly, let me start by saying: drinking a lot of water doesn’t in itself make you lose weight, like one might often hear. It’...

4 swim questions that would confuse the general public - Every culture has its own unique language and shorthand. Swimming is no different, but the terms that we use on an everyday basis become so second nature to us that it can be easy to forget that they tend to be exclusive to the sport. I have had some of my friends who aren’t swimmers ask me some pretty ridiculous questions (my personal favourite being: ‘Doesn’t IM stand for Instant Messaging?’). To be fair, though, a lot of the questi...

Workouts for open-water swimming. Speed endurance. - If you thought training for open water distances meant swimming kilometre after kilometre, then you are wrong. An extremely important aspect, not to be underrated, is speed endurance training. That... The post Workouts for open-water swimming. Speed endurance. appeared first on Swim the open water.

Butterfly: may the force be with you - The butterfly is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most energy-sapping stroke. You consume twice as many (kilo)calories swimming the butterfly than swimming freestyle. For this reason and because of the symmetry of arm movement required when performing this stroke and the large muscle groups involved, the butterfly is often used for developing strength, even when the swimmer is not trying to target any specific result in this stroke. Two types of stren...

Triathlon: How to approach the end of the season - Even for triathletes the time has finally come to take a well-earned rest. The season has finally come to an end and, after taking stock of the season that has... The post Triathlon: How to approach the end of the season appeared first on Swim the open water.

How to increase our self-esteem with swimming - Among the many benefits of swimming, which we have already spoken of on several occasions, we can also increase our self-esteem thanks to the attainment of clearly defined objectives, to accomplish with perseverance and determination. Self-esteem, in fact, understood as the perception we have of our personal value and quality, can also increase through sports that promote personal fulfilment and the pursuit of happiness. Self-esteem also plays...

Paddles, tips for optimum use during backstroke - We have already talked about the paddle in our blog (The power is in your hands) and of the role they play in correcting the stroke, increasing the strength and the aerobic power. Another benefit of using paddles is holding more water and thus ensuring a larger pushing surface. On the other hand, once removed, you will have the terrible feeling of working in vain, and will take a few minutes to regain sensitivity. One thing certain, the padd...

Is there such a thing as a vegan swimmer? - Let’s see how a vegetable-based lifestyle can be reconciled with sport. We have already given you a few tips about nutrition for swimming, but they were all for what we might describe as “omnivorous” swimmers. But nowadays more and more people are deciding to adopt a lifestyle that is animal-friendly on various fronts, including nutrition, or, in other words, veganism. Over recent years there is a growing belief that sporting performance is absolu...