LynnBlakeGolf Forums - Swimming --good for health and golf

On another thread I mentioned swimming as my main form of exercise and Vickie asked if I would share my thoughts. So, here we go. My experience comes from competitive swimming in high school,college,and many years of working out since then.

Obviously swimming will give you a tremendous aerobic workout. Although there are differences physiologically between exercising horizontally (swimming) and vertically (jogging,Stairmaster,etc), I can assure you that your heart and lungs will be stressed.Many calories can be burned and with vigorous workouts you will lose some weight. You actually sweat while swimming but never feel it because you are in the water. Fluids need to be replenished as with any form of exercise.

Many muscle groups are involved. The 4 rotator cuff muscles, triceps,lats,traps,deltoids,quads,abs--almost everything. Take a look at the Olympics or NCAA championships--narrow waists and broad shoulders. (I'm many years past that stage!)

Can't swim???? No problem--hop in the deep end with a flotation belt and jog in place. There are several people where I swim that never put in a lap! But they do this for the hour I am swimming and we all leave with a great workout.

Arthritis problems?? Knees going bad?? Need a break from the treadmill?? Swimming is a non-weightbearing activity. I also prescribe it for my morbidly obese patients who are so heavy they literally can't walk far enough to get a workout. I have them hold onto the side of the pool and jog in place or with both hands on the wall, lie on their stomach and kick.

Things to get started:

1.Goggles--if you wear glasses you can buy Optical Goggles made by Speedo which have the front lenses in several different strengths--can get fairly close to your current glasses strength

2.Pull buoy--these are made from styrofoam cylinders attached by nylon cord or molded side-to-side. They are held between your thighs (1 cylinder in front and 1 in back) and hold your legs up so you can just pull with your arms. Great shoulder workout, but be careful to start slow and build-up gradually. (Your supraspinatus tendons tend to get the brunt of shoulder overuse in swimming)

3. Kickboard--hold it out in front of you and flutter kick,dolphin kick, or frog kick to your hearts content. Good for your lower back muscles,hip flexors and quads

4.Fins--Yes, fins. Just started using these a few years ago because I used to think it would be like cheating. Then I noticed my daughter's team using them occasionally and Olympic types,etc using them. So, I bought some. The first few lengths felt great--and then the hammer hits. I usually use them with flutter kicks (with the board). Also backstroke kicks and dolphin kicks. A great kicking drill is to lie on your right side and extend your right arm up past your head,put yout left hand on your hip, and kick a length on your right side---then reverse it coming back. Many rapid heartbeats follow! If you use the fins while swimming you will go very fast---which causes your arm turnover to increase---which again causes an increase pulse rate, shortness of breath,etc. This allows champion swimmers to practice at race speed during some of their training. For us it's an intense workout. My favorite fins are Split Fins by TYR. These look like typical snorkeling fins except there is a notch cut out from the toes to the tip of the blade. It's like having 2 small blades on each foot and causes MUCH less strain on your ankles and lower calf muscles. Biggest problem for new fin users is lower calf cramping, and these fins virtually eliminate that.

5.Hand paddles--these are pieces of plastic that fit over the palm of your hand and your fingers are held on top by some tubing. They come in various sizes. By increasing the surface area of your hand you will get tremendous distance per stroke--and the price you will pay is muscle fatigue, especially your rotator cuff and triceps. My recommendation is Catalyst paddles by TYR. Several sizes from just slightly bigger than your hand to about 3 times the surface of your hand, and, they have holes drilled through the plastic so some water will go through. This helps lessen the shoulder strain which is a MAJOR problem with paddles. You can simply swim with these or use them in conjunction with a pull buoy which isolates your shoulder muscles. Take it very slow with these, perhaps after you are swimming fairly well for a few weeks. Initially you will feel like 2 or 3 strokes will get you down the length of the pool---and then you will feel like you are pulling a Buick through the water. Take it slow with these and if your shoulders begin to hurt, STOP.

This has been off the top of my head and I'm sure I may have missed something. How does this relate to golf?? Well, your general conditioning and endurance will increase. It will improve your shoulder strength and flexibility. Your triceps get a tremendous workout, and just refer to Yoda's many posts about using this muscle during the swing. I think swimming, mixed in with your typical vertical workouts and some weights, is a great mix. It's a nice break---try it! And now, hopefully Vickie, Physioguy, et al will join in and share their thoughts.
Stay healthy folks. Dr Dave