James Setton 
Swimming is one of the most complete exercises that a person can perform. It is a low-impact exercise that is perfect for those who want to strengthen their muscles, lose weight, or simply maintain their fitness levels. But with so many different swimming strokes to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which one is the best for your workout. In this article, we will explore the best swimming strokes for exercise and discuss their benefits.
Swimming involves a range of strokes that use different techniques to move through the water. The most common strokes are freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly. Each stroke targets different muscle groups and provides a unique workout.
Technique Breakdown:
Hand Entry
Ensure your hands enter the water with your palms facing down and your fingers together. Aim for a smooth, gliding entry just above the surface of the water. Avoid slapping the water, as this can cause drag and fatigue.
Arm Movement
Keep your elbows high and your arms relaxed. Focus on using your entire arm to pull through the water, rather than just your hands. Practice the catch phase by keeping your hands in a high-elbow position and then pulling back towards your hips.
Breathing Technique
Turn your head to the side to breathe, keeping your body in a straight line. Take a quick breath and then return your head to the water. Practice breathing every 2-3 strokes to maintain a consistent rhythm.
Kicking
Use a flutter kick with your legs, keeping them relaxed and your feet flexed. Focus on a smooth, continuous kick that complements your arm movements.
Coordination
Start by practicing the arm and leg movements separately. Use a kickboard to focus on your kick and a pull buoy to isolate your arm movements. Once you’re comfortable with each component, combine them slowly, focusing on maintaining a smooth rhythm.
Biomechanics:
In freestyle, maintaining a streamlined body position is key. This involves keeping your head down, with your ears aligned with your shoulders, and your hips and legs in a straight line. Proper body alignment reduces drag, allowing you to swim more efficiently. The shoulders should be rolled forward and down to engage the latissimus dorsi muscles, while the elbows should be high to facilitate powerful arm strokes. The kick should be narrow and compact, with the knees slightly bent to avoid excessive strain on the joints.
Muscle synchronization is crucial for a smooth and efficient stroke. The arm movements are coordinated with the leg kick, ensuring that the body moves in a continuous motion. The deltoids, trapezius, and latissimus dorsi muscles work together to power the arm strokes, while the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes synchronize to drive the kick. The core muscles, including the abdominals and lower back, stabilize the body and facilitate the transfer of power from the upper to the lower body.
Technique Breakdown:
Hand Movement
Begin with your hands in a prayer-like position in front of your chest. Then, pull your hands apart in a wide, circular motion. Ensure your hands return to the starting position without crossing over your body’s midline.
Kick
Practice the frog-like kick by bending your knees and bringing your heels towards your buttocks. Kick your legs outward in a wide, circular motion, keeping your feet flexed.
Breathing Technique
Lift your head and shoulders out of the water to breathe, keeping your body in a streamlined position. Take a breath as your arms are in the recovery phase and then return your head to the water.
Coordination
Focus on synchronizing your arm and leg movements. Practice the arm movement while standing in waist-deep water, then add the kick. Use a kickboard to practice the kick without the arm movement, ensuring you maintain the correct rhythm.
Biomechanics:
Breaststroke requires a more upright body position compared to freestyle. The head is held higher, and the shoulders are more relaxed. The arm movement involves a circular motion, with the elbows high and the hands entering the water in front of the shoulders. The frog-like kick necessitates a slight bend in the knees and hips, ensuring that the feet turn outward during the kick phase. Proper joint positioning in breaststroke helps distribute the workload evenly across the shoulders, chest, and inner thighs.
Breaststroke involves a complex coordination of muscle groups. The pectoralis major, anterior deltoids, and triceps work together to execute the arm movement, while the adductor magnus and other inner thigh muscles drive the frog-like kick. The core muscles play a vital role in stabilizing the body and ensuring that the arm and leg movements are synchronized.
Technique Breakdown:
Hand Entry
Enter the water with your palms facing upwards and your fingers spread slightly apart. Aim for a smooth entry just above the surface of the water, avoiding any slapping motion.
Arm Movement
Keep your arms straight and use your entire arm to pull through the water. Focus on a wide, circular motion with your arms, keeping them in line with your body.
Body Position
Maintain a horizontal body position with your ears, shoulders, and hips aligned. Engage your core to support your body and reduce strain on your back.
Kicking
Use a flutter kick similar to freestyle, but with a slightly wider kick. Keep your legs relaxed and your feet flexed to maintain a smooth, continuous motion.
Coordination
Practice floating on your back and then add the arm movements. Focus on keeping your body straight and your arms in sync. Use a kickboard to practice the kick while on your back, ensuring you maintain the correct rhythm.
Biomechanics:
In backstroke, the body is positioned on its back, with the ears, shoulders, and hips aligned. The head should be slightly tilted back to keep the body afloat. The arm movements are wide and circular, with the palms facing downwards. The shoulders should be relaxed, and the elbows should be slightly bent to avoid strain. The kick is a flutter kick, similar to freestyle, but with a more pronounced hip movement to maintain balance and stability.
In backstroke, the muscle synchronization is somewhat different due to the body’s position on its back. The latissimus dorsi, trapezius, and rhomboids are engaged to power the arm movements, while the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes work together to execute the flutter kick. The core muscles are essential for maintaining body position and stability.
Technique Breakdown:
Hand Movement
Enter the water with your hands together in front of your head, palms facing downwards. Pull your hands back in a wide, circular motion, keeping your elbows high and your arms relaxed.
Kick
Practice the dolphin kick by bending your knees and then kicking your legs in a powerful, wave-like motion. Focus on keeping your core engaged to support the kick and maintain a smooth rhythm.
Breathing Technique
Lift your head and shoulders out of the water to breathe, keeping your body in a streamlined position. Take a breath as your arms are in the recovery phase and then return your head to the water.
Coordination
Focus on synchronizing your arm and leg movements, ensuring a smooth and powerful rhythm. Start by practicing the dolphin kick while holding onto the side of the pool. Then, add the arm movements slowly.
Biomechanics:
Butterfly, or fly, demands a highly synchronized movement between the arms and legs. The body position is similar to freestyle, with a streamlined alignment from head to heels. The dolphin kick involves a wave-like motion of the entire body, starting from the shoulders and propagating down to the hips and legs. The arm movements are wide and circular, with the hands entering the water in front of the shoulders. Proper synchronization between the arm and leg movements is critical to maintain rhythm and efficiency.
Butterfly requires perhaps the most intricate muscle synchronization of all the strokes. The entire body, from the shoulders to the hips and legs, moves in a wave-like motion. The deltoids, trapezius, and latissimus dorsi muscles power the arm movements, while the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes drive the dolphin kick. The core muscles are critical in coordinating this complex movement, ensuring that the body moves efficiently and rhythmically.
The best swimming stroke for fitness depends on your goals and fitness level. Freestyle is the most efficient stroke and provides a great full-body workout, making it a popular choice for fitness enthusiasts. It is also the easiest stroke to learn, making it a great choice for beginners.
If you are looking to target specific muscle groups, breaststroke is a great choice for the chest and shoulders. Backstroke is great for working the back muscles, and butterfly provides a challenging workout for the chest and back muscles.
If you are looking to target your back muscles during your swimming workout, the best strokes to consider are backstroke and butterfly. Both strokes involve using your back muscles to propel yourself through the water.
Backstroke involves swimming on your back and using alternating arm movements to move through the water. The constant motion of your arms and the need to keep your head tilted back engages your back muscles, providing an effective workout. Backstroke is also low-impact, making it a great choice for those with joint pain or injuries.
Butterfly is one of the most challenging swimming strokes, but it provides an excellent workout for the back muscles. The dolphin-like arm movements require a lot of strength and power from your back muscles. Butterfly is also great for strengthening your core and leg muscles, making it a great full-body workout.
To enhance your swimming workout and target specific muscle groups more effectively, it is crucial to delve deeper into the various swimming motions and techniques.
Kicking: Variations and Benefits
Kicking is a fundamental component of all swimming strokes and is essential for leg propulsion. Here are some advanced kicking techniques and variations to improve your workout:
Kickboard Kicking
Using a kickboard allows you to isolate your leg movements, focusing solely on the kicking technique. This is particularly useful for improving kick strength and endurance. Try different kick styles such as the flutter kick, frog kick, or dolphin kick, each targeting different muscle groups.
Flutter Kick
This kick is used in freestyle and backstroke. It involves a rapid, alternating movement of the legs. To enhance this kick, practice kicking with a kickboard while focusing on keeping your legs relaxed and using your hips to generate power.
Frog Kick
Used in breaststroke, this kick involves a wide, circular motion of the legs. To improve, practice the frog kick with a kickboard, emphasizing the use of your inner thighs and hips.
Dolphin Kick
This kick is used in butterfly and involves a powerful, undulating motion of the legs. Practice the dolphin kick with a kickboard, focusing on engaging your core and using your entire body to generate power.
Kicking Drills
Incorporate kicking drills into your routine to improve technique and endurance. For example, try kicking with a snorkel to focus on your kick without the distraction of breathing. Another drill is kicking while holding onto the side of the pool, alternating between different kick styles.
Pulling: Enhancing Arm Strength and Endurance
Pulling involves using a pull buoy to isolate the arm movements, allowing you to focus on your upper body strength and endurance. Here are some strategies to enhance your pulling technique:
Pull Buoy Variations
Use different types of pull buoys to target various muscle groups. For instance, a traditional pull buoy supports your legs, while a pull buoy with a built-in kickboard can help you maintain a streamlined position.
Sculling
Sculling involves using your hands to propel yourself through the water without kicking. This technique is excellent for improving arm strength and hand positioning. Practice sculling with a pull buoy, focusing on keeping your hands in a high-elbow position and using your entire arm to generate power.
Catch-Up Drill
This drill involves keeping your hands in front of your shoulders and then pulling them back to the starting position. This helps improve your arm timing and strength.
Arm Circles and Rotations
Before starting your pulling workout, warm up with arm circles and rotations to loosen your shoulders and improve flexibility. This can be done on land or in the water.
Drills: Improving Technique and Consistency
Swimming drills are designed to improve your technique, consistency, and overall performance. Here are some advanced drills to incorporate into your routine:
Freestyle Drills
Breaststroke Drills
Butterfly Drills
Developing Consistency and Endurance
Consistency and endurance are key to a successful swimming workout. Here are some tips to help you develop these qualities:
Interval Training
Incorporate interval training into your swimming routine. Alternate between high-intensity swimming and rest periods to improve your cardiovascular endurance and muscle strength.
Long Slow Distance (LSD) Swimming
Include LSD swimming in your routine to build endurance. Swim at a slow pace for longer distances to improve your cardiovascular fitness and increase your stamina.
Cool Down and Warm Up
Always warm up before your swimming workout with light swimming, arm circles, and leg kicks. After your workout, cool down with slow swimming and stretching to prevent injury and reduce muscle soreness.
Swimming is an excellent form of exercise that provides a low-impact, full-body workout. The best swimming stroke for fitness depends on your goals and fitness level, but freestyle is a great choice for beginners and those looking for a full-body workout. To target specific muscle groups, breaststroke is great for the chest and shoulders, backstroke is great for the back muscles, and butterfly provides a challenging workout for the chest and back muscles.
Remember to start with the basics and master each stroke before moving on to more advanced techniques. And don’t forget to incorporate swimming motions like kicking, pulling, and drills to enhance your workout and improve your technique. With practice and patience, anyone can learn to swim and enjoy the benefits of this excellent form of exercise.
Guest article
The above may not coincide with the methodology and opinion of the SwimRight Academy Team.
James Setton 
