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What muscles work when swimming? What exactly does swimming develop?

Why do muscles grow after strength training?

In general terms, the whole process looks like this. You take a good weight, press, your muscles experience overload, microdamages appear in the muscle tissue. During the recovery phase, your body begins to patch up holes, starting the regeneration process. Muscle tissue gains volume to withstand increasing loads.

The result is an increase in lean muscle mass, the growth of which was caused by its damage. Well, the cause of damage is critical loads .

Exercises in water to pump up your abs

Water aerobics is one of the most effective methods of strengthening the abdominal muscles. Exercises that will help you pump up your abs, remove folds in the abdominal area, and make your waist aspen:

  1. While standing in the water, raise your legs bent at the knees to your stomach and lower them again. Hands can rest on the handrail or side. If there is no support, help maintain balance by rowing in the water. Repeat this movement every day 20-30 times, increasing the speed.
  2. Place your feet shoulder-width apart, place your hands on your sides and turn sharply in both directions with a large amplitude.
  3. Extend your legs while staying on your back in the water. Use your hands to paddle, helping you stay on the surface. Bend your knees and pull them towards your stomach, and then return to the starting position.
  4. Lying on your back in the water, alternately pull your legs to your right and then to your left shoulder. Stretch your arms to the sides and help yourself stay afloat.
  5. The following exercise can be done while lying on your back or standing. The hands help in holding the body in the water. Pull both legs towards your stomach, turning them left and right. You need to make 10 turns in each direction.

By regularly performing the above exercises, you can pump up your abs by swimming and remove fat from your sides in a relatively short period of time.

Why do muscles grow poorly while swimming?

Now let's look at swimming. While you are rowing, your arms experience some stress, but it is quite small. How many times can you make rowing movements with your arms - 10, 20, 50, 100 times? We're sure there are a lot. Probably as many times as you can lift a dumbbell weighing a kilogram . This is clear evidence that the load on the muscles is not significant and is unlikely to create the microdamage you need. The muscles simply will not receive the necessary stimulus for growth, even despite the large amount of work. The 1kg dumbbell row is a good analogy!

Another point is the similar mechanics of movements during swimming. It creates two problems at once. First: not all muscle groups are included in the work, and some are not included. Second: the body gets used to the same type of load and stops responding to it with muscle growth.

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For example, let's take pectorals. As you know, the vast majority of exercises for this muscle group are based on pushing movements - this applies to all bench presses. The biomechanics of swimming are fundamentally different from this movement, which practically eliminates the load on the pectorals.

Why then are many swimmers pumped up - you ask? They work out in the gym - we will answer, or they themselves, if you ask them.

Swimming training - what is the benefit?

Without a doubt, swimming is one of the best types of physical activity for muscle development: strengthening the cardiovascular system, increasing muscle strength and performance. Thanks to regular training in the pool, ligaments and tendons acquire both strength and elasticity, and the muscles of the whole body become significantly more resilient.

At the same time, swimming has the greatest positive effect on the figure in adolescence - training in the pool helps not only to develop a broad back and strengthen the core muscles, but also promotes elongation in height due to a comprehensive improvement in posture. In other words, for teenagers, swimming lays the foundation that will help them build muscle and get pumped up quickly in the future.

Speaking about professional sports, we note that the rules of sports standards for swimming say that the title of candidate for master of sports can be obtained at the age of 10, and the title of master of sports - at 12 years. Due to such age limits, in practice, youth swimming categories are practically not registered - children involved in swimming can receive adult categories as early as 8 years old.

Swimming and muscle growth

It is necessary to understand that while swimming, the work primarily involves slow-twitch muscle fibers, while training in the gym or strength training with a barbell affects fast-twitch fibers. Despite the fact that from swimming the muscles develop, become stronger and more resilient, their volume and weight increase only partially.

If your main goal is to gain muscle mass, you need to train with heavy weights (for example, with dumbbells or a barbell), as well as perform low repetitions of the exercise (set of 3-4 sets of 8-10 repetitions). Among other things, following a high-calorie sports diet is important for muscle growth.

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Lying leg curls in a machine will help tighten your leg muscles. There is a simulator in any gym, and not only men, but also women love to work with it, which makes their legs even more attractive and beautiful. The exercise is relatively easy, but there are important points that cannot be ignored in order to achieve the desired result. Description and benefits of the exercise Due to the fact that the thigh muscles responsible for bending the legs are used extremely rarely in everyday life, the quadriceps of people who do not specifically train them are small. In order for the body to look symmetrical and beautiful, and the muscles to develop evenly, it is imperative to work out this muscle group. The best option is to bend the legs while lying down, during which the muscles will be properly trained. Muscles involved The exercise works the muscle groups of the legs, so it is not surprising that many athletes always work in the gym with such a simulator. Did you know? There are between 640 and 850 muscles in the human body, and 200 of them are used during walking. Basic This is an isolated exercise for the hamstrings. For this reason, girls especially loved it. Additional In addition, the work includes the popliteal, calf and gracilis muscles. In addition to them, the tibialis anterior and rectus femoris muscles work as stabilizers. How and how much to bend the legs Despite the apparent simplicity of performing lying leg bends, the execution technique is not always correct for those involved. But it depends on this whether they will get results or just waste their time. Execution technique First of all, you should customize the simulator for yourself. The angle of the leg supports should be adjusted so that the limbs, when the athlete lies down on the bench, rest against the bolster. This is the starting position for this exercise. Additionally, you need to install a bolster so that it rests slightly below the heel on the shin. And, of course, determine the weight you need. You need to lie down on the exercise machine bench and rest your feet on the bolster. The pelvis should be pressed tightly against the bench, and your hands should grasp the special handles. As you inhale, you need to bend your legs so that the roller points towards the buttocks. Having reached the maximum load point, you should stop for a while so that the quadriceps get a load - exhale. As you inhale, slowly, without haste, lower down. Important! At the lowest point, the knees do not straighten completely, otherwise you can injure the tendon of the inner thigh. Number of repetitions and training program The number of repetitions directly depends on the athlete’s level of training and the goals he is pursuing. You need to start with less and gradually increase the load. For example, if the goal is to burn fat, then a beginner will need to perform 2-4 sets of 13-25 repetitions. The break between approaches in this case should be 1-2 minutes. The weight needs to be selected so that you have enough strength to complete the required number of repetitions. There is no need to try to repeat what experienced athletes do on the first day. Important! Lying limb curls are a formative exercise, so it is recommended to perform them after basic exercises to build muscle mass in the lower body. Tips and recommendations In order to learn how to perform the lying leg curl exercise correctly, below are the main mistakes that novice athletes make. Basic mistakes of beginners The main mistakes that beginners make include the following: Full extension of the knees at the lowest point. This is not recommended, since the load on the muscles is not maintained. Uncontrolled "walking" of the limbs. The legs need to be quickly raised up and slowly, while controlling the movements, lowered down. This way the load will be optimal and the training effective. Knees hanging off the bench during training. This is unacceptable because it can cause injury. Newbies have a lot of weight. There is no need to get carried away with excessive loads. At first it may seem easy to do the exercise, but it is worth considering that for an untrained person, a heavy load can damage the hamstrings. Did you know? The first bodybuilding machines were invented in Sweden in 1857. Features of the exercise Despite the general simplicity of the exercise, there are still a number of features that are worth paying attention to: You need to firmly press your pelvis to the bench and fix your body. Hands hold tightly to the special handles of the simulator. Your legs should be raised high so that they almost touch your buttocks. The downward movement is slower than the upward movement. The knees do not need to be straightened at the lowest point so that the muscles are tense all the time. Contraindications Before going to the gym, it is best to consult a doctor to analyze the state of your health and build a training program on this basis. There are no special contraindications for lying leg curls. It is only worth noting that the exercise is not recommended for people who have diseases of the knee joints. It is important to monitor your feelings during training. There should be discomfort, since the muscles are under constant tension, but pain should not be allowed to occur. How can you replace the exercise? If there is no such exercise machine in the gym or you want to have an alternative for home workouts, then you can perform other exercises that work the same muscle groups. One of these would be leg raises from a standing backward position. It activates the hamstrings, glutes, calves and lower back. In addition, it will also develop flexibility and balance skills. Leg curls can be done at home while lying on the floor. In this case, the body is pressed tightly to the floor, the arms are folded under the head, and a dumbbell is held between the feet. The effect of such an exercise will be almost identical to that performed on the simulator. As you can see, the leg curl exercise is simple, but at the same time very effective. Having learned the correct technique, you can achieve results in a fairly short time.
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