Swimming: great cardio and total-body workout
Baku, March 31, AZERTAC
Swimming, an ancient sports art that is beloved all over the world, has been of a paramount significance to human’s health throughout the centuries.
Swimming laid the foundation for the martial art popularized in the ancient Greece and Rome, as specially designed “swimming pools” were invented at the time.
Swimming was also a compulsory discipline in schools in ancient Japan.
As the first ever opened-air pool has been constructed on the banks of the River Mersey in Liverpool, Great Britain in 1828, the first ever international swimming competitions has been held in the country’s capital London in 1837.
Due to increasing popularity of the sport art, the first swimming federations began to set up across Europe in 1882, as it was later included in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the first ever Olympic Games held in Athens, Greece.
Following the rapid development of the sport art, backstroke and breaststroke swimming styles were also included in the 1900 and 1908 Olympics respectively.
A year later, in 1909, the International Amateur Swimming Federation (FNA) was established in London.
Apart from being an extremely popular activity, swimming is a truly the best cardio exercise for building a great figure.
The activity burns a significant amount of calories, making it a great fat burner: doing a freestyle or butterfly stroke burns 300 and 450 calories respectively.
Not only does the activity help with weight loss, but it also aids in maintaining and strengthening muscles. It works every single muscle across body from arms to back and legs, and the fact that water is far more resistant than air allows people to make significant gains quickly.
With all the combined benefits of the sport, swimming clearly ranks king of all other cardio activities.
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