If a swimming pool is not the first place you think of going when you’re looking to work-out, then continue reading and think again! Lap style swimming pools are the ideal shape pool for water-based exercise, and a great choice of pool for your backyard if you plan on using your pool for exercise!
Why Swim?
Swimming is a fantastic way to burn calories, speed up metabolism, and strengthen and tone muscle without the usual stress of exercising on land. Plus, you get to stay nice and cool in the process!
Swimming provides a number of body-shaping benefits. A light/easy swim can burn around 500 calories an hour, whilst a vigorous effort can burn close to 700. In addition to the calorie burning, the density of the water gives you a mini resistance workout for your whole body, particularly for core, glutes, shoulders, arms and hips.
The best part about swimming is that whilst your body is toning, burning calories and improving metabolism, it is also ironically gentle on your body. As water neutralises gravity, you are basically weightless once in the water. The effect of this is less strain on joins and muscles, making swimming the perfect form of exercise for those recovering from joint/muscular injuries.
If you are just commencing a swimming workout routine, it is important to establish a routine that suits your level of fitness and ability. It is a good idea to split your routine into shorter segments, combining a mix of work and rest intervals with different strokes and intensities.
For example, at home in your swimming pool (based on an average 8-10m pool), you may swim 4 laps of the pool at an easy effort, rest for 30 seconds, and repeat this 5 to 10 times. Try this routine two or three time a week for the first couple of weeks before increasing to something more strenuous.
Why a Lap Pool?
If you are considering installing a swimming pool at your home and would like to use the pool for exercise, then a lap pool may be the perfect model to suit your needs! A lap pool is a pool with a minimum length of 10.0m and is designed primarily for exercise swimming. The width of a lap pool typically varies between 0.25 and 0.2m.
Lap pools are usually available in either a fibreglass or concrete form, depending on your taste and budget. The benefit of a concrete lap pool however, is that you have the flexibility to custom design the width, length and step areas to suit your individual preferences and to fit your yard. Click here to view a range of concrete lap style pools by Instyle Concrete Pools.
Click here to check out some of WA's major fibreglass and concrete pool manufacturers, and find out how you can be swimming by summer!
