Why Easy Swimming Helps You Recover: 7 Reasons
Runners, cyclists, gym-goers and people coming back from injury often turn to easy swimming on their recovery days. Here is why, and how to do it well.
If you are injured or recovering from surgery, check with your doctor or physiotherapist before swimming, and follow their advice on which strokes and movements are safe.
1. It takes the load off your joints
Water supports much of your body weight, so swimming involves far less impact than running or jumping. After a hard training block or a race, that lets you keep moving without adding more stress to sore legs and joints.
2. It is "active recovery"
Active recovery means doing light exercise instead of resting completely. Small studies in swimmers have found that easy swimming after a hard effort clears lactate from the blood faster than sitting still. That does not necessarily mean you will perform better the next day, but many athletes find gentle movement helps them feel less stiff.
3. Gentle movement through a full range of motion
Easy swimming moves the shoulders, hips, ankles and spine through a wide range without heavy load. Many people find this eases stiffness after long periods of sitting or hard training.
4. It is used in rehabilitation
Physiotherapists often use water-based exercise, sometimes called hydrotherapy or aquatic therapy, because water supports the body and resists movement gently in every direction. If you are rehabilitating an injury, your physiotherapist can tell you whether swimming or other water exercises suit you.
5. The effort is easy to control
In the pool you can slow down, switch to an easier stroke, use a kickboard or a pull buoy, or simply rest at the wall at any moment. That makes it simple to keep a recovery session genuinely easy.
6. It keeps your fitness ticking over
When you need a break from your main sport, easy swimming lets you keep some aerobic fitness without the same strain. Runners recovering from a race, for example, often swim instead of running for a few days.
7. It helps you relax
Steady breathing, the feel of the water and time away from screens make swimming relaxing for many people. Recovery is mental as well as physical; see swimming and mental health.
How to swim for recovery
- Keep it easy. You should be able to talk comfortably. If you are breathing hard, slow down.
- Keep it short. 20 to 30 minutes is plenty.
- Mix strokes. Changing strokes spreads the movement across different muscles. Backstroke is often comfortable for tight shoulders and lower backs.
- Avoid what hurts. If a movement causes pain, such as the breaststroke kick on a sore knee, stop it and choose another.
- Drink water. You still sweat when you swim, especially at outdoor pools in Singapore.
For ready-made sessions, see our recovery swim workouts.
Need to brush up on technique first?
Recovery swimming only feels relaxing if your technique lets you swim easily. If breathing or body position makes swimming tiring, a few lessons help. See our adult swimming course, senior swimming course or private swimming course.
More in health and wellbeing
- Recovery swim workouts7 gentle routines for tired muscles
- 15 reasons swimming is the best sportWhy swimming stands out for kids and adults
- How to prevent cramps while swimmingWhy cramps happen and what to do if one hits in the water
- Swimming vs cyclingWhich is the better workout for you?
Sources
- Mota et al., Active recovery is better than passive recovery for removing lactate after swimming (abstract summary). In swimmers, 10 minutes of easy swimming cleared more blood lactate than passive rest; small study.
Want to swim more comfortably?
Tell us how you swim now and anything the instructor should know, such as injuries or sore joints. We will suggest a suitable course, format and pool. Lessons run at public swimming complexes, private venues and condominium pools across Singapore.