Few sports are as effective in keeping us in shape as swimming. With each stroke, the muscles and internal organs of the body are activated and strengthened. If you like swimming or you practice swimming, here you will find a selection of applications that will come in handy. With them you can set routines, measure your performance and set new goals to feel more motivated.
Even those with little or no experience in the sport can take advantage of swimming apps. In general, These digital tools have basic routines for beginners, and give access to different resources to train and master this skill. Next, we will talk about why swimming is the most complete sport, and then we will review the advantages and disadvantages of three apps designed to practice it.
Swimming, the most complete sport
Swimming is considered by many experts to be one of the sports more complete, since provides numerous benefits for physical and mental health. If you have been practicing it for some time, you have surely seen how much this type of training can help. And in case you've never gotten into the water to swim, you'll do well to review five reasons why doing so is so beneficial:
Strengthens the whole body
First of all, swimming is considered the most complete sport because involves the whole body. In fact, when we swim we use two thirds of the muscles, in addition to activating a good part of the internal organs. When swimming, we use arms, legs, trunk and head to move. This allows you to tone and increase muscle mass, as well as improve posture and thoracic mobility.
Relax and reduce stress
Swimming also helps our mental and emotional health, reducing stress and psychological discomfort. The oxygen we take in when swimming activates the brain and releases endorphins, which are the hormones of pleasure and relaxation. Besides, Contact with water has a calming and therapeutic effect, which helps fight depression and makes us feel better.
Swimming increases energy levels
Another benefit of swimming is that it increases energy levels, as improves aerobic capacity and blood circulation. This translates into greater tissue oxygenation and better elimination of toxins. It is not surprising that those who practice swimming have greater vitality and physical resistance.
Improves brain function
It is proven that swimming regularly improves brain function, since stimulates neurogenesis and neuronal plasticity. That is, it causes new nerve cells to be generated in the brain and the connections between them to be strengthened. All of this enhances memory, attention, learning and creativity.
It's a sport for everyone
As if that were not enough, swimming is suitable for everyone, since It is a low-impact sport that does not damage the spine or joints. By floating through the water, you reduce your body weight and avoid the risk of injury. Therefore, swimming is recommended for people of any age, from babies to the elderly.
What applications to use for swimming practice?
If you swim or are thinking about doing so, it will be good for you to install a swimming app on your mobile phone and smartwatch. With them you can record and analyze your training sessions (distances, time, calories burned, heart rate, etc.).
Likewise, they serve to set and follow personal goals, receive advice from professional coaches and other users, and even access educational content about swimming. Below, we present three swimming apps that do the best:
Swimup
We begin with Swimup, an app that will help you with your swimming training from the most basic to professional levels. The application stands out for Personalize training plans in detail based on your performance. To do this, it uses Artificial Intelligence that analyzes and adjusts the routines as you practice them. The app offers a XNUMX-day free trial and then move on to a monthly subscription of $3,99, or annual subscription of $21,78.
Advantages
- Includes 8 swim modes, from learn to swim to professional styles.
- Customize training sessions in detail.
- Thoroughly track your performance and progress.
- Gives access to a digital library of swimming exercises.
- It is available for Android and iOS devices.
Disadvantages
- Requires an internet connection to access some of its functions, such as the training planner or the online community.
- It can consume a lot of cell phone and smartwatch battery.
MySwimPro
One of the most popular and complete swimming apps is MySwimPro, with thousands of downloads in both the Play Store and the App Store and a rating of more than four stars. The app offers different training plans adapted to the user's level of knowledge and skill.
It also provides detailed progress analysis to keep you motivated until you reach your goals. To use the app, you must subscribe to a payment plan, ranging from $19 per month to $119,99 per year.
Advantages
- Access to a library with more than 3000 exercises and explanatory videos.
- Detailed statistics with data such as calories burned, pace, number of strokes and SWOLF (an indicator of efficiency in the water).
- Support from a large community of swimmers from around the world.
- Easy integration with smart devices such as bracelets, watches and swimming goggles, which allow you to control the app from the water without having to use your mobile phone.
Disadvantages
- Unintuitive interface
- Little content in Spanish
- Paid app that requires a monthly or annual subscription to access all its functions.
Swim coach
We end with Swim coach, an app more focused on those who want to learn to swim or improve their technique. The app is very intuitive and easy to use, with a clean and very friendly interface. Its most notable aspect is that it offers free access to more than 50 swimming exercises that can be combined with each other to create personalized routines.
Advantages
- Friendly, intuitive and very easy to use and understand app.
- Free access to more than 50 combinable exercises.
- Free version with basic training plans and general statistics.
- Premium version with prices ranging from $8,63 monthly, $33,35 for 14 months and $70 for three years.
Disadvantages
- The free version is quite basic.
- It may be insufficient for professionals.