Swimming is one of the most popular sports globally, and its popularity doesn’t seem to be waning anytime soon. There are many reasons that people love swimming so much: it’s a great form of exercise, it’s low impact on joints and muscles, and it can be done by people who struggle with other types of physical activity because there is no impact involved.
Here’s an interesting fact you might not know: The longest recorded distance swum underwater was 150 m by Herbert Nitsch in 2005, when he crossed the Danube River during its annual lowest level sturgeon migration to spawn. He did not wear fins or a mask and used no breathing apparatus.
Want to know more exciting facts?
In this blog post, we will explore some interesting facts about swimming for kids, adults, competitive swimmers — and everybody in between!
Swimming Health Facts
There are several facts that are well worth knowing.
- Swimming is an aerobic exercise as it uses up oxygen in the body, and this has a beneficial effect on your heart health which can reduce early death rates.
- Swimmers may be less likely to develop coronary artery disease than non-swimmers because of the increased blood flow while they swim.
- For people who have pulmonary hypertension or high blood pressure in their lungs, swimming is often recommended by doctors for both daily activities and exercise routines since it does not put any extra strain on the respiratory system or cause coughing episodes like running might do.
Aside from these expected benefits, there are many other reasons why you should consider adding some pool time to your routine, such as pain relief.
Swimming Facts for Kids
An interesting swimming fact for kids is that a swimmer’s speed can be measured in meters per second.
Australian physiologists found that elite male swimmers were about four times faster than females at sprinting. Still, there was not much of a difference between males and females for endurance swimming.
The typical Olympic-sized pool is 50m long, with each lane being 25m. This means it takes one minute to make up these lengths, equating to 30 laps or 1800 seconds (three minutes). If individuals complete their first lap in two minutes, they will only need six more laps before crossing the finish line!
How OLD is Swimming?
Swimming is nearly 10,000 years old. The origin of swimming goes back to around 2500 BCE in Egypt. However, the first swimming championship was held in Australia in 1846.
Facts in the Ocean
- The first is that people should not swim alone, no matter how great a swimmer they are.
- The second fact about swimmers in the sea is that one should take precautions against jellyfish stings by wearing protective clothing.
- Moreover, you should be aware of the waves.
- Also, do not go too far in the ocean.
Swimming Facts in Olympics
Swimming is one of the oldest sports, and it has been in every Olympiad. It has a rich history that goes back to ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, and China.
Here are some of the facts about the Olympics:
- Competitive swimming in the Olympic games started in 1896.
- Swimmers are not allowed to wear any of the following: watches, jewelry, heart rate monitors, or anything attached to them like hair ties and goggles.
- Olympians do not usually get their lane for practice, and some swim in lanes with other swimmers, which is called a “fast” lane because it has faster currents than slower ones during competitions.
- The first modern Olympic Games was held in Athens, Greece, and consisted only of 15 sports events, but now there are more than 300 different types, including swimming events such as 100m freestyle races.
- There have been many famous female athletes who competed at the Olympics over the years – one example is Anita Lonsbrough from Great Britain.
Competitive Swimming Facts
Here are some of the competitive swimming facts:
- Swimming has been a contested sport since the Ancient Olympic Games.
- Swimming is one of the best all-body workouts because it works out your entire upper and lower body, as well as your core.
- The average breaststroke swimmer travels around 52 feet per cycle, totals 120 feet for one length in an international swimming pool (25 meters). This equals two lengths on either side of their lane or four lengths in total per lap. In comparison, freestyle swimmers only need 25 yards (four cycles) to complete 100 yards (.91 miles), so they are much faster than other strokes when covering longer distances.
- The fastest competitive swimmer can cover a distance of 22 yards in just one second!
- If you’re not used to swimming, it may be challenging to get up and out since the water’s buoyancy will keep your body from feeling heavy.
- Competitive swimmers swim at least 6 miles every day.
- Swimmers can burn anywhere between 500-800 calories an hour or more, depending on how hard they work. Depending on what you have for breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc., this could cover all or some of the things that you need for a day with just one workout if done right.
Therefore, swimming is beneficial because it burns calories without any extra work required like running would need (because running does not use as many muscles).
Fun Facts!
There are several fun facts about swimming, which many people do not know.
- Did you know that a swimming pool can get dirty in just six hours? Therefore, you need to beware of where you go swimming.
- You might not believe it, but swimmers sweat in the pool.
- Your eyes don’t sting due to chlorine. It’s the chlorine mixed with pee and sweat that irritates your eyes.
- Another funny fact about swimming is that the human body can only hold about one-tenth of an ounce in weightlessness.
Interesting Facts about Swimming
Let’s discuss more facts!
In order to swim, we need oxygen and water, both of which are essential for our bodies to survive underwater. Those who say that swimming should be banned because it can lead to drowning might want to rethink their opinion!
Here’s another interesting fact about swimmers: people with Parkinson’s disease have found relief from symptoms by taking part in regular physical exercise programs such as swimming or walking.
Swimming has many benefits, including weight loss, improved blood circulation, stress reduction, and more! Get your swim on this summertime 🙂
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Eric Jordan
Writer | Triathlete
A writer by passion and a triathlete coach profession. In his free time, he swims, runs, cycles, and helps newbie athletes to achieve their goals.