Many people believe that only freestyle swimming is really good - Photo: TN
Both breaststroke and freestyle swimming are valuable for health and fitness, but have specific values for different groups of people. Choosing the right swimming style will help optimize training efficiency and avoid unnecessary risks of injury.
Who should swim breaststroke, and who should avoid swimming breaststroke?
Breaststroke is a swimming style chosen by many beginners because it is easy to learn and creates a sense of safety. When swimming breaststroke, the head is usually kept above the water surface, helping the swimmer to observe easily and not have to breathe in the water like other swimming styles.
According to Dr. David Tanner, a sports physiologist from Indiana University (USA), breaststroke is a suitable choice for those who need good breath control, slow movement rhythm and have the need for gentle exercise.
Breaststroke is suitable for middle-aged people - Photo: XH
This is an ideal swimming style for the elderly, people recovering from illness or people with average health.
In addition, the breaststroke is also recommended for people recovering from minor shoulder or back injuries. The slow arm stroke, without the need for continuous rotation, helps reduce pressure on the shoulder joint.
However, not everyone should choose to swim breaststroke. People with a history of knee degeneration or injury should pay special attention, because the kicking motion of the legs spreading and closing in the breaststroke puts a lot of pressure on the ligaments and joint surfaces.
A 2014 study from the Journal of Sports Sciences found that the breaststroke is the swimming style that puts the most stress on the knee joints compared to other swimming styles.
Breaststroke is also not suitable for those who want to lose weight quickly or train at high intensity.
Although it's a full-body workout, breaststroke only burns about 500-600 calories per hour for adults, much lower than freestyle.
Therefore, people who need to exercise vigorously, increase cardiovascular activity or burn fat will not achieve the desired results if they only focus on swimming the breaststroke.
Freestyle swimming, suitable for improving body shape
In contrast, freestyle swimming is a more athletic and physically demanding swimming style. It is the fastest of the basic swimming techniques, using alternating arms and legs to propel the body forward at maximum speed.
According to Professor Jane Katz, author of “Swimming for Total Fitness” and lecturer at City University of New York, freestyle swimming activates almost all major muscle groups in the body and is the optimal choice for improving cardiovascular endurance, losing weight and increasing total-body strength.
Crawl swimming is suitable for young and healthy people, people who want to improve their shape, train their cardiovascular system or practice for professional competitions.
With the ability to burn about 700-750 calories per hour, this is the top energy-burning exercise among swimming styles. In addition, thanks to the characteristics of continuous kicking and alternating breathing, freestyle swimming helps increase VO₂max and improve lung capacity quickly.
A 2017 study from the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports found that freestyle swimming is one of the most effective ways to improve your body's ability to absorb oxygen.
Swimming is suitable for improving body shape and burning fat - Photo: TN
However, freestyle swimming is not suitable for everyone. People with shoulder problems, especially shoulder tendonitis or rotator cuff injuries, should avoid freestyle swimming until they have fully recovered.
Continuously swinging your arms over your head and twisting your body while swimming can cause re-injury. In addition, the breathing technique in freestyle swimming is relatively complex, requiring learners to practice controlling their breathing rhythm with the rhythm of their arms, which is often difficult for beginners.
In contrast to the breaststroke, people with a history of knee pain are encouraged to choose the crawl stroke.
The kicking motion along the body axis of the freestyle stroke does not put horizontal force on the knee joint, helping to minimize the risk of pain or damage to the cartilage. According to recommendations from Harvard Medical School, people over 50 years old with signs of osteoarthritis should avoid the breaststroke and instead swim the freestyle or backstroke to maintain safe movement.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ai-nen-boi-ech-ai-nen-boi-sai-20250630104032052.htm
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