How to Do
The heavy swimming should begin with good posture to avoid injury. Brace the spine by drawing your lower abdomen inward. Your core muscles should be activated to support your posture as you perform the exercise.
If any pain is experienced, immediately stop the heavy swimming.
Beginning
1. You swim breaststroke in a horizontal prone position, similar to freestyle. In breaststroke, you alternate between a more horizontal, streamlined position (when your body is like a pencil underwater, with arms and legs outstretched) and a more vertical recovery position, in which you pull your torso up out of the water to breathe.
2. Your legs execute a symmetrical 'whip' or 'frog' kick in which you pull your feet together in towards your glutes and then whip your feet out to the sides in a circular motion until they meet again in a streamlined position.
Movement
1. You move your arms in a symmetrical, triangle-like pattern. As your legs return to your glutes, your hands (extended ahead of you) sweep forward, outward, and then into your chest, forming a triangle shape. As your legs perform the frog kick, return your arms to their extended position and repeat.
2. Breaststroke involves lifting your head as your arms pull through the water and tucking your face back down as your arms extend out in front of you.
ACSM Recommendations
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American College of Sports Medicine advocates that you take part in a combined 30 minutes of moderate to intense aerobic or anaerobic activity most days out of the week.
What does that mean for you?
Based on the intensity and your typical hour-long strength training and cardio program, that usually works out at three to five sessions each week.
