The Joy of Exercise

No matter how well adapted to water we are, no matter how strong at swimming or how expert at life-saving, which of us hasn’t stepped back at some point in our life and imagined the unimaginable: slowly sinking down to the bottom and never coming up. But then again, if iron and steel can remain at the surface when hammered thin and beaten into shape, it’s a fair bet that even the down-and-out `sinkers’ in our midsts will be able to float — with a little extra lift where it matters most.

Sinker — one adult male in 20 who finds buoyancy a let-down.

The human body is about 70 per cent water, an amount temporarily increased through drinking and also immersion —the `pruny’ effect on fingers and toes when you bathe being the result of your skin absorbing a small amount more.

Women on top

On the whole, women tend to have less of the dense muscle tissue covering their frames than men and more of the dreaded body fat. But far from being a cruel fact of life, it actually means women have a clear advantage when working out with water.

Not only do women tend to float higher than men, but this comforting layer around the hips, stomach and thighs also allows a more streamlined position in the water by helping to keep the lower half from sinking. The result? It costs women about 30 per cent less energy than men to swim a given distance. Or to put it another way, women can swim faster than men using the same amount of energy (McCardle, Katch and Katch, Exercise Physiology, 1991), one of the reasons why the difference in performance between the sexes is less in swimming than in other sports — by 1980 a mere 5 per cent separating the men and women’s 400m freestyle world records (Allen Guttmann, Women’s Sports) — and a factor which comes increasingly into play as the distances get longer.

So is there no hope for sinkers? Far from it, because body fat isn’t the only thing keeping us afloat. By far the most important factor of all in controlling our buoyancy is the air in our lungs.

The floats and basic skills which follow are the type of things you’ll practise when you go on any swimming course. Remember, Taking the Plunge is not designed to teach anyone to swim from scratch, but to refresh the memory and provide useful tips on stroke improvement. And if it does inspire you to go on a swimming course at your local pool, so much the better. Learning in a group is great fun, and you’ll have a laugh getting feedback from your instructor, perfecting your skills and techniques all the more quickly.

Average body-fat percentages reported for swimmers are about 7 per cent for males and 19 per cent for females … well below the normal values of 15 per cent and 25 per cent for males and females respectively.

The current record for swimming the English Channel is held by a woman.

Back float

Standing in chest-deep water, fill your lungs with a good deep breath so that your rib-cage lifts. Let your arms float out naturally at each side and gently lean backwards, eyes up to the ceiling, so that the back of your head enters the water as your feet leave the floor. Let your head find its own level — probably with the water just covering your ears — and relax, with your arms floatingabove shoulder-height.

You’ll probably find that your feet stay low in the water, so think about lifting your hips and keeping those lungs filled with air. You are actually balancing in the water around your lungs — the body’s natural centre of buoyancy (COB), which is located a couple of inches higher than your centre of gravity (COG).

The more relaxed you are, the better you’ll float.

Now gently raise your arms above your head. Your COB immediately changes to balance your legs better so that they lift in the water to improve your float.

And now draw your arms down to your sides and feel the difference as your feet sink and you float almost vertically.

If you’re not too confident in the water yet, an alternative is to try this at the edge of the pool by holding on to the side with one hand. Bend your knees, lower your shoulders into the water and, taking a deep breath, gently look directly upwards so that the back of your head is in the water. You will be floating parallel to the wall.

Standing up — from your back

To regain your footing, scoop both hands firmly downwards and forwards towards your toes. Simply tuck your chin in so that your head lifts, draw your knees in towards your chest until you’re in a sitting position, and then lower your feet to the bottom of the pool.

• Keep your shoulders in the water at all times.

Standing up - from your front

And it’s the same idea if you’re on your front. Tuck your knees in again and press your hands downwards and backwards towards your toes as you once more lift your head and lower your feet to the bottom.

Mushroom float

Back to floating again, the mushroom float’s a bit of a face-wetter, testing your body’s natural buoyancy while getting you used to breathing out through your nose and mouth underwater as well. Standing once again in waist-deep water, this time take a deep breath, tuck your chin under so that your face is submerged, and tuck your knees into your chest, supporting them with your arms. Relax once more, and let your body roll gently until it finds its natural level

At this point, any sinkers among you will already feel yourselves begin to drop. However, if you’re still afloat, exhale slowly through both mouth and nose and feel yourself gradually sink beneath the surface. Uncurl whenever you’re ready, drop your feet to the floor and stand up again.

Simple techniques to get your feet wet. But it’s not just in swimming that buoyancy comes into its own — it’s also one of the reasons why aquatic exercise is such a safe and effective approach to fitness.

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• Aquatic Exercise and Drag
• The Warm-Up, a Gentle Build-up Aerobic Water Exercise part 2
• Exercise Dos and Don'ts
• Floats, Lift, aqua Fit challenge and Muscle action
• 'The Compleat Goggler'
• Swimming for Fitness, Open Water Safety
• Build Health and Fitness: Walk to fitness
• Swimming Optional Extras, Testing the Water
• My Joy of Exercise

Category: Exercise, Fitness, Sports

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