Swimming is the propulsion of the body through water by coordinated movement of the limbs and trunk, undertaken as recreation, competitive sport, and therapeutic and fitness exercise. As a whole-body activity performed against the resistance and buoyancy of water, it engages aerobic and anaerobic energy systems, dev…
Swimming is the propulsion of the body through water by coordinated movement of the limbs and trunk, undertaken as recreation, competitive sport, and therapeutic and fitness exercise. As a whole-body activity performed against the resistance and buoyancy of water, it engages aerobic and anaerobic energy systems, develops cardiorespiratory endurance and muscular strength, and imposes comparatively low joint loading, making it valuable in rehabilitation and across the lifespan. In Sports and Exercise Medicine, swimming is studied for the physiology of endurance and sprint performance, stroke biomechanics, and the determinants of training intensity and capacity, with measures such as critical velocity used to characterize aerobic and anaerobic thresholds and to guide training. The peer-reviewed work assembled here includes analysis of swimming critical velocity and how its physiological meaning is affected by testing distance, a study relevant to the prescription and interpretation of swimming-based training. Swimming also intersects with broader exercise science through its role in fitness, weight management, and early-life aquatic programmes. Defining swimming as a structured aquatic activity that combines cardiovascular conditioning, muscular work, and low-impact loading provides the basis for examining its performance physiology, training prescription, and health benefits within Sports and Exercise Medicine, where the physiological characterization of swimming performance informs both competitive and therapeutic application.
12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 12 articles above have been cited 29 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Swimming, linking to each citing work.