It is obvious that swimming is good exercise but you may not be aware that it is an activity that can be done for a lifetime and that the benefits far outweigh the effort that it may take to get yourself into the pool.

People swim for many different reasons; some simply like the feeling of slicing through water or floating while others enjoy the benefit to their lungs and heart; or you may be simply looking for a way to beat the heat of summer. Whatever the reason, swimming works.

Regular swimming does great things like building muscle strength, endurance and promotes cardio vascular fitness. If you happen to be big into other sports swimming can be a cross training type of thing, using the pool as a warm up before you start your land sports or exercises. It is a good way to increase the heart rate and it stimulates muscle activity; both of which can be easily accomplished in the water. Swimming is also a great way to cool down after working out or participating in sports by gently moving the blood through the muscles and helping you to relax.

You can also burn around 3 calories per pound of your bodyweight per mile; so someone weighing 150 pounds can burn about 900 calories if they swim a mile in about 30 minutes. But, even if you are not doing it for the exercise swimming is a good form of meditation; relaxing and swimming with minimal effort while concentrating on nothing but your stroke rhythm can actually give you a sense of well being, so swim on!

When you talk about exercise and workout programs with a personal trainer most agree that the best ones include a muscle confusion technique which is exactly what this program does; any time that you change something often enough the more of a workout it gets and the better the results will be. To follow are some pro’s and con’s on the program as stated by some “regular” people:

Pros

Most agree that Tony’s P90X program’s energy level is both motivating and fun; while the music may seem a little repetitive (not something you are likely to want on your iPod) it is still fairly good since it is designed for working out rather than listening pleasure. The workout goes along at a good pace, moving from one to another routine which has its advantages since you are busy concentrating on the moves and not the fatigue or pain that you are feeling.

The workout program is well organized so that you will know exactly what to do when; it tells you when to rest, when to exercise and even when it is time for a water break. While some people really do not like the stretching exercises they do admit that when you warm-up or cool down with them it does help to minimize any potential soreness and they are motivating enough to get you to want to do them. The video routine is strict but they are enjoyable enough that you want to continue using it.

Cons

Some people with specific injuries may not be able to do some of the routines and the videos are pretty fast paced so at times it can be difficult to keep up. Tony has a very outgoing personality and he does tend to talk quite a bit during the video which can be rather annoying. Since you do quite a bit of jumping if you live upstairs you may find your downstairs neighbors a little less than pleased when you exercise.

You will also have to purchase extra equipment such as dumbbells, resistance bands and a push-up bar. Many also feel that the book that comes with the program could have been put together a little better.