Swimming as one of the best workouts out there, after deadlifts and squats of course. Because of the even resistance against ALL your muscles, you tend to get a very balanced workout done.
If you're a heavier guy, running will obviously be a problem, and biking, especially on the stationary bike can be a PITA, so swimming is always a good replacement. In fact, if you have access to a swimming pool, I would highly recommend using it, a lot.
Because you're using all your whole body, you tend to be able to raise your HR easier, and you can burn a lot more fat. Biking/running hits the legs, and the core, but leaves your upper body alone. And upper body cardio is very important, especially if you do weights. Swimming helps increase blood flow to the muscles in your upper body which helps to promote healing and recovery. It can also help increase your range of motion, which will help you activate more muscle tissue which helps when you're involved in a certain activity like hockey/weight lifting/etc, etc.
More muscle tissue being activated equals a body more capable of preforming better at those events.
As for everything else about swimming, its been years since I've actually swam in a swimming pool, so I wouldn't know how to start out.
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