Its effects on the cardiovasculer system

Its is impossible to increase the volume of the heart per minute with regular trainings. This increase in volume of the heart can only be possible with the maximal and submaximal loadings. The scientific researchs has put forward that the best way for increasing in volume of the heart per minute is the submaximal (70% and lower) loadings. The increase of the volume of the heart per minute is of high importance concerning the satisfying the oxygen needs of the tissues. For this reason, it is important for the middle distance and long distance swimmers to develop this property.

As widely known, the increase of the volume of the heart per minute is only possible with the increase of the pulse volume (the amount of the blood pumped in each pulse) and also with the increase of the number of pulse. The horizontal position in the water provides a better pulse volume for the heart than the straight position of the body. Beacuse when the body is in that position the filling of the body with blood is realized in a better way. The lifting force of the water resists to the gravity when you are in the water. Thus when the body is in this position, the heart will not have to force the blood against the gravity. Besides, the fact that the lifting force of the water resists to the gravity and the hydrostatic pressure applied to the lower extremities by the water eliminates the “ tendency of the blood to be gathered at the lower exremities” encountered when the body is in the straight position.

On the other hand, the heart will not have to send much blood to the skin in order to regulate the body heat when it is in water. This blood is transfered to the working muscles.

To sum up, the blood circulation of the swimmers is different from the other sportsmen dealing with the other branches of sports. This situation is bound to the horizontal position of the body in the water. When the body is in horizontal position the heart is filled with blood and as a result much more blood is pumped around the body in a single pulse of the heart.

• The positive effects of regular trainings on the heart are as following;

1. The capacities of the chambers of the heart develop. With the development of the capacities of the chambers of the heart, the amount of the blood taken by the heart increases and the volume of the heart per minute also increases. The amount of the blood pumped per minute by a heart under a load can be increased to a level of 35-40 liters in well trained sportsmen.

2. As a result of the trainings, a period of evolution, thickening and strengthtening which is also called as “hypertrophy” is observed in the heart. Due to this improvement, the blood pumped by the heart is distri buted inside the organism in a much more powerful way.

The effects of the swimming on the respiratory system

The respiratory system whose main function is providing oxygen for the blood and taking the carbondioxide from the blood, starts from the mouth and nose and ends in the lungs. The air taken from the mouth and nose comes to the lungs through a tube called “trachea” which makes the transmission of the air possible. There is 14-15 % oxygen and 4.9.-6.9 % carbondioxide in the air transmitted to the lungs and settled in the alveols (air sacks) existing within the structure of the lungs. Gas transmission occurs between the capillary vessels and the alveols intensely covered by these capillary vessels. The gas transmission is made by diffusion.

For example; while the rich blood from the carbondioxide coming to the lungs inside the veins, passes into the alveols, the existing oxygen passes to the blood.

The oxygen bounded hemoglobin molecules which are coming to the tissues in Erytrocyte, give their oxygen to the active tissues. This transmission is described as follows: The organism needs more oxygen during the training sessions. Parallel to this increase; the circulatory and respiratory systems which will satisfy this need will have to demonstrate a physical adaption to this situation. When the tissues need more oxygen, both the amount of the oxygen taken in the organism by the respiratory system and the activities of the circulatory system which will carry this oxygen to the tissues will also increase inevitably.

The effects of the swimming on the nervous system

The swimming sport is one of the most important sports which has effects on the nervous system of the body as we can move all parts of our body while swimming. The effects on our nervous system occur when the sense organs are activated during all trainings related with sports. In this respect, our sense organs and nervous system operate in an integrated way. To sum up, it is widely known by the people that, our nervous system and our sense organs operate in unison during all our lifetime.
The feelings of lassitude or liveliness you feel in each training in water shows that your nervous system calms down indeed.

The “calming down” feeling when you are taking a shower or your liveliness after the swimming exercises are the factors emerging as a result of the resting of our nervous system. The condition of the platforms where you go into training , the quality of your trainer and your happines in the place where you are trained are also the other factors which help the resting of your nervous system.
It is known that following behaviours are observed in people pursuant to the “calming down” feeling after the swimming trainings;

-The self-confidence of the individual increases ,
- His/her fears are disappeared,
- His/her adaptation for a work he/she will do increases and his/her attention distracts less,
- The swimming sport which is hard branch of sports disciplines people, people became more scheduled.,
- The people dealing with the swimming sport are more active and succesful in their normal life,
- They are good and reliable individuals within the society.