by Landon Hillyard

Created on: September 22, 2010

This an age old debate that really only has two factors to consider, convenience and quality. Convenience being the question, of do you really wants to go down to the pool, get wet, have itchy skin the rest of the day, and smell like chlorine. Or would you rather throw you tennis shoes on and go for a jog.

There is no debate on whether or not swimming is better for you than running. The list goes on and on with factors like, low impact, full body development and lung efficiency. Given you don’t get nearly the work out on the legs while swimming as you would a run, but I think that’s a tradeoff for not having achy knees at 50 years old. The same could also be argued for swimming though. I have swam competitively for the past 8 years and have had to have my fair share of shoulders iced because of tendonitis. All and all in the end I believe swimming is better for the physical body, after all physical rehab rarely includes a jog and often includes pool therapy. Think about it.

In reality the only solution is to mix the two activities together. Running once to twice a week probably will be just fine for your knees and joints, and swimming two times a week most likely will be ok for your shoulders. While I have been on the swim team at my university, I have noticed just how much running and leg work we do outside the pool. He is a professional that wouldn’t make the mistake of missing out on pool time just to go run some stairs. He knows how crucial it is to have a full body development. Inversely we swimmers get the humors opportunity to watch the track team come in and try to swim. Their coach also realizes how important and how much of an asset the pool can be.

If someone were to ask me, which is better out of swimming and running, I would say neither. They both have their purposes. That’s like saying, which is better, a train or a plane? The answer is nether, one can travel long distances quickly while the other can carry heavy loads. Each has a purpose and each needs to utilize. The same applies to swimming and running. You won’t get the benefits of swimming without swimming and you won’t get the benefits of running without running. 

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