Swimming resistance training is becoming more popular as a low-impact way to build strength and stay fit. If you or a loved one is living with muscular dystrophy, a rare condition that weakens muscles over time, you may be wondering if swimming resistance exercises can help maintain muscle function.

In this article, we’ll explore what the research says, discuss possible benefits and risks, and offer tips for how to safely incorporate swimming-based resistance training into a care plan for muscular dystrophy.

What Is Swimming Resistance Training?

Swimming resistance training, also known as aquatic resistance training, is strength training that you do in a swimming pool (as opposed to aerobic training). In this type of training, the water itself creates natural resistance. As you move your body weight through the water, you have to push the water out of the way. This movement helps swimmers gain strength.

Some people use special tools for muscle strength training in the pool. For example, they might wear gloves with webbing between the fingers, called hand webs, or hand paddles to increase resistance. Others use hand webs or water weights designed to build muscle while in the pool.

People sometimes do these strength training exercises in a circuit. For this, you might do a certain number of repetitions (or reps) of an exercise, then switch to the next. Most of these exercises focus on the upper body, but it’s possible to work the legs and lower body this way, too.

Other tools like kickboards, pool noodles, or drag devices (which trail behind you as you move) can also be used to make the exercises more challenging. All of these help increase resistance in a safe, low-impact way.

Swimming Resistance Training and Muscular Dystrophy

Doctors often recommend exercise or regular physical activity for people diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. But it’s also very important not to push yourself too hard and never put in your maximum effort, which could cause additional damage to your muscles. To avoid this complication, people with muscular dystrophy should avoid high-intensity exercise, whether they are doing aerobic exercise or weightlifting.

Any exercise, including swimming resistance training, should be done with care. It’s impossible to say whether swimming resistance training is safe or helpful for every person with muscular dystrophy. Every person is different, and muscular dystrophy comes in many forms. Also, there isn’t yet a lot of research on how resistance training in the water affects people with this rare condition. In fact, doctors haven’t specifically laid out any exercise recommendations for people with muscular dystrophy. Here’s what we know so far.

Swimming and Muscular Dystrophy

Swimming by itself is generally recommended for people with muscular dystrophy, even for those with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), one of the more severe types. Swimming has a number of health benefits:

• It’s low impact, meaning it puts less pressure on the joints, different muscle groups, and bones.
• It helps you practice breathing, which can support lung function.
• It offers light resistance from moving through the water.
• It can be a fun social activity.

Pools specifically designed for therapy are called aquatic therapy pools. These are usually warmer than regular pools, which offers several benefits for people with muscular dystrophy. The warm water can help keep muscles supple and improve blood flow to the muscles. It can also reduce pain and make it easier to move than on land.

Most water exercises recommended for muscular dystrophy focus on gentle movement, stretching, and breathing — not resistance. That doesn’t mean resistance training is always a bad idea for someone with muscular dystrophy, but it does mean it should be done only with the guidance of a medical professional who understands your specific type and health needs.

Resistance Training and Muscular Dystrophy

Scientists are still learning how resistance training affects people with muscular dystrophy. One study found that resistance or weight training didn’t help people with muscular dystrophy build strength or build muscle. However, it did help them walk farther and longer than they could before their exercise program. So, while resistance training may not increase muscle size or strength, it could help keep the strength they still have and prevent them from shrinking by keeping them active.

With that said, low-resistance exercise is usually recommended for people with muscular dystrophy. That doesn’t mean resistance training is completely off-limits. It just means that resistance training needs to be done very carefully and under the guidance of a medical professional. A physical therapist who specializes in working with people with muscular dystrophy is often the best person to help. They can make sure you’re safe when doing resistance training, show you the right way to do exercises, and help you understand what “low resistance” means for your body.

One important thing to keep in mind is to avoid exercises that involve a lot of eccentric muscle movements. These are movements that focus on lengthening a muscle while it’s working, like when you do squats or lunges. This kind of muscle movement can cause more muscle damage than other types of resistance training. Your healthcare provider can help you figure out which types of exercises are best for you so you don’t risk hurting your muscles.

Is Swimming Resistance Training Safe With Muscular Dystrophy?

There’s no way to say whether swimming resistance training is safe for you. Swimming resistance training might be safe for some people with muscular dystrophy but not for others. Only a member of your healthcare team who knows your specific condition can tell you if it’s a good choice for you. Adding resistance training to swimming changes how hard your muscles have to work and raises safety questions that only a medical professional can answer.

That said, there are some general signs that a workout may be too much for your body. If you notice any of the following issues while doing swimming resistance training or any other type of exercise, you should stop right away and talk to a healthcare provider before trying it again:

• You feel completely worn out or exhausted.
• You don’t take breaks or rest during your workout.
• The exercise causes pain.
• You’re using incorrect posture or body position.
• The exercises focus on lengthening the muscle (like squats or lunges).

Also, if you feel extreme tiredness or fatigue after exercising that affects the rest of your day or how you feel the next day, that’s a sign you may be doing too much. It’s important to listen to your body, rest when needed, and talk to your care team to find the right kind of movement for you.

Your healthcare provider or physical or occupational therapist can help you make adaptations to different exercises so make sure they still work for you. Don’t push through, as this can damage or weaken your muscles.

Talk to Your Doctor

Talk to your healthcare provider before starting any new exercise programs. People with muscular dystrophy have different needs, depending on factors like the type of muscular dystrophy they have, how far it has progressed, and what symptoms they’re dealing with.

Instead of taking general advice, make sure you get advice tailored to you and your body. That way, you can exercise with confidence, knowing you’re benefiting your body and not harming your muscles in any way.

It’s also a good idea to keep checking in with your provider as you go. That way, they can monitor how your body responds, make changes to your exercise plan if needed, and help you avoid overtraining.

Find Your Team

On myMDteam, the site for people with muscular dystrophy and their loved ones, members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with muscular dystrophy.

Have you used swimming resistance training with muscular dystrophy? What other exercises do you do? Share your experiences in the comments below or by posting to your Activities page.