As the Olympics wrap up this week, it’s hard not to feel an immense sense of pride in the US Olympic athletes and all they have achieved. One of the big highlights has certainly been the incredible performance turned in to Michael Phelps. With 28 medals to his credit spanning five Olympics. (Many don’t realize he actually competed in the Sydney games in 2000 at 15 years old—the only Olympics that didn’t end in a medal for him.)

As you reflect on his amazing career, it’s hard to not also notice the amazing physique all those years of swimming has produced. Hopefully watching this round of competition makes us all realize it’s never too late to work on getting our body in better shape.

Using a swim spa for your exercise regimen is clearly a terrific method for a vigorous all over body workout. It can work many muscles differently than normal weight training will, producing a lean physique and burning calories in a big way. Here are four well known swimming strokes that you can do in your swim spa to burn a good amount of calories, shed some excess body fat, and create a sharp lean physique like an Olympic swimmer!

• The Breaststroke: The breaststroke will give your leg muscles a good workout due to the circular motion. While it does burn fewer calories, you can burn up to 400 calories in an hour.
• The Backstroke: This will require less effort than a breaststroke, mainly due to the fact that most of your body weight gets supported through floating on your back. This exercise will help you shed about 500 calories per hour.
• The Freestyle (or Front Crawl): This exercise stimulates the most muscles. And, now you’re getting some good calorie burn—up to 600 calories in an hour.
• The Butterfly: Surprise! This is Michael Phelps tour de force and, naturally, also burns the highest number of calories. It is also one of the most difficult strokes to perform technically correct. The hard work, however, will burn up to 900 calories in an hour!

Ready to swim like an Olympian? (Or, if not, at least get your body in terrific shape?) Check out our entire line of Hydropool Swim Spas (http://oregonoldsite.wpengine.com/swim-spas) and get your fitness goals in sight. Maybe there’s an Olympic competition in your future too!