swimmig and weightloss

TAG1219

Hi


Does swimming help lose weight. I added swimming to my workout i swim about 4 times a week for 30-45 minutes doing laps stopping to rest for 2 to 3 minutes . Im hoping it will help w belly fat and toning. I just started last week.

galgenstrick

It will help burn calories. It won't specifically help with belly fat, there's no way to target certain fat areas. But if you're in a caloric deficit, and swimming helps you keep your deficit, you'll lose weight.

yesimpson

Swimming was the first exercise I picked up when I decided to get fitter and lose weight. It will help to burn calories and increase your fitness, but you need to watch your calorie intake too. Swimming makes me much hungrier than other exercises do for the number of calories burnt.

No exercise can spot reduce fat, but the water provides resistance which makes it a good general workout for most large muscle groups in your body.

terbusha

Swimming is a great cardio workout with almost no stress on the body that will help you to burn more calories. I would caution you to be sure that your nutrition is on point though. You cannot out-exericse a bad diet. Keep appropriate calorie and macro goals while working hard with exercise and you'll make some great progress. Also, keep the intensity of your workouts up. Push yourself hard. It's much more effective.

harpsdesire

Swimming is a good way to burn calories and puts less stress on your joints than something like running that's high impact.

smr09012

It'll help tone, but it won't do all of the work itself.

How vigorously are you swimming? I know that when I'm in the pool I see people "swimming laps" that are barely floating along. Not insinuating that's you, but I can't imagine how that would produce any real results.

azulvioleta6

smr09012 wrote: »

How vigorously are you swimming? I know that when I'm in the pool I see people "swimming laps" that are barely floating along. Not insinuating that's you, but I can't imagine how that would produce any real results.

Yep, time and distance make a BIG difference.

I swim three or four miles a week. I can do a backstroke mile (5,280 feet, not a swimmers mile...72 lengths in my pool) in just over 30 minutes. That kind of thing will certainly burn calories. Just futzing along for 30 minutes...not so much.

Bshmerlie

I tend to go faster when there is someone else in the pool next to me doing laps as well. I'm so competitive.

earlnabby

TAG1219 wrote: »

Hi


Does swimming help lose weight. I added swimming to my workout i swim about 4 times a week for 30-45 minutes doing laps stopping to rest for 2 to 3 minutes . Im hoping it will help w belly fat and toning. I just started last week.

Swimming is one of the best exercises you can do. It burns calories, is great cardio, works most of the large muscles in the body, is a great strengthening exercise, and is good on the joints. Unfortunately, it does not target belly fat. you will lose fat where your body decides it wants to lose it from. I love my pool time. I swim 60 minutes 3 times a week, then go straight from that into a water aerobics class for another 50 minutes. Yes. I am pooped by the end.

smr09012

azulvioleta6 wrote: »

I swim three or four miles a week. I can do a backstroke mile (5,280 feet, not a swimmers mile...72 lengths in my pool) in just over 30 minutes. That kind of thing will certainly burn calories. Just futzing along for 30 minutes...not so much.

That's an awesome time!! I do a real mile, too, but it takes me about 48min. Hoping to get under 40 by the end of the summer (and without stopping!).

kshama2001

I lose weight the fastest when I swim regularly. I can't tolerate chlorine, and hope that this weekend the water in the pond will be warm enough for swimming.

I alternate strokes - crawl, which I can only do for a short time, backstroke, which is a medium, and breast stroke, which I can do forever.

earlnabby

kshama2001 wrote: »

I lose weight the fastest when I swim regularly. I can't tolerate chlorine, and hope that this weekend the water in the pond will be warm enough for swimming.

I alternate strokes - crawl, which I can only do for a short time, backstroke, which is a medium, and breast stroke, which I can do forever.

The lap pool at my fitness center is a saline pool so the additional chemicals are at a minimum. I love it!

azulvioleta6

smr09012 wrote: »

azulvioleta6 wrote: »

I swim three or four miles a week. I can do a backstroke mile (5,280 feet, not a swimmers mile...72 lengths in my pool) in just over 30 minutes. That kind of thing will certainly burn calories. Just futzing along for 30 minutes...not so much.

That's an awesome time!! I do a real mile, too, but it takes me about 48min. Hoping to get under 40 by the end of the summer (and without stopping!).

Thanks! I swim like the wind!

When I first stared, it took me an hour to do 20 or 30 lengths. That's the great thing about swimming...you can really measure your progress over time.

PeachyCarol

For people who aren't so good at swimming but want some of the benefits of water exercise like being easy on the joints and nice calorie burns due to the added resistance of the water, does anyone mind if I add a shout out in the thread for water jogging?

I'm not a good swimmer, but I do love to water jog. The burn isn't quite what swimming gives, but done correctly, it's still a great workout for a lot of the body.

kshama2001

earlnabby wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

I lose weight the fastest when I swim regularly. I can't tolerate chlorine, and hope that this weekend the water in the pond will be warm enough for swimming.

I alternate strokes - crawl, which I can only do for a short time, backstroke, which is a medium, and breast stroke, which I can do forever.

The lap pool at my fitness center is a saline pool so the additional chemicals are at a minimum. I love it!

Ya, my Y in Florida was saline-cleaned but not any of the gyms up here.