Does swimming really not helpy you loose weight?

rachelburton28

I've just read whilst looking through the message boards that swimming isn't a good way to loose weight?

I was counting on going swimming a couple of days a week as part of my new excercise regime, as i love swimming and excercise really isn't my thing normally so i thought it would be a great way to loose weight?

I normally have a 20min walk everyday aswell, but i'm struggling to find another type of workout that i enjoy and feel motivated for!

HELP!!

Is there anyway way i can use swimming to help me loose weight?

kate205gti

i swim 2/3 times a week and my heart rate definately goes up! it doesnt burn as much calories compared to running, etc.. but it still burns some and its still exercise which all counts :bigsmile:

Ms_Natalie

Swimming is a great work out! It burns quite a few calories as you are using many different muscles! I would definately stick to your plan...exercise is exercise afterall :flowerforyou:

You may find that you start to feel like you want to do more exercise after a while..even buying a workout dvd like the 30Day Shred will work wonders...plus, it's only 20minutes long!

Good Luck :flowerforyou:

FireRox21

It depends on the intensity of your swimming. If you are just floating along with a noodle, you will not burn that many calories. If you do a moderate pace non-stop swim for 30-40 minutes, you will maintain a steady heartrate and burn more fat calories. Your best bet is to buy a HRM that works in the pool to monitor your HR and see how many calories you burn. The calories burned per hour on MFP is over by about 20%.

indianajonex

I'm a swimmer too!
I find it easier as well, an d I combine it with water aerobics, walking... I have a bad knee, so swimming is fine for me cause there is no impact at all.
I simply stay for an hour in the pool, make 100 laps (its a 25 metres pool) and counter cals says thats around 400 cals. I finish so tired, I believe it!
So keep going with that mix swimming walking. If you don't feel toned, add 2 little bottles of water to your hands while you walk, and pump!. It'll do miracles to your biceps and chest.
See you!
Jane.

AdventureVia

I think you probably found my post about swimming. Let me help clear things up a bit.
I've been teaching aquatics for over 13 years and I've been an Aquatics Director for the last 6, so I love swimming. I live in the water. I can outswim most of my patrons and I can swim fast and hard for miles but I am most definitely a fatty. It's been really helpful switching over to running though as I already have a fairly solid cardio system from swimming.

This is what I tell people who come to the pool looking to lose weight, add something more. I've watched the pool perform minor miracles for people with arthritis, ms, bad joints, hip surgeries, and lots of other ailments but in all the years I've been working at pools I've never met anyone who lost any significant amount of weight through swimming alone. It will build your cardio system and it is a great exercise for low impact exercises but to swim at the level needed for serious caloric burn, you need to join a Masters program. The same way people have workout sets for the gym, you need to have at the pool.

If you are totally set on swimming being your primary mode of exercise than let me know in a Private Message and I can help you with some starting workouts to get you going but seriously consider strength training or an elliptical to help you reach your goals and then use swimming to help you maintain it.

dj_stevie_c

Swimming is great, it burns a lot of calories and works different muscle groups, I would say front crawl or backstroke don't use 'butterfly' especially if you have back issues as it can cause problems.

As for losing weight, it's as good as most other methods of cardio with the bonus it's low impact and works more muscle groups

CHANGES4ME

what more can i tell u, all these mfp's r rite!! i go 2 the gym at least 3 tymes a wk... i swim laps, do weight liftin in the vortex; swim laps in the pool.... i burn any where from 500 - 1500 calories dependin on what i am doin..... swim on mermaid......

dj_stevie_c

Just to clarify what I said.

I don't think 'just swimming' is a good way to lose weight either, instead it should be mixed in with other workouts. But as a low impact exercise there's not much better and mixing in a good swim with everything else is just as good as spending one day running, one day cycling

Plus if you're a bit achey at the end of a week I find a good swim so refreshing!

heyzoos

No.

What helps you lose weight is taking in less calories than you expend. See law of thermodynamics.

The amount of calories that novices or even intermediately fit people can burn in any exercise is limited, including swimming.

To put it bluntly you are not capable of burning a significant amount through intense exercise of any kind, unless you are consistently, training intensely.

Exercise is not the significant factor in your ability to lose weight, unless you are a highly trained athlete. Your caloric intake and output is.

alantin

But exercise helps you minimize muscle loss during the weight loss program as well as maintain a higher calorie diet to help include all necessary vitamins and minerals into it so it definitely is a part of any healthy weight loss program.

Well.. It's a part of any healthy lifestyle for that matter!

Swimming is a very good exercise because it includes so many different muscle groups!

NatalieWinning

I think you probably found my post about swimming. Let me help clear things up a bit.
I've been teaching aquatics for over 13 years and I've been an Aquatics Director for the last 6, so I love swimming. I live in the water. I can outswim most of my patrons and I can swim fast and hard for miles but I am most definitely a fatty. It's been really helpful switching over to running though as I already have a fairly solid cardio system from swimming.

This is what I tell people who come to the pool looking to lose weight, add something more. I've watched the pool perform minor miracles for people with arthritis, ms, bad joints, hip surgeries, and lots of other ailments but in all the years I've been working at pools I've never met anyone who lost any significant amount of weight through swimming alone. It will build your cardio system and it is a great exercise for low impact exercises but to swim at the level needed for serious caloric burn, you need to join a Masters program. The same way people have workout sets for the gym, you need to have at the pool.

If you are totally set on swimming being your primary mode of exercise than let me know in a Private Message and I can help you with some starting workouts to get you going but seriously consider strength training or an elliptical to help you reach your goals and then use swimming to help you maintain it.

I've heard this most of my life, too. Most athletic swimmers are rounder, though still lean, not like runners who are "cut" and lean. My opinion is it's exercise, and something that can go on into your older age despite the body getting older. So it's all good! The loosing weight part might have to include more than swimming. But exercise it still is! And that's part of keeping active to keep fit for life, which is my goal.

amycal

Someone I work with was quite thin and I thought looked great but she wanted to tone her mid-section more and started swimming - it worked for her. She lost several inches in her torso and was very happy with the definition she achieved in her abs.

I have heard that swimming actually burns more calories because your body has to work harder to stay warm (unless you are in a really warm pool). I now it makes me really hungry though so I would probably eat back way more than I burned off!

batty5

Due to health issues swimming or deep water exercise is the only type of exercise I can do. I can't walk for very long so imagine what trying to run would do for me! I have been swimming regularly during recovery from back surgery & have been trying to lose weight since June. My journey is slow but I spend an hour in the pool several times per week & change my routine every few weeks, so some swimming as fast as I can & some exercise. I bought some fabulous exercise equipment for this purpose too & I lost inches long before the weight started to come off so am not as wobbly for my weight as I could be. The added bonus is my arthritis flares up less now too. So far I have lost 3" from top & same from my bottom & 7" from my waist. Good luck & most of all enjoy your swim.

THISisTARRAN

I was actually wondering the same thing. I usually swim laps when I swim for exercise, but I'm not the fastest swimmer. I do know that it works all the muscles, so I'm sure it is great for working out.

FireRox21

I have heard that swimming actually burns more calories because your body has to work harder to stay warm (unless you are in a really warm pool). I now it makes me really hungry though so I would probably eat back way more than I burned off!

Not true at all. The amount of calories burned are related to your heartrate range. I have been a United States Masters swimmer for 13 years and my daily workouts are US Masters intense workouts. Yet, I am 40lbs overweight. I know this is directly related to the fact that I cannot do any other type of cardio or strength training exercise due to my RA. My cardio/stamina is phenomenal and like another poster said, I can swim for miles and miles without fatigue, yet I am still fat.

Yes, swimming is a great exercise but in order to lose weight and burn calories, you must mix it up with other cardio activites, weight/strength training and always be mindful of calories in/calories out.

schnarfo

I think you probably found my post about swimming. Let me help clear things up a bit.
I've been teaching aquatics for over 13 years and I've been an Aquatics Director for the last 6, so I love swimming. I live in the water. I can outswim most of my patrons and I can swim fast and hard for miles but I am most definitely a fatty. It's been really helpful switching over to running though as I already have a fairly solid cardio system from swimming.

This is what I tell people who come to the pool looking to lose weight, add something more. I've watched the pool perform minor miracles for people with arthritis, ms, bad joints, hip surgeries, and lots of other ailments but in all the years I've been working at pools I've never met anyone who lost any significant amount of weight through swimming alone. It will build your cardio system and it is a great exercise for low impact exercises but to swim at the level needed for serious caloric burn, you need to join a Masters program. The same way people have workout sets for the gym, you need to have at the pool.


If you are totally set on swimming being your primary mode of exercise than let me know in a Private Message and I can help you with some starting workouts to get you going but seriously consider strength training or an elliptical to help you reach your goals and then use swimming to help you maintain it.

I was a competitive swimmer as a kid and when I tried to get back into swimming in my early 20s (im only 26 now...) i found it impossible to find a masters program. There was only one I knew of in the area it was just a little too far away from me to get to. I find swimming boring on my own without the team and the coach to push me. I can make my own sets and follow them but its just not the same as being at a proper training session and I dont feel like I put the same effort in on my own.

LotusF1ower

I've just read whilst looking through the message boards that swimming isn't a good way to loose weight?

I was counting on going swimming a couple of days a week as part of my new excercise regime, as i love swimming and excercise really isn't my thing normally so i thought it would be a great way to loose weight?

I normally have a 20min walk everyday aswell, but i'm struggling to find another type of workout that i enjoy and feel motivated for!

HELP!!

Is there anyway way i can use swimming to help me loose weight?

ANY exercise is good as part of a calorie controlled eating regime.

Let's say you swim breaststroke for an hour, that will burn approximately 600 calories.

As long as you take in less calories than you use up daily, you will lose weight, that is a cast-iron fact.

There is not one exercise on this planet that will make you lose weight, however, all exercise, in whatever form, will burn the calories and if, as I stated above, you take in less calories than you burn daily, the weight will fall.

FireRox21

A great site to get organized workouts based on your input is www.swimplan.com

You can enter in your stats (height, weight, HR, etc.), what type of workout you want to do (light, moderate, hard), what strokes you want to do (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle...or all of them ), and what kind of equipment you want to use (pull bouy, paddles, fins, kickboard, etc.). This site is free and will give you a great swim team type organized workout. Since I am a member of US Masters, I get my workouts from Masters coaches that are really challenging and fun.

I am in So Cal and there are lots of Masters teams out here, but I don't have reliable transportation or the money to join a team. Plus, I am a solitary worker. I don't like sharing my lane and just don't have the confidence to swim with a team.

schnarfo

A great site to get organized workouts based on your input is www.swimplan.com

You can enter in your stats (height, weight, HR, etc.), what type of workout you want to do (light, moderate, hard), what strokes you want to do (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle...or all of them ), and what kind of equipment you want to use (pull bouy, paddles, fins, kickboard, etc.). This site is free and will give you a great swim team type organized workout. Since I am a member of US Masters, I get my workouts from Masters coaches that are really challenging and fun.

I am in So Cal and there are lots of Masters teams out here, but I don't have reliable transportation or the money to join a team. Plus, I am a solitary worker. I don't like sharing my lane and just don't have the confidence to swim with a team.

I have also used that website in the past and I can also agree that its a good site to get sets from

rachelburton28

Thanks for all the help guys!
went for a swim last night for about 45 mins and felt great after it, i think i will carry on with cutting my calorie intake but find another type of workout for the days i'm not swimming, like maybe hill walking or jogging, something to liven up my daily walk!
Wish me luck!!

ripplesofaqua18

I apologize in advance for my (somewhat) rambling...

I'm a competitive swimmer, and I swim on my own at the YMCA when I'm out of my season. I think part of the reason that swimming doesn't help everyone burn calories, is that you need to swim fast, and long to really burn calories. At the YMCA, I've noticed so many people go to the pool, stay in there for an hour, but only get at most 20 laps in (1 lap being once across the pool). While this is good exercise, and is good for back joints/muscles, it's not enough to really burn tons of calories.

The tricky thing about swimming is that it is so so dependant on your technique. While humans are natural walkers/runners, we are not natural swimmers. In order to swim at the level needed to really burn calories (rotary breathing, flip turns help, strong kick for at least the freestyle) it takes a lot of practice. Also, the pool is only 25yds (50 if you're lucky) long. For someone who's not a great swimmer, just doing 4 laps is an effort, but it wont burn tons of calories, because its still a short distance. If you want to use swimming to burn calories, you DEFINITELY need to make sure you have solid technique in at least the freestyle (while it burns less than butterfly, its better than breaststroke and backstroke and is easier to learn and go fast with). It also takes a lot of effort in the pool (more than running - I know, I did track too) to really get your heart rate up. When you run you have to push your body against gravity, while in the pool you are essentially weightless, which is easier on your heart.

[Incidentally, this is also why swimmers tend not to be as lean as runners. We still burn tons of calories during training, but most of us are pigs, and we eat TONS of food (my high school team called themselves the eating team - think Michael Phelps). Our weight doesn't make a ton of difference (and actually fat floats, which is an advantage), and we have larger muscles in our upper bodies, because we use our backs and arms. Runners have to push off against gravity, so every extra pound slows them down. They want to be as lean as possible, so they pay close attention to their diet and exact weight. They don't want the big upper body muscles, because it adds weight.]

However, once you get the technique down and get used to pushing yourself mentally (I find that the mental aspect of swimming is actually the hardest - it's easy to get bored, slow down, or think that the pool is longer than it is), swimming can burn more calories that a lot of other exercises, because you use your entire body. This past season, I had 2 hour swim workouts 6-7 days a week. In one workout (between 200 & 240 laps, which I know most people would consider a lot, but once you get your heart up to it, I find it easier than running 3 miles) I would burn from 1,300 to 1,500 calories. Just doing swimming, I lost 12 pounds in less thank 6 weeks. Swimming CAN burn calories if you stay in the pool long enough (at least 1 hour) and push yourself.

Sorry that was so long.... and best of luck to any swimmers

magenta4c

I have lost many kilos with swimming. It's about the calorie control afterwards and not to be tempted to dig in after a good workout. Swimming makes hungry. Interestingly I read that the hunger is related to water temperature. Even thoug I like colder pools better for workout, I have to say that the warmer water at my current pool seems to make a difference in hunger. Just as I read it.



I havent been working out for almost 3 years and had horrible back pains for month. I resumed swimming a week ago and my back pain is gone altogether. I am the heaviest I have ever been, but i managed the very first training to finish an hour and now after 4 swim sessions i actually managed to surprise myself with 90 laps. I usually dont count the laps. Want to have my head clear and relax during workout, so i was surprised that I actually managed 2.2km. Thinking of getting one of those finger clickers/lap counters now...

swimming
My hubby is having a hard time getting back into his routine. He's tired after 10 laps.

synchrohobbit

ripplesofaqua18 said it all. It is just much easier for people to take up running then take up swimming, so it might be easier to burn more calories since you can go longer and harder on land. For me, since I have never been a runner and always been a swimmer, I can do way more in the pool. As you get to be a better swimmer (i.e. more efficient) you will burn less calories for each length of the pool because you are not using as much effort, but you will also be swimming more in less time. There is definitely a difference in how hungry you feel after swimming vs. doing a land workout, and I just read a journal article about it recently but can't remember exactly what it was. I know there is a difference in serum glucose levels after each, and there will be a difference in how energy is expended because of oxygen consumption. Basically, as long as you are aware of how much you are eating after you swim, it should be a great way to lose weight.

gem2411

I have to agree with the other posters about keeping the calorie control - I lost about 25 pounds a couple of years ago and the only exercise i did was swimming 3 to 4 times a week, each time swimming about a mile (usually took me 30 to 45 mins). However I was also logging all my food intake and keeping my total net calorie intake to the level to allow weight loss at a pound a week. It worked a treat.
Unfortunately last year I broke my ankle and piled all the weight back on while immobile, so just starting all over again now! But swimming is a great exercise - I would recommend it over running as it doesn't wreck your knees and you get great toned muscles all over. When swimming regularly i always have a lovely flat stomach!

billsica

.No, there isn't. Only a calorie deficit can help with weight loss.

Why does your workout need to be related to weight loss? Why not work out for the enjoyment of it in of itself.

jim9097

Complete and total nonsense.. Exercise is exercis.. Whether you do it in the water or out the benefits are present. Swimming may actually provide more benefit because it forces you to engage many more muscle groups that say running or biking. Not to mention it is low impact...

spoiledpuppies

Not sure about weight loss/calorie burn, but when I'm in a good swimming routine, I tend to like how my body looks. It just seems to use the right muscles to stretch things out to give me a leaner look.

KyleB65

No.

What helps you lose weight is taking in less calories than you expend. See law of thermodynamics.

The amount of calories that novices or even intermediately fit people can burn in any exercise is limited, including swimming.

To put it bluntly you are not capable of burning a significant amount through intense exercise of any kind, unless you are consistently, training intensely.

Exercise is not the significant factor in your ability to lose weight, unless you are a highly trained athlete. Your caloric intake and output is.

Ditto!

Exercise of all kinds great for building fitness. Run, walk, swim, bike, dance, etc, etc, etc!

Want to lose weight? Focus on what you eat!

Do not mus-interpret! Everyone needs some combination of both, proper eating and exercise! But, if you are at the beginning of a weight loss journey? Focus on getting your eating under control. Exercise is a must! But, the first and hardest element is unlearning past bad eating habits and the new process of learning how to fuel your body properly.

spirit05

I have bad knees and used to only do nordic walking for an hour - burned about 275 cal.
Now I hit the pool and do water jogging, squats, and Chris Powell's HIIT, modified for the pool of course. In 30 min. I burn about 600 cal.

IMHO the pool is great for burning calories!

gracielynn1011

I don't know about you but I would count swimming as exercise. When I've swam several laps around the pool or the lake, I'm tired and my muscles have definitely worked. It doesn't have as high a calorie burn, but for overall fitness it is good.