Anyone use Swimming as main exercise?

NeuroticVirgo

How effective is swimming as exercise?

I'm thinking about joining a gym my husbands company has a contract with ($35/month for a family pass...can't beat that). But the thing is...its a really small local gym. So it doesn't have a lot of variety on machines or weights. Only cardio machines were treadmills, ellipticals, & Recumbent Bikes...about 4 of each machine. And in the weight room was mostly different hand weights and pull up bars etc...no weight machines.

But it does have a pool & a jacuzzi (which I swear is the only reason why my husband wants to join, so he can lounge in the hot tub! lol).

So just from the amount of options, I would probably do most of my work outs there in the pool. And I've heard it "technically" burns a lot of calories, but not fat. Or something like that.

Part of me would rather save the $, and just suck it up with 30 day shred or something if it will be more effective in the long run.

So I guess my question is about how good swimming is for exercise AND opinions on if its worth the money to join this gym. :0/

Thanks!

GypsyRose25

I can see swimming being an excellent way to burn fat while toning muscles. But that's just me. I'm interested to see what other people think!

fastbelly

Swimming is one of the most complete exercises you can do as it involves all the major muscle groups. Its also a very low impact exercise that doesn't put any strain on your joints. So if you can, swimming is probably the best you can get for exercising.

amysuemartin718

I've been doing swimming for most of my swimming and I think it's a good workout.

atomdraco

Anything motivate you, keep you happy and keep workout. Don't see why not. Just keep in mind that swimming is cardio type workout, make sure get your weight training (2-3 time) a week as well. Good luck

srp2011

I'm curious too - I just started swimming laps every morning, and it seems like it a really, really good exercise - much more strenuous than running (I run 3-4 miles several times a week) without the wear and tear on the joints. I can't imagine that burning all those calories doesn't burn fat - and I've heard it's one of the best weight loss exercises. It also works the whole body, so great for toning up all over - I know I feel it everywhere when I'm finished. I took my measurements when I started, so I'm really curious to see if it will help me reshape and lose a bit faster.

pocomama

I swim almost daily and it must be doing something! But I also walk a few miles a day , do the Shred a few times a week and am trying the C25k. Everything together is working. I swam laps for an hour today and am totally feeling it.

laurad8911

swimming is great for fitness and toning but terrible for weight loss

NeuroticVirgo

Anyone been consistently swimming and lost a bit of weight? I tried google before asking this (because google apparently knows all...lol)....and a lot of articles I found say its terrible for weight loss. But I think about how much your using your body and it just doesn't make sense! So I was hoping to get some peoples experiences who use swimming as their main exercise.

fastbelly

swimming is great for fitness and toning but terrible for weight loss

I have to disagree, swimming is great for weight loss and will help you tone and increase aerobical capacity too. Depends on what you do and how you do it though. A few years back I lost over 50lbs just swimming and in pretty short period of time, so it must help for sure.

Lleldiranne

Swimming laps is a great exercise, both as cardio (you're going pretty constantly, you might not realize how much it gives you a workout because of controlled breathing) and as toning (water = resistance!!). But it doesn't help much with bone density - add some regular weights or medium impact activity outside the pool once is a while to help there.

Check out swimming laps in the exercise section, it'll give you a pretty good idea of what you would burn doing that.

fastbelly

Anyone been consistently swimming and lost a bit of weight? I tried google before asking this (because google apparently knows all...lol)....and a lot of articles I found say its terrible for weight loss. But I think about how much your using your body and it just doesn't make sense! So I was hoping to get some peoples experiences who use swimming as their main exercise.

It really depends on how you swim, if you swim slowly and don't make too much effort and increase your heart rate you won't loose much, however if you put effort and try to continuosly beat your times or distances I'm pretty sure you'll see great results.

laurad8911

I was a swimmer in high school, love swimming but dont even think of it as something that will ever help me with pure weight issues. Its strange. It has a different affect on your appetite than other exercise, Ive read some articles that say this is because the water temperature makes your body temperature drop and your body freaks out and wants food....all day...more. I never gained weight from swimming but I was swimming 1.5 hrs a day plus an hr of land training at the time and the scale would nOT budge down. Proportionately I was not eating that much either. It makes you ravenous. I also think somehting about the resistance on your whole body at once just makes your body want to pack on muscle immediately..which isnt bad...just doesnt help with weight. Its really great to tone, again, i was in the best shape of my life when I swam, but dont expect to have frustration with weight if you decide to use it as your main exercise. Ive tried it as exercise for weight loss on more moderate terms as well and watching what I ate and it did not work out. Everyones different who know s it could work for you but everyone Ive talkd to about it seems to agree with me so far. Good luck!

xraychick77

take advantage of them all..its is pretty cheap for a family.
remember its good to switch things up too..swimming is good, as it works your entire body. and there is the extra resistance from the water. now depending on how good you are, or how much endurance you have will determine the effectiveness of the workout.

Janelle_Teaches

I wold love to know too! I love swimming....but it's more of a fun thing to do rather then a workout..so I worry I'm not working out ! lol! For those that do swim as a workout..what do you do? Laps free style? a whole lot of doggie paddling? treading water?

NeuroticVirgo

I wold love to know too! I love swimming....but it's more of a fun thing to do rather then a workout..so I worry I'm not working out ! lol! For those that do swim as a workout..what do you do? Laps free style? a whole lot of doggie paddling? treading water?

LOL "a whole lot of doggie paddling?" I would love to see some answers to your questions too!

lolathompson

Now Chicadee... you know I am a swimming machine down 9 lbs. To date. I have a leg (my right) that is really injured. I do that and cycling 10-30 min. Once a week and weights once a week.

lolathompson

I do doggie paddle. I tread water using a floatie. I freestyle swim...horrible I suck. I do aerobics in pool( jumping jack, squarts, dance, leg lifts.) I water jog laps. And my gym has float weights which I use for my arms lifting them up over my hard like regularvweights and pressing them down into the water (it's good resistance).

LauraMarie37

I swim, and I don't know anything about it not working as a weight loss tool. As other people said, you have to push yourself to beat your lap time and concentrate on doing your stroke correctly to most effectively increase your aerobic capacity and your strength. (Many people do "half strokes" and take their arm out of the water too soon, or kick from the knee and not the hip, so they aren't using as many muscle groups as they could.)

I don't ONLY swim, so my weight loss could be coming from everything else except swimming, but I sort of doubt that.

I'd be curious to see if there are any studies to back up these claims either way.

Can you get a free week trial membership at the gym? Swim for a week, don't do any other fitness, and leave your net calories the same (including eating back your swimming calories) and see if you lose weight.

Genie30

Put it this way, have you ever seen a fat competitive swimmer? Swimming is a great exercise and as your already watching what you eat you should be losing weight if you log it correctly. We all know MFP works, you put in the exercise, it tells you the cals you've burned and then you trust the system. As long as your not choosing 'laps freestyle hard effort' when your actually bobbing along gently taking in the sceenery you'll be fine.