Swimmers

CallieM15
CallieM15 Posts: 910 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So... Today I decided to start swimming for my cardio. I broke my ankle back in march, and it hurts with running too long. And I am a horrid biker.. I can barely bike straight. I LOVE to swim, was on the swim team 2nd grade -6th. and then did waterpolo 2 years of highschool. I havent swam for about... 4 years now. I know I havent forgotten how to swim, but I dont really know whats best for conditioning?...

My goals:
1. Lose 50-60 pounds.
2. Gain a lot more physical endurance.

3. Lose 10 pounds by June 10th.

What should I be doing?
1 hr of free style at a moderate pace?
__ mins of sprints?
Swim with waist weights?


Opinions? Experience?
«1

Replies

  • English1Mac
    English1Mac Posts: 30 Member
    I'd like to get into swimming, but don't know where to start, so bump for later :)
  • FitMama2013
    FitMama2013 Posts: 913 Member
    I swam in college so I have lots of thoughts for you :). I'll send you a message with some questions first!
  • kerrymh
    kerrymh Posts: 912 Member
    I'm interested in the response..I used to swim on swim team too long ago..but now that I've lost the wt..I want to do some triathlons , I'll have to start training at some point. I'm curious about the advice people give.
  • angieroo2
    angieroo2 Posts: 970 Member
    I'd like to get into swimming, but don't know where to start, so bump for later :)

    Me too.
  • KBGirts
    KBGirts Posts: 882 Member
    I would think you should do mostly some sort of interval work in addition to long endurance. I'm sure there are plenty of workouts available if you Google it.
  • ZoeLifts
    ZoeLifts Posts: 10,347 Member
    I probably don't have the advice you are looking for, but just my own experience. I had a bad ankle sprain just as I had started getting into a groove working out so I turned to swimming. I got a leg buoy so I wouldn't have any ankle pain and built up from there. I was never a swimmer like you, but I had to teach myself proper technique and ended up loving it. I felt like I was really able to do a lot for upper body by using the leg buoy and I got faster, even though I was tugging along with only my arms. I felt my endurance grew a great deal. I don't know about weight, I didn't gain any, and I felt "leaner", but I can't say I lost weight since I wasn't watching my diet at the time.
  • joannezuk
    joannezuk Posts: 153 Member
    You can do HIIT workouts in any format, including swimming. Warm up in the pool for 5 minutes, then repeat intervals of 1 minute hard : 2 minutes easy. Start with 15-20 minutes of intervals, eventually working up to a max of 30 minutes. And if you wish to add more cardio, add some steady-state endurance swimming at the end of your intervals.

    I recently broke my foot, so I've been doing this on my bike (on a trainer in my livingroom). It's a tough workout, and you can add as much endurance at the end as you'd like. Some days, I stop with the intervals, others, I add an extra 30 minutes.
  • Kayleighpaul1985
    Kayleighpaul1985 Posts: 98 Member
    I have had 3 lots of knee surgery in the last 3 years so any high impact cardio is out of the question for me

    Swimming and walking have been my only exercises since I started MFP and I have lost 42lb since Jan

    I do 40 mins of freestyle laps twice a week and aqua aerobics once a week

    xx
  • CallieM15
    CallieM15 Posts: 910 Member
    I swam in college so I have lots of thoughts for you :). I'll send you a message with some questions first!

    Thanks Ill keep my eye out!
  • strongandhealthy78
    strongandhealthy78 Posts: 90 Member
    I can't wait to read all of the tips! I love to swim. I mostly swim breaststroke though. Does anyone have a good sense of what that stroke burns? I know it depends on how fast I do it, but I'm just curious about a general range. Thanks for the scoop! Happy swimming y'all!
    :happy:
  • CallieM15
    CallieM15 Posts: 910 Member
    Thanks guys! I am definetly going to try the HIIT thing. Thats like a few mins hihg sprint swimming, then a few slower... That makes total sense.


    Wooo! Im excited :)
  • CallieM15
    CallieM15 Posts: 910 Member
    I can't wait to read all of the tips! I love to swim. I mostly swim breaststroke though. Does anyone have a good sense of what that stroke burns? I know it depends on how fast I do it, but I'm just curious about a general range. Thanks for the scoop! Happy swimming y'all!
    :happy:

    I dont know about actual burns, but breast stroke seems to make me a hell of a lot more tired then freestyle does.
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,371 Member
    I find backstroke gets me most out of breath so I would say probably that.
  • hpsaucette
    hpsaucette Posts: 102 Member
    Hey,

    I was a swimming coach before university. So I don't mind routing out some workouts for people who want to improve their technique, won't be able to help with the calories burnt side of it I'm afraid.

    Message me if you want technique based workouts and I'll get back to you on them

    Cheers,
  • shbretired
    shbretired Posts: 320 Member
    I started doing laps after Aquatic class.
    Started out doing 10 laps, breast stroke at my own pace, then built up to 20 laps.

    I had to do the breast stroke as one shoulder cuff is torn. I'd go one direction with breast stroke, and the other direction on my back floating/kicking, using arms with what motion I can.

    But now I'm doing Zumba, I don't regularly swim laps anymore.


    There are sites that give info on calorie burning, depending on how hard you swim.
  • BatWoman2012
    BatWoman2012 Posts: 52
    I was a swimmer all through school in competitions etc. I stopped when I left High School. Im starting to get back into it again. I broke my leg xmas day 2010 (broke tibia in knee joint) and still get a lot of pain with it so swimming is the best excercise that will not cause further injury. Freestyle is easy on the joints but really works your muscles and lungs. When I go I start off doing a couple of laps moderate effort then next couple increase it to fast then slow back down. If your not overly fit (like me, plus Im a smoker) you dont want to burn yourself out too quickly. You're better to do a moderate pace for as long as you can while still swimming accurately as breathing is very important. (you dont want to start sinking halfway and not being able to breath! lol ) Start with a goal of 30 mins doing laps. (30 mins moderate pace burns 349 calories!!). Have a 10-15second break between laps if you need to. It doesnt take long to be able to increase your speed and the amount of time in the pool :)
  • tori_grr
    tori_grr Posts: 29 Member
    Surprisingly breast stroke can burn a lot ! If you are actually swimming it as if you are racing. Of coarse the best stroke is butterfly and the hardest most tiresome. I suggest doing this 25 fly, 25 free, 25 back, 25 free, 25 breast, 25 free, 50 free. On that note try to limit resting when doing this if you are an intermediate swimmer you should be able to do this set without stopping. You will also benefit better if you can actually get technique down practice doing drills! The more you mix up your strokes you will most likely burn more :)
  • mab33
    mab33 Posts: 242 Member
    Intervals! Former swimmer here. Age 2 through 27. Competitive 10-18.

    I know it's hard without that coach to push you through, but make sure you warm up first. When I had my gym membership I'd do a half hour of cardio (elliptical, treadmill, etc.), then lifting/weight machines for forty minutes, then an hour or two of swimming every day.

    Here's a nice short workout I like to do when I can get in a pool:

    Warmup with freestyle
    5 Short sprints (1 to 3 laps) with short breaks in between for water/breath
    8 lap recovery
    3 Longer sprints (4 to 8 laps) with short breaks in between for water/breath
    Warm down (at least 8 laps)
    (Easily repeated)

    I always like to mix up my strokes. I was a butterflyer and long distance swimmer (freestyle). Fly and Breast work your shoulders a lot. Breast really works your leg muscles. Back can be treacherous in a public pool or one you don't know well, but can be great for recovery.

    Love how swimming tones! But I noticed swimming alone left me with a layer of fat that the lifting and land-based cardio helped me get rid of. Not sure why that is.
  • geezer99
    geezer99 Posts: 92
    Let me aim some comments at those who are not yet ready for "full scale" training. First of all, swimming gives you cardio along with very low impact resistance training, this means that you can get started pretty much regardless of your current physical condition. Swim the stroke that you are most comfortable with (or trade off strokes if you like that better.) First, aim to build your stamina so that you can swim continuously for 20 minutes or so. Don't worry about the pace just now.

    At this point you can go in a number of directions: Lengthen your swimming time --it is time that burns the calories, in fact, good swimmers burn fewer calories per minute than beginners. Do some laps working only arms and only legs – there is a tendency not to work your kick enough, so for this, legs should be your first choice. Add some intervals where you pick up your pace and then drop back.

    At many pools there is a clock with a sweep second hand that is easily seen by swimmers – you can use it to monitor your pace but, unless you are training for short distance events, you don't want to get so burned out that you repeatedly stop and rest. You can also use the clock to monitor your pulse rate – look up how to take your pulse from the carotid artery in your neck, it is not very hard to do.
  • holly1283
    holly1283 Posts: 741 Member
    You girls are awesome. Obviously you are not talking about a 60+ year old like me. I've always loved swimming but never competed. Don't ever stop.:wink:
  • holly1283
    holly1283 Posts: 741 Member
    Thanks geezer. I appreciated your post! I can swim a mile in under 60 min. but will soon need to mix it up. Good pointers.
  • chrisdavy239
    chrisdavy239 Posts: 21 Member
    Hi,

    I'm a triathlete as of the last three years and have been training for progressively longer distance triathlons. With your swimming heritage, I'm sure you'd be able to cope with swimming steady after a relatively short number of sessions. I'd definitely urge doing a bit of this sort of steady swimming until you're up to about an hour in the water with little portions of rest but mainly steady swimming.

    After that, the opportunities are endless, but my simple pointer is to join a group. There is likely to be a competition/club team at your local pool that train at particular times. Alternatively, there is likely to be a local triathlon club that run training sessions in a pool nearby. Using club sessions gives you in built variety and there is likely to be some technical coaching available too. Third bonus: great way to meet like minded training partners :-)

    Good luck,

    Chris
  • CallieM15
    CallieM15 Posts: 910 Member

    Here's a nice short workout I like to do when I can get in a pool:

    Warmup with freestyle
    5 Short sprints (1 to 3 laps) with short breaks in between for water/breath
    8 lap recovery
    3 Longer sprints (4 to 8 laps) with short breaks in between for water/breath
    Warm down (at least 8 laps)
    (Easily repeated)

    This looks like a doable first time back into the pool workout.. Thanks so much!
  • mab33
    mab33 Posts: 242 Member

    Here's a nice short workout I like to do when I can get in a pool:

    Warmup with freestyle
    5 Short sprints (1 to 3 laps) with short breaks in between for water/breath
    8 lap recovery
    3 Longer sprints (4 to 8 laps) with short breaks in between for water/breath
    Warm down (at least 8 laps)
    (Easily repeated)


    This looks like a doable first time back into the pool workout.. Thanks so much!


    No problem! When you're back in the swing of things varying arms only and legs only laps is great, too :)
  • CallieM15
    CallieM15 Posts: 910 Member
    Another big question:

    With diet, how would you see swimming work as a weight loss tool?

    As in comparison to running... Etc.

    Do people have experience? I know someone said that they couldnt get off some excess fat without land cardio and weights in thier experience.
  • Bakerchk
    Bakerchk Posts: 424 Member
    Not sure which exercises would be best, but I will be swimming as well (since I have issues with my foot too). I think I am going to switch it up though. Stationary bike one day, swimming the next, then maybe elipitical. I figure that will keep me entertained. :)

    Best of luck dear!
  • CallieM15
    CallieM15 Posts: 910 Member
    Not sure which exercises would be best, but I will be swimming as well (since I have issues with my foot too). I think I am going to switch it up though. Stationary bike one day, swimming the next, then maybe elipitical. I figure that will keep me entertained. :)

    Best of luck dear!

    How long have your foot been hurt?
    Im really worried that if I try to run on my ankle ill prolong it healing... I can run fine. I have done 3 mile runs, and hr long runs, without it hurting. Not FAST, but jogs. its afterwards that hurts. Not really the same day, but a day or even up to 4 days after it swells, and bruises. Im hoping with swimming it wont?

    The weird thing is, I ran for 7 days in a row, and the ankle was fine. Then after 7 days, 2 days after (day 9) it swelled, and stayed sore and swollen for 4-6 days with NO CARDIO.
  • tori_grr
    tori_grr Posts: 29 Member
    I swam in high school and the heavier girls on the team melted off the fat, couple things swimmers after a workout tend to be super hungry and tired. So that being said, after your done make sure you don't pig out and stay somewhat active. I believe you can lose plus tone your body swimming but a lot of people say its just good cardio. I think it depends on how hard you work and what you do after :-)
  • jgthomas78
    jgthomas78 Posts: 81
    I just opened my backyard pool and swam some laps today. I have been running 3 miles 3x/week at a 10min mile pace, yet swimming back and forth 10 times in my 28 foot long pool had me way out of breath. Interesting how the different excercises affect you so differently
  • strongandhealthy78
    strongandhealthy78 Posts: 90 Member
    I totally agree, C. Thanks for your perspective!:flowerforyou:

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