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MyFitnessPal Community

What is considered light to moderate/vigorous swimming?

ElBence

As part of my fitness plan, I've implemented daily swimming. I swam competitively in high school as a sprinter, but I've since converted to distance swimming. I just got back to the pool this week. I swim in short course pools (25 yards one way), and I can usually turn out two miles in an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes with one mile being a continuous freestyle set and the second mile in sets. My biggest problem is how to log my sets. Back, breast, and fly are standard, but there are two options for freestyle. I tend to think of light to moderate as a steady paced swim, and vigorous as an all out sprint or 70% speed or greater. My heart rate at the end of the first mile, and often in the sets is usually north of 145. Because there are no definitions of what constitutes as light to moderate and what constitutes as vigorous, I'm not sure how to log my swims. Any swimmers out there who can provide some guidance?

Replies

meganepreston

I agree with what you wrote. Light/moderate for anything steady and 70% or better would be vigorous. I was a swimmer in college and almost always log as light/moderate. I feel like the calories they give are generous for swimming, even though I know I use a lot of energy. I think I would only log vigorous if I had trouble pulling myself out of the pool after a workout

Haven't had that since college!

vorgas

If it's a big issue to you, I would suggest getting a water proof HRM and calculating calorie burns from that. I do a lot of swimming in the summer, and only having one option for breast stroke was maddening. HRM solved all that stuff.

3dogsrunning

I agree with what you wrote. Light/moderate for anything steady and 70% or better would be vigorous. I was a swimmer in college and almost always log as light/moderate. I feel like the calories they give are generous for swimming, even though I know I use a lot of energy. I think I would only log vigorous if I had trouble pulling myself out of the pool after a workout Haven't had that since college!

This is exactly what I do/how I feel.

ElBence

I had thought of that. I looked around for some affordable options with good reviews, but found none. Because I'm in law school on student loans, and I have a family, the term affordable means under $80. Any suggestions?

3dogsrunning

I had thought of that. I looked around for some affordable options with good reviews, but found none. Because I'm in law school on student loans, and I have a family, the term affordable means under $80. Any suggestions?

I am in the HRMs are not necessary club. They are useful for certain training scenarios, but for calorie estimates - you can definitely get along without it.
Log it as light to moderate - track your process, if you are losing too fast or not enough (over a periods of several weeks, i.e. more than 2 or 3) adjust.

ElBence

Ok. I'm glad I haven't been logging much as vigorous. I typically do the last 100 yards of my continuous mile as an all out sprint (or as near to that as I can muster after 1700 continuous yards), and I have a set of ten 50's freestyle at 3/4 speed. Between the two of them, it takes about ten minutes, and so I'll log ten minutes as vigorous.

On a related note, I'm thinking of periodically changing up my second mile in sets. Any good tips for where I can find good sets for 1000-2000 yards?

ElBence

That sounds reasonable.