Swimming to build muscle

phreekles
phreekles Posts: 216 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Has anyone had success burning fat/ building muscle with swimming? I'm reaching my goal weight and I now want to focus on tightening my body. I currently cycle around 5 miles a day to work and walk the dog but I want add some strength training and thought I could try swimming.

I have tried weight training / strength training workouts but I just can't enjoy them but I have always loved swimming and feel I can really push myself with it.

Any before/ after pics would be great too!

Replies

  • grantdumas7
    grantdumas7 Posts: 802 Member
    Swimming is an excellent exercise but you are not going to build muscle with it.
  • peeaanuut
    peeaanuut Posts: 359 Member
    you will build strength and stamina, not much bulking from swimming.
  • phreekles
    phreekles Posts: 216 Member
    I don't want to get bulky - I just want to become sleeker ..... To be honest I mostly want a flat tummy!
  • peeaanuut
    peeaanuut Posts: 359 Member
    swimming can help there. Make sure that you are keeping your abs tight during the laps. it will eventually tone up.
  • malk2651
    malk2651 Posts: 55 Member
    Swimming is a cardio exercise. However as you stated you don't like doing weights, so do something you like.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Swimming will build great swimming centric muscles, but will not really strengthen you functionally for anything much other than swimming, or moving in a dense, neutrally buoyant environment.

    It's not weight lifting, and swimmers lift weights.
  • grantdumas7
    grantdumas7 Posts: 802 Member
    I don't want to get bulky - I just want to become sleeker ..... To be honest I mostly want a flat tummy!
    Are you eating a caloric surplus? Are you or is someone injecting you with testosterone?
    If not, you are not going to get bulky. Besides you are cycling 5 miles per day
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Swimming is an excellent exercise but you are not going to build muscle with it.

    agreed.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    I don't want to get bulky - I just want to become sleeker ..... To be honest I mostly want a flat tummy!

    Then lower your goal weight.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    I don't want to get bulky - I just want to become sleeker ..... To be honest I mostly want a flat tummy!
    Are you eating a caloric surplus? Are you or is someone injecting you with testosterone?
    If not, you are not going to get bulky. Besides you are cycling 5 miles per day

    Cycling 5 miles per day will have no bearing on one's ability to gain muscle.
  • grantdumas7
    grantdumas7 Posts: 802 Member
    I don't want to get bulky - I just want to become sleeker ..... To be honest I mostly want a flat tummy!
    Are you eating a caloric surplus? Are you or is someone injecting you with testosterone?
    If not, you are not going to get bulky. Besides you are cycling 5 miles per day

    Cycling 5 miles per day will have no bearing on one's ability to gain muscle.
    I agree. Just saying if she is eating a caloric deficit, her cycling would burn even more calories making bulking impossible
  • phreekles
    phreekles Posts: 216 Member
    Well, I think I'm gonna give swimming a try for a month and see what difference it makes - if not I'll have to find another way. Thanks for the advice!
  • arghbowl
    arghbowl Posts: 1,179 Member
    ehhhh ehhh eh eh ehhhh ehh ehh eh.

    That was dolphin speak for "no."
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
    swimming can help there. Make sure that you are keeping your abs tight during the laps. it will eventually tone up.

    "Toning" a muscle or region is bull****. You can look toned, but you cannot "tone" or "tighten" anything.

    To look toned, build the muscle by overloading it, and reduce your BF% so it shows. That's it.

    Swimming can help you here, if it's assisting you in creating a caloric deficit. It can also help you build strength, and probably only a little muscle if you're very untrained. You should look into weight lifting if you want to grow your muscle efficiently.
  • gelendestrasse
    gelendestrasse Posts: 204
    jeez, when I think of all the time I spent in the pool. Now I don't have access....

    Swimming will tighten your core and will build long muscle. It's good for stamina. You're not going to bulk up, you'll be more "sleek" instead of having bulging muscles. If you alternate swimming with lifting you'll be in great shape.

    If you can get to a pool I say have at it. I wish I still could.
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
    jeez, when I think of all the time I spent in the pool. Now I don't have access....

    Swimming will tighten your core and will build long muscle. It's good for stamina. You're not going to bulk up, you'll be more "sleek" instead of having bulging muscles. If you alternate swimming with lifting you'll be in great shape.

    If you can get to a pool I say have at it. I wish I still could.

    *cough*bs*cough*

    Why do people give advice when they don't know the first thing about fitness and exercise?
  • buzzcockgirl
    buzzcockgirl Posts: 260 Member
    Swimming is AWESOME! I do it all the time... heading to pool now! When I started my weightloss last May, I was just doing cardio (aerobics, running) and when I plateaued, I added in swimming. Weight started coming off, and over the course of the next 6 months, swimming on average of 3 days a week- I lost a lot more weight, and my arms and legs started to get muscle definition. I can't say it's done a ton for my stomach, but overall, it is one of the best exercises you can do. It's aerobic as well as resistance all at the same time. Plus, you stay nice and cool- and I always feel 'long and lean' in the pool. LOVE IT! (you can look at my 1 year/sucess story I posted back in May of this year and see my swimming pics-- I did a Swim-A-Mile benefit last Oct for Breast Cancer awareness... LOVED IT!!)

    Good luck- now go get wet!! :smile:
  • SteelersFan7
    SteelersFan7 Posts: 217 Member
    Hi there. I swim 5 days a week for anywhere from 20-35 minutes. I average anywhere between 1/2- 1 mile daily. Swimming is both cardio and resistance training. If you spend 30 minutes in a pool doing a combination of 4 different strokes you will hit just about every muscle group (and that advice came straight from my college anatomy teacher who also advises on weight loss and exercise). The fun thing about swimming is it becomes a lot like running, you find that you're always striving for faster times and better form. Additionally, there are plenty of aids that you can also benefit from using. I use fins and webbed gloves to create more resistance and improve form. I can tell you that my shoulders, biceps and triceps have definitely gotten stronger. My arms have slimmed down slightly. Admittedly, I haven't paid the best attention to diet for a while, so I can't say I've been losing weight as a result of swimming. But, as I'm starting to get back on track with it, I'm hoping that it all comes together. Hope this response helps.
    Good luck with your swims!
  • merecard
    merecard Posts: 56 Member
    I think it would really depend on what type of swimming you are doing.
    You will always be pushing the water as resistance.
    If you want to increase your resistance then try using the resistance gloves for swimming. I use them and can notice it in my upper arm and the back of the arm. You have to remember that there is different resistance levels. hands slicing through is the least, fist is more and open palm is the most resistance.
    I swim on my lunch (laps with resistance gloves on)
    and then I do an aqua Fitness Class with resistance weights and exercises.
    I do not lift regular weights in a regular gym because of a knee injury and I have had great results with the swimming. Swimming is a very high calorie burner in a very minimal amount of time.
    But look into the different items that are available for swimmers, using these make a huge difference in the amount of calories you will burn and where you will bet your definition and tone.
    Good luck and have fun!
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member

    Swimming will tighten your core and will build long muscle. It's good for stamina. You're not going to bulk up, you'll be more "sleek" instead of having bulging muscles. If you alternate swimming with lifting you'll be in great shape.

    If you can get to a pool I say have at it. I wish I still could.

    :huh:
  • merecard
    merecard Posts: 56 Member
    If you change up your swimming - say every 4-6 laps then you will work different areas. If you want to flatten your tummy area, make sure that you are keeping it engaged. I have had all my weight loss in swimming. You can burn around 400-600 calories in 1/2 hr depending on your effort of course. I do a water fitness class (as I posted) and at the end, I am sweating!!! It is so strange to sweat while wet in the pool, but it's true. I do laps on my lunch and fitness once a week. If I could work in another fitness class I TOTALLY would. GREAT workout - lots of arm/upper body and tummy area workouts. (and not to mention that crunches in the water are the easiest ever on your butt and back!) And I think that people that do not or have not used swimming for a weight loss are not aware of the effort that is put into the swimming. Now I am not saying swimming like in an inner tube floating down the river, I mean working your butt off with hard and fast laps and maximizing your water resistance! It's the same as a runners high!
    When I do laps I focus on my legs and getting them moving and grooving as hard and fast as I can and work on my technique and form, and the fitness class I work my arms and upper body!! It's WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! remember to change it up every couple of laps to work different areas, front crawl, back crawl, side stroke, breast stroke is what I do when I do the laps. Have fun with it. There are lots of swimming DVD's out there and Youtube probably has a million workouts that you can try. Laps can get boring, but keep changing it up and working for faster times.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    Swimming lacks one key element to strength training: Progression. Water provides the same resistance no matter what. If you cannot increase load/intensity as you grow stronger, you won't achieve the results you're looking for. Period.
  • bakeralison1
    bakeralison1 Posts: 43 Member
    I'm cringing at all of you wearing webbed gloves. Those are for doing water aerobics, if you wear them doing strokes you're training your fingers to stay apart which is WRONG! Invest in a pair of hand paddles if you really want to work on form and increase resistance.

    Look at swimplan.com if your interested in swim workouts for free. If you mix it up with some intervals/sprints etc you can get a decent workout and as a lifeguard I see alot of young swimmers that don't weightlift that are pretty ripped.
  • SteelersFan7
    SteelersFan7 Posts: 217 Member
    I'm cringing at all of you wearing webbed gloves. Those are for doing water aerobics, if you wear them doing strokes you're training your fingers to stay apart which is WRONG! Invest in a pair of hand paddles if you really want to work on form and increase resistance.

    Look at swimplan.com if your interested in swim workouts for free. If you mix it up with some intervals/sprints etc you can get a decent workout and as a lifeguard I see alot of young swimmers that don't weightlift that are pretty ripped.

    Obviously, swimming with your fingers apart is not great form, which is why most lap swimmer who use gloves know how to switch it up. I don't swim with my fingers apart when I'm not using my gloves. Although, I believe I read an article where the new "thing" is to swim with your fingers relaxed and slightly apart (ie. not focusing on making "spoons" with your hands, but definitely not making "forks" with them either) to create a larger surface area with your hand. You can quit cringing. I prefer the gloves to paddles so I can adjust the resistance and close my hands during flip turns.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    I'm cringing at all of you wearing webbed gloves. Those are for doing water aerobics, if you wear them doing strokes you're training your fingers to stay apart which is WRONG! Invest in a pair of hand paddles if you really want to work on form and increase resistance.

    Look at swimplan.com if your interested in swim workouts for free. If you mix it up with some intervals/sprints etc you can get a decent workout and as a lifeguard I see alot of young swimmers that don't weightlift that are pretty ripped.

    That's low BF% allowing muscle definition, not built muscle if they aren't strength training.

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