Lane swimming

Desani88
Desani88 Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been trying to do 300 + minutes of moderate exercise a week. I speed walk on my treadmill almost everyday for about 60 minutes and it's getting kind of boring . A pool by my house offers 1 hour of lane swimming twice a week.

Just wondering if swimming for 40 minutes-hour gets the same kind of results as say walking . Is it good cardio? I'm New to all this stuff so I am not sure what I should be sticking to
I really want to tone my arms as well so I thought swimming might help

Any input is appreciated

Replies

  • SlimSonic
    SlimSonic Posts: 127 Member
    Hi, not too sure which is best, but maybe swim anyway if you are getting bored with the treadmill.

    As they say a change is as good as a rest.... Good Luck!
  • threemc99
    threemc99 Posts: 3
    Swimming won't give you the same calorie burn but if you really want to improve your tone and overall fitness while avoiding injuries, it's really the way to go. Another plus is that I've found I sleep much better when I swim a few times a week. Good luck!
  • BranMuffin86
    BranMuffin86 Posts: 314 Member
    Swimming is a fantastic low impact cardio exercise. It never hurts to switch things up. Honestly when it comes to results you'll get results regardless if you put in the work and are making healthy food choices. IMO
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Swimming is a great workout and is a great cross training activity. Swimming is very much technique based though, if you can arrange a session with a coach to work on stroke mechanics you'll save yourself a lot of effort and frustration - don't be surprised if you find yourself breathing hard after a single lap when you first start. (There are lots of great videos on youtube too)
  • Tophielicious
    Tophielicious Posts: 5
    Swimming is amazing cardio, especially since it is more taxing on your musculature. As for "Toning" your arms, that's not a realistic concept though I know what you're asking. Muscle tone is the amount of tension in a muscle at rest. The caveat there is that you need substantial muscle to increase what you have. Swimming is great in that it is not just pure aerobic exercise in that in involves the ability to move your body through a medium offering resistance.

    For what you wan't though, mix swimming with lifting, and I mean heavy. Don't do this 5lb dumbbell crap, you probably have a heavier purse than that. Squats, deadlifts, rows, pull-ups (or lat pull downs), bench press etc. Do them heavy and consistently on a tried and proven routine (Starting Strength, Stronglifts, 5/3/1 etc).
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    Swimming is fantastic. It works many more muscles and is low impact. I can't wait for my water aerobics classes to restart in February.
  • mjterp
    mjterp Posts: 650 Member
    I have heard that swimming burns more per hour because more of your body is involved...but I have nothing to verify it.
  • MomofTeens
    MomofTeens Posts: 42 Member
    Lap swimming is probably the BEST form of exercise you can do! 30 min of moderate freestyle stroke swimming burns about 250 calories. It also works ALL muscle groups simultaneouly without putting any stress on your joints. I'd say..DO IT!
  • GoMizzou99
    GoMizzou99 Posts: 512 Member
    Like any sort of exercise, it depends on how vigorous your effort is.

    As you can imagine, 10-100 yard sprints with a start every 75 seconds would be entirely different than swimming back/side/or breast stroke at a leisurely pace for 1,000 yards.

    edit...point being - where is your heart rate during the swim.
  • swonn
    swonn Posts: 323 Member
    Swimming is an excellent exercise! If I could I would swim everyday but unfortunately I can't get to a pool. For me the exercise burns 400-500 calories for 45-60 minutes.
  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,016 Member
    Swimming, IMHO, and especially lap swimming, is the best exercise possible. It burns plenty of calories (are you kidding?!?) and is a great cardiovascular workout. It's non-weight bearing so I'm not gonna kill my knees pounding a pavement. It works all my muscles, and is an especially good upper body workout. Great workout for my upper arms.
    The only downsides are it requires a decent size lap pool and I have to get out in public in a bathing suit. (Although that no longer bothers me now that I am in decent shape.) There is lap etiquette, too, for sharing lanes and stuff like that.
    As with any exercise, if you don't enjoy it or aren't any good at it, you will likely not stick with it, but remember it takes time to get "good" at anything.
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
    Swimming is a great cardio burn that's low impact and uses just about every muscle group, and it;s great for building lung capacity.

    Normal HRM's don't work well for swimming because your breathing is so different so it can be tough to be specific in your calorie burn.

    I swim in a rehab pool so it doesn't need to be that big - 42 lengths (21 laps) is 1'/4 mile so it's pretty small but it still definitely gives me a good workout.

    If swimming is something you enjoy then GO for it!
  • holly1283
    holly1283 Posts: 741 Member
    Swimming is excellent cardio. It burns lots of calories and it is not only cardio, you also have resistance for muscle development by pulling through the water. It is low impact and won't hurt your joints.
  • usamantha23
    usamantha23 Posts: 11 Member
    I used to be a competitive swimmer. The best workouts (for me) were ones that kept your heart rate up. So like 10 x 2 laps (2 x 25 m) as fast as you can with ten seconds in between each set. and then using a pull buoy to work ur arms or a kick board to work ur legs. swimming is great!
  • Desani88
    Desani88 Posts: 3
    Great! Thank you everyone for your feedback :)
  • slelbaum
    slelbaum Posts: 2
    Swimming is great!! It depends on your stroke, and pace you can go as fast or as slow as you want. I have been swimming for 3 years now. in the first 2 years I lost 75 pounds. now that I quit smoking I have gained 20 of those back but i'm going back to the pool. if you add fins it will help on allot of levels, it improves you position in the water and for free style it tightens your lower area's and when you do the back stroke with fins its a great AB work out. get the training fins not the diving ones. Good luck
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    Swimming is a great work out...but just to warn you, swimming won't "tone" your arms as you are thinking...that is all about your deficit and genetics and where your body decides to take the fat from.

    But swimming offers a great total body cardio workout, and is a great switch up. I actually wish I had access to a pool so that I could cross train by doing laps or pool running.

    Just ask what the ettiquete is for lap swims there. Every pool is different. Some have shared lanes, others have single lanes but time restrictions, etc... Just a heads on that.

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