swimming a good work out?

XLMACX · June 2014

hi,

Just a general query really, my new fitness regime inc a lot of swimming and walking and squats with weights every night as i cant stand the gym and this is what i enjoy doing!

i swim 3-4X a week breast stroke only between 45-50mins i do not stop in this time.

im losing weight at a steady pace that i'am happy with but was just interested if its a good work out and what parts of the body it will target the most.

thanks

Jim_G10 · June 2014

My daughter is a competitive swimmer and trains 6 hours per week.
As a workout it is an all-over workout and at 14 years old the six-pack is evident as well as muscle tone in shoulders arms and legs.

Keep going and the results will come I am sure.

XLMACX · June 2014

thanks! i always feel like maybe im not doing enough becuase i only do breast stroke lol but suppose i'am, i just find swimming easier then other work outs for some reason. like i said i dont slack i dont have any rest in between at all.

yogicarl · June 2014

My first thoughts are keep doing what you enjoy because that is what you will keep doing.

I have just come back from swimming for 45 minutes in the sea (19 Celsius today - quite warm really) and I feel wonderful - glowing, warm and cool both at the same time.

I would encourage you to see if you can book a handful of sessions with a swim coach who can watch your stroke and recommend how you could improve your style and also get you to try and build on doing front crawl (freestyle) and maybe backstroke, as these will develop your skill and strengths from different directions and increase the fun and self esteem factor.

I used to feel like I was drowning all the time and burning out when I was trying to front crawl, until I had a coach break the stroke down and help me to develop it for myself, now I can use it in the pool and the sea and it feels fine and relaxed. Before I could only do breaststroke comfortably - so yeah - find a coach.

asarwe · June 2014

Swimming is a great workout. It is full body and low impact.

For breaststroke to be an even better workout, try to learn the form used by competitive swimmers. As a former competitive swimmer I can tell you it is more efficient, more tiring if you do the arm strokes right (because of using more muscles) and you use more of your muscles that way. I'm sure there is a life-guard at the pool who can teach you.

Is there any particular reason why you do only breaststroke, though? It is much better for you to do more than one stroke since it varies the load you put on you muscles. Swimming can really **** up your shoulders, for example. Or in the case of breast-stroke: Your breast muscles. Take it from someone who knows. You would really need to do some exercises for the back of you shoulders if you are gonna do only breaststroke.

XLMACX · July 2014

the reason i only do breaststroke is for a number of reasons:

1) there is no swim coach in our pool
2) im not that bothered about building up big muscle shoulders or back
3) i enjoy breast stroke i find it relaxing
4) my hair colour is a reddy colour and would run a lot (some may find this stupid but hair is such a chore ha)

BerryH · July 2014

You might not be getting that great a workout and could hurt your neck if you're keeping your head out of the water.

Put some Boots Sun Swim and Gym Protection Masque through your hair:
http://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Sun-Swim-and-Gym-Protection-Masque-for-Normal-Hair-150ml_1262103/

Get a latex rather than silicone cap so it doesn't tug your hair, find a pair of googles that stick to your face before you even put the strap on, and away you go!

XLMACX · July 2014

thank you i will try this, i did notice last night actually my neck was hurting too! x

snowflake954 · July 2014

I swim at the pool 3-4 times a week, 40 minutes of swimming laps--no stopping, and 30 minutes of aqua-gym. I have been doing this for 18 yrs and am so pleased with the results. I would encourage you to at least do some free style to use different muscles. I solved the hair problem by first coating my hair (blonde with highlights, and dry) with a regenative cream, putting it up, then I put on an old cloth swim cap, and on top a silicone cap. This gives my hair over an hour of a beauty treatment 3-4 times a week. My hair is now better than before, and I can wear it long. Best.

Snip8241 · July 2014

I swim 4-5 times a week. 1800 to 2000 meters each session. I mix freestyle and breaststroke. I agree with the suggestion that you have someone look at your stroke. One thing I see is folks working hard, but against themselves due to poor stroke technique.
When I started, I did predominantly breast stroke. When my neck gets tired, on the kick portion I move my head forward and flat in the water and then glide. This helps neck strain. I agree, doesn't help the hair tho.
I wear a silicone cap for long hair. I also rinse my hair with cool fresh water before getting in and immediately rinse after getting out. My hairdresser suggested this.
My struggle has been my nutrition so my weight goals are going slow. Cardio wise I am in great shape and I gave normalized my blood pressure from 153/110 to 110/80. I am now off meds.
Sooooo yes! Swimming is a good workout!
Good luck and friend me if you'd like to
-Cindy.
Btw. I was a competitive swimmer and a coach way back when I was young.

secook326 · July 2014

+1 on the above reply!!

I'm a former swim instructor/lifeguard, and was on swim teams for years when I was younger. I now swim laps for recreation, and I can say that swimming is an excellent workout! Low-impact, meaning you are not putting stress on your joints, and it's "resistance-based", meaning you strengthen your muscles because you have to work against the water's resistance in order move through it - while getting a cardiopulmonary workout as well!

As far as neck hurting, that could be due to how your stroke is executed - are you keeping your head above water at all times? This can lead to strain in the back of the neck, as you're essentially pulling back through those muscles to keep your head above the water line. If you're worried about hair color, put a conditioner on before getting into the chlorine, and cover the head with a rubber cap. When you're done swimming, rinse your hair - the chlorine will come right out with the conditioner.
UltraSwim also make s a great chlorine-rinsing shampoo/conditioner if you want something more powerful.

To help your technique, US Master's swimming website has a whole database of great drills and technique guides to help answer your questions: (select "Stoke Technique" for your search options)
http://www.usms.org/articles/

And if you love one stroke, there's nothing wrong with that! Keep it up!

The muscles worked by swimming are full body, with most emphasis in the legs and arms. The core and back are engaged to help stabilize you as well. With breaststroke in particular, you're going to be working the inner thighs and glutes, as the kick is most powerfully executed by snapping the bent leg into a streamline position - using the inner thigh muscles to activate the snap. Your lats are also engaged as the main muscle when pulling during the arm stroke - activate them by pulling back through the elbows, bringing the inside of your upper arms close to your ribcage at the completion of the pull down - elbows squeezing into your waist, shoulder blades back and down. I'd also advocate for working on the "glide" or "streamline" component of the whole action - as that's what makes the breaststroke so much FUN!

Again, I'm no expert, but these tips have helped me with my breaststroke over the years!

Happy Swimming!!

swimming a good work out?

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