Swimming for exercise

ssbrw
ssbrw Posts: 2 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
What is meant in the database by "lap" when calculating swimming exercise?...Is it...One lap is equal to 25 metres and the time taken to swim it?...The calorific values seem high if this is the case...Thank you...

Replies

  • ForeverFitnessPT
    ForeverFitnessPT Posts: 15 Member
    I think the olympic distance is 50M.

    That said, calorie burn is an estimate. If what MFP gives doesn't work for you (trial and error), then tweak it to your needs.

    Allan Misner
    NASM Certified Personal Trainer, Host of the 40+ Fitness Podcast
  • pomegranatecloud
    pomegranatecloud Posts: 812 Member
    Do you mean "swimming laps, freestyle, [insert effort]" in the database? It's just designating that you're swimming laps as opposed to more recreational swimming activities, like just floating around. You just put the time in that you spent swimming laps. You don't enter how many laps you swam. There are much more accurate calorie counters for swimming than My Fitness Pal that require you to enter you enter pool length (25m, 50m, or 25yd), laps, and time.

    An Olympic sized pool is 50m, but most pools are 25 yd.
  • Trish1c
    Trish1c Posts: 550 Member
    Generally a "lap" is up & back, 2 lengths of the pool
  • pomegranatecloud
    pomegranatecloud Posts: 812 Member
    edited July 2016
    Trish1c wrote: »
    Generally a "lap" is up & back, 2 lengths of the pool

    No, that's 2 laps. A lap is 1 length of the pool.
  • girlwithcurls2
    girlwithcurls2 Posts: 2,283 Member
    pomegranatecloud wrote: »
    Trish1c wrote: »
    Generally a "lap" is up & back, 2 lengths of the pool

    No, that's 2 laps. A lap is 1 length of the pool.

    No. One lap is up and back. 50m or y.
  • spring913
    spring913 Posts: 158 Member
    pomegranatecloud wrote: »
    Trish1c wrote: »
    Generally a "lap" is up & back, 2 lengths of the pool

    No, that's 2 laps. A lap is 1 length of the pool.

    Actually, a lap is there and back, hence the word "lap" - a return to your starting point. In a 25m pool a lap is 50m.

    Yes, the calories are high for swimming. Remember it's a full body workout. For me personally, I find eating back 3/4 of MFP's estimated burn works. Whereas I only eat back 1/2 for biking and walking.
  • pomegranatecloud
    pomegranatecloud Posts: 812 Member
    edited July 2016
    No a lap is one length of the pool. In 25m pool, one lap is 25m and two laps is 50m. It's a common misunderstanding actually among non-swimmers and recreational swimmers that a lap is two lengths. The usage of the word lap when referring to swimming does not mean there and back. I am a former competitive swimmer and coach.
  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
    edited July 2016
    Any normal human being would say a lap of a pool end where you start. However in swimmer parlance, a lap and a length are the same thing.

    Yes, it is "incorrect" that the term "lap" to a swimmer ends at the other side of the pool, yet that is how the terminology is used.

    Regardless no competitive swimmer ever talks about "laps". They talk in yards or meters (100, 200, 500, etc)

    Same argument can be made with "clipless" bike pedals, which are the pedals you clip in to.
  • spring913
    spring913 Posts: 158 Member
    I stand corrected. I'll call up my old swim coach and tell him he's wrong. lol It's been 23 years since I swam competitively, so I'm sure my memory is vague at best.
  • Alidecker
    Alidecker Posts: 1,262 Member
    edited July 2016
    pomegranatecloud wrote: »
    No a lap is one length of the pool. In 25m pool, one lap is 25m and two laps is 50m. It's a common misunderstanding actually among non-swimmers and recreational swimmers that a lap is two lengths. The usage of the word lap when referring to swimming does not mean there and back. I am a former competitive swimmer and coach.

    Good to hear this, I would say lap, meaning one length of the pool and people would assume I meant 2 lengths of the pool. This made them think I swam a lot further and faster than I did. I have changed, what I say to yards.

    ETA: or I say lengths to avoid the confusion :)
  • solieco1
    solieco1 Posts: 1,559 Member
    edited July 2016
    This is a running discussion among swimmers. A lap is one length in a 50m pool and 2 lengths in a 25m pool. The calorie count is likely based on a 50m lap as this is the most accepted. So depending on your pool size it could be either. Yards to meters is ~10% so I wouldn't worry to much about it.
  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
    edited July 2016
    Alidecker wrote: »
    pomegranatecloud wrote: »
    No a lap is one length of the pool. In 25m pool, one lap is 25m and two laps is 50m. It's a common misunderstanding actually among non-swimmers and recreational swimmers that a lap is two lengths. The usage of the word lap when referring to swimming does not mean there and back. I am a former competitive swimmer and coach.

    Good to hear this, I would say lap, meaning one length of the pool and people would assume I meant 2 lengths of the pool. This made them think I swam a lot further and faster than I di. I have changed, what I say to yards.


    This is the correct way anyway. When discussing a swim workout it is appropriate to say you did, for example 4000 yards total as a descending ladder set of 100/200/300/400/500/400/300/200/100 with a 1000 warmup and 500 cooldown. Or something like that. You might even add that you did that in a SCY pool (vs SCM or LCM)

    Telling someone you swam 95 laps or 190 laps or whatever is only going to confuse.
  • Alidecker
    Alidecker Posts: 1,262 Member
    glevinso wrote: »
    Alidecker wrote: »
    pomegranatecloud wrote: »
    No a lap is one length of the pool. In 25m pool, one lap is 25m and two laps is 50m. It's a common misunderstanding actually among non-swimmers and recreational swimmers that a lap is two lengths. The usage of the word lap when referring to swimming does not mean there and back. I am a former competitive swimmer and coach.

    Good to hear this, I would say lap, meaning one length of the pool and people would assume I meant 2 lengths of the pool. This made them think I swam a lot further and faster than I di. I have changed, what I say to yards.


    This is the correct way anyway. When discussing a swim workout it is appropriate to say you did, for example 4500 yards total as a descending ladder set of 100/200/300/400/500/400/300/200/100 with a 1000 warmup and 500 cooldown. Or something like that. You might even add that you did that in a SCY pool (vs SCM or LCY)

    Telling someone you swam 95 laps or 190 laps or whatever is only going to confuse.

    I understand that, but my non-swimming friends would be confused by that also
  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
    Your non-swimming friends would then only need to know you went swimming. Anything more than that is sure to confuse them since they probably don't have a concept of what a length even means :)
  • ssbrw
    ssbrw Posts: 2 Member
    Thanks to everyone for your comments....I have just returned to swimming, today being my first attempt for quite a while...I didn't time myself exactly...guessing my total time at about 45 minutes for 20 by 25 metres breaststroke & 10 by 25 metres front crawl, using the slower of the two values for the calorific count. I thought the calories burned for this to be very high. Once back into my stride I hope to achieve my previous timings of 64 by 25 metres in 50 to 55 minutes... I think the calorific value for this extremely high....Thanks again everyone....
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