Swimming

jocelynmarie86 · July 2017

Anyone swim laps freestyle for excersise? And have good success with it? I have been doing 45 minutes per day and it's exhausting. I'm pretty big so swimming is easy on the bones but tiring in all other aspects.

Alisonswim46 · July 2017

Success with what? Endurance? Strength? Speed?

DancingMoosie · July 2017

Yes, I do half breastroke, half freestyle, for 30 min. It's a great full body workout.

AgileK9 · July 2017

I go in spurts where I swim regularly. I usually will swim 45 minutes. If I'm just getting back I alternate a breaststroke and free lap and work up to all free.

It's a fantastic exercise. Grab a kick board and throw in a lap or two of kicking. There's lots of great swim workouts on the Internet.

I enjoy it. I swam competively when I was younger.

solieco1 · July 2017

What do you define as success? Great for endurance, overall fitness and bragging rights

Not so great for bone strengthening. As for weight loss its all about a deficit no matter what you do or don't do.

Theo166 · July 2017

The key is to mix it up, it helps the laps go down when you introduce diversity: x2 freestyle, x2 backstroke, x2 whatever, x2 kicking, maybe fast one length and slow.

lorrpb · July 2017

I love swimming, even though I'm not that fast. I'm up to about 45 minutes, with rest breaks while doing freestyle. I also do breast stroke and back crawl. Swimming does a great job of building endurance, keeping you afloat, releasing your tight muscles, cooling you off, and making you feel great. No exercise is a magic bullet for weight loss. Swimming and strength training have been a great combo in maintenance, which was when I added swimming.

cricketannie · July 2017

I went and swam laps for the first time today. It felt like a great workout! I'm going to try and throw this into my week alternating with walking and yoga. I hope to see results!!

amysteri · July 2017

I like swimming, it's fun! and it's awesome cardio!

andysport1 · July 2017

Simply put = yes
I swim 3 to 4 times a week it's extremely hard work harder than running, it's great for core muscles, shoulder and lats

SarahLascelles1 · July 2017

If you want to vary it, there's swim workouts online, e.g. at
http://100swimmingworkouts.com

GrumpyHeadmistress · July 2017

I swim 4 times a week - 2.5km in 60 mins doing breaststroke. I'm terrible at crawl!

I combine it with running 5km (3 times a week) and strength training (2 a week) to strengthen bone density.

beerfoamy · July 2017

GrumpyHeadmistress wrote: »

I swim 4 times a week - 2.5km in 60 mins doing breaststroke. I'm terrible at crawl!

I combine it with running 5km (3 times a week) and strength training (2 a week) to strengthen bone density.

sounds like my week! but I couldn't do that much breaststroke!!

love swimming, try and hit 2km per day (usually takes 40mins but pool has been stupidly hot recently), then C25K 3 times a week and weights/BodyPump 2-3 times a week.

Swimming for me is stress relief, sets me up for day at work. I get grumpy much quicker if I don't go - just a bonus that it burns calories.

BrianSharpe · July 2017

How are you defining success? Improving fitness? Swimming will do that without doubt.

Personally I don't enjoy lane swimming but I have been improving and it's a means to and end as part of my triathlon training (I much prefer open water but I'm also spoiled living very close to water and having a very active local triathlon community... rule # 1, never swim alone)

If your goal is weight loss that comes from eating fewer calories than you expend. The good news is that studies have shown that people who exercise regularly are more likely to keep weight off in the long term than sedentary persons and there are a host of other health benefits from being active, but you can't out exercise and bad diet.

JessM822 · July 2017

You do need to build endurance for swimming. You also have to have a technique as well so you're not fighting the water. If you're getting that sore maybe try slowing down your pace a little bit and go with the water.

SundropEclipse · July 2017

I water jog and use liesure swimming for breaks (roughly every 20-30 minutes, depending on the current). I find it's much easier to maintain for longer periods of time. Last year water jogging made up about 75% of my daily exercise; even when I had to increase my calories to 2,500 I was still losing 3-4 lbs a week. At my current weight, an hour burns about 800 calories.

As for swimming in general, years ago my mom lost almost 80lbs in six months. Her greatest loss weeks were the weeks we went to the lake, where she swam an hour 2-3 times daily.

Out of curiosity, are you swimming in open water or a pool? Both present challenges in endurance (imo). Pools are often heated and I find I get overheated quickly swimming in them, while open water is cool but often comes with a current to battle against. I can't offer any suggestions for a pool, but if you're in open water finding a spot where the current isn't as strong (I have to swim about twenty feet out from the basin's ladders) will help.

michellesz · July 2017

Not really, but when I'm in the pool I love just going in the deep end and treading water. I feel it working big time but refreshing and easy on the joints.

OregonMother · July 2017

I work in some swimming -- I mix up the strokes, even throwing in my pathetic attempt at butterfly -- fly is the only stroke that gets my heart racing, so when I feel I'm being too leisurely (my heart rate doesn't rise above 100 when I swim), a length of fly it is.

Swimming can give a good workout, but I use it primarily to ease my joints -- and then there's the hot tub and the sauna! I always leave feeling amazing, but I don't think I burn very many calories.

Be careful -- swimming makes me hungrier than anything else I do, and since I don't burn much, I can easily eat back way more than I burn because I'm so hungry.

Alidecker · July 2017

OregonMother wrote: »

I work in some swimming -- I mix up the strokes, even throwing in my pathetic attempt at butterfly -- fly is the only stroke that gets my heart racing, so when I feel I'm being too leisurely (my heart rate doesn't rise above 100 when I swim), a length of fly it is.

Swimming can give a good workout, but I use it primarily to ease my joints -- and then there's the hot tub and the sauna! I always leave feeling amazing, but I don't think I burn very many calories.

Be careful -- swimming makes me hungrier than anything else I do, and since I don't burn much, I can easily eat back way more than I burn because I'm so hungry.

Oh the butterfly, I did one length a while ago and thought I was going to drown, but I did make it. It is so pretty when done well.

It also makes me really hungry, it's a challenge for me to not eat more than I burn from the swimming. If I go in the evenings instead of the mornings, it doesn't cause the same hunger, but I think that is just because I go to bed earlier so I don't think about how hungry I am

ryenday · July 2017

Try treading water in a hot pool ( 91 F or more) for 5 to 10 minutes after a swim. That helps up your core temp ( low core temp b/c swim is theorized to be reason so many swimmers report HUNGER post work out). Since adopting this post swim 'cool down' in heated pool I have not had post swim hunger.

If you don't have access to heated pool or hot tub, get a hot drink in yourself asap post swim. I bet it will help some too.

OregonMother · July 2017

ryenday wrote: »

Try treading water in a hot pool ( 91 F or more) for 5 to 10 minutes after a swim. That helps up your core temp ( low core temp b/c swim is theorized to be reason so many swimmers report HUNGER post work out). Since adopting this post swim 'cool down' in heated pool I have not had post swim hunger.

If you don't have access to heated pool or hot tub, get a hot drink in yourself asap post swim. I bet it will help some too.

That is an interesting tip. I do have a hot tub at my pool. I hadn't thought about that helping with being hungry after a swim. I'm going to pay more attention to that next time. Thanks!

Swimming

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