Swimming as main excercise

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Ellie_ICANDOTHIS
Ellie_ICANDOTHIS Posts: 7 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello! Just wondering who on here is using Swimming as their main excercise? How often do you do it and how far do you swim? What part of the body have you noticed it changing? I've started going 3 times a week and I really look forward to time in he pool, I feel like it's a good work out (feel out of breath and a bit wobbly when I get out, I try to do 70-90 lengths in 45mins) but it's also very calming to be in the water - I'm a convert! But hoping it's going to result in a leaner, fitter, more shapely me! Would love to hear your experiences, and do feel free to add me

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  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    I swim 2x week for 1200 yds, rotate 3 strokes-breast, front crawl, back crawl. It's not my only exercise so I can't attribute specific bodyparts just to swimming. I'm sure it's helped my endurance. I love the calmness & solitude and the hot tub after.
    .
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,521 Member
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    Love it! I swim in the pool (50m is my fav) and I do open water workouts in a local pond. Such great exercise.

    I also do some cycling and jogging, but swimming is the best full-body workout out there.
  • ttippie2000
    ttippie2000 Posts: 412 Member
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    I swim 3-4 hours a week and love it. My hard days are with my triathlon team. The other days I do mostly recovery cardio. Couldn't handle the running without it.
  • GrumpyHeadmistress
    GrumpyHeadmistress Posts: 666 Member
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    I swim 3km four times a week, exclusively breaststroke. I rarely feel incredibly enthusiastic about it when I start but I always feel better once I've started and finished.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    edited September 2017
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    I did it for a while and enjoyed it though it interfered with my strength goals do I nix'd it.
  • llfr0023
    llfr0023 Posts: 1 Member
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    I literally just started to swim 3 times a week as well! As of last week. I've combined that with monitoring my calorie intake starting this week and I'm already down 4 pounds. I measure my hips and everything this week and will hopefully start to notice a difference. I feel my legs get the most work out while I'm in the pool.
    I tried doing more research about swimming for weight less etc and honestly there isn't much out there so I was really happy to see your post and to know I'm not the only one wondering where I will physically see the changes on my body!
    Good luck and stick with it!
  • ryenday
    ryenday Posts: 1,540 Member
    edited September 2017
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    I swim 3 x a week, sometimes 4 or 5. I'm older and slow. I would be struggling to get my cardio in if I couldn't swim, I really hate every other cardio I've tried, but then I hate hot and sweaty.

    There is a group here on MFP it is called SWIMMERS!
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,521 Member
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    Swimming with calorie restriction is highly effective for losing weight. I'm living proof. You see a lot of heavy swimmers in part because it's a good match for heavier people.
  • Djproulx
    Djproulx Posts: 3,084 Member
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    I started swimming 4 years ago to prepare for my first triathlon. (1/2mile swim). I really struggled for a few months, but eventually became ok as a swimmer. These days I do more volume (7-8000yds/week) when training for longer races, and I have come to enjoy swimming both in the pool and open water. It is a nice low impact workout that allows my legs to recover from the pounding of running during my high volume training weeks, so I look forward to swim days.

    As far as health benefits, swimming will help you build a strong cardio engine. It doesn't burn tons of calories, but is very effective as part of your overall diet and exercise regimen.

    Good luck!
  • HighlandPony17
    HighlandPony17 Posts: 55 Member
    edited September 2017
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    I started swimming a month ago, upto five times a week for an hour at a time I am already down 6 lbs with watching what I am eating. I am swimming breast stroke and slowing I am getting fitter and finding it easier. I am ex smoker which doesn't help with my shortness of breath.

    I am hoping longer term I will shape up & lose weight with the swimming/gym/weights/walking

    I currently swim for 1 hour and gym for 30 mins jacuzzi for 15 mins to relax after my efforts :)
  • Agent_Freckles
    Agent_Freckles Posts: 79 Member
    edited September 2017
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    I loooooove swimming to death but the gym with the pool is pretty far away and I hate paying the membership fee. However, I just found an outdoor pool near us (we just moved in not too long ago) so I'll be swimming there come summer for $3 per day!

    I was swimming 4 times a week. Honestly I was losing weight like crazy back then. At one point though I apparently went too hard and got the WORST muscle cramp in one of my legs and in several of my toes....it was excrutiating.
  • justnjoyable
    justnjoyable Posts: 22 Member
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    I swim 2-3x a week, and love balancing it out with other exercises. I am not fast, but definitely steady, spending all of the hour with laps. I add the foam dumbbells (don't know what they are really called)..the large ones...and use them to make me push through my strokes; I like it because there is much more resistance, and it has increased my strength. On my off days from swimming I vary between bike, elliptical and Jacobs ladder...all with 50# weight vest...really makes me feel like I get a good workout in.
  • STEVE142142
    STEVE142142 Posts: 867 Member
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    Swimming is a great exercise. It's going to give you a lot of flexibility and muscle tone but you won't build muscle mass.

    As a former swimmer I still do it occasionally who used to do one to two miles a couple times a week the most important thing I could stress is to do some good stretching before your workout especially in the shoulders that's really important.

    My only suggestion to you is to vary your workout. If you just swim laps your body will eventually get used to it and the workout won't be as intense for you. There's a great website called zero to 1650. It has a whole bunch of swimming workouts and the main thing I could do is stress to vary the intensity.

    Like I said I used to swim one to two miles a couple times a week and it became easier after a while. The general manager of the gym where I belong to was an alternate on the Dutch Olympic Swim Team. He had me start doing interval sprints where I would Sprint as hard as I can for one lap rest a couple seconds and then do it again. When he first told me about it I told him he was crazy he said just do it and tell me what you think. After I did it the first time I was sucking wind.
  • jdlobb
    jdlobb Posts: 1,232 Member
    edited September 2017
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    The big indoor pool right across the street from my house has been closed all year long while they replaced the roof, it reopens in October and I am VERY excited. I love swimming. Will probably buy an Apple Watch to track my swims.

    I was a hardcore competitive swimmer in high school, but fell off as an adult except for a short stint competing again when I was in the military. Probably haven't logged more than a hundred laps total in the 5 years I've been a civilian. But now that my weight and fitness are getting back to levels I'm happy with I will definitely be returning to the water where I belong.

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