Swimming

Swimming and Water Aerobics can be great, you will be shocked how much of a workout you are getting. I highly recommend it as a way to ease into gym use and activities. I started with just swimming laps, then joined a water aerobics class in which we do a mile of laps around the lazy river, as well as core and arms and legs work. Networking in that class, as well as getting back into shape without the joint stress, helped me gain the confidence to join other classes and try new things.

Swimming is a great overall body workout, getting everything (Arms, Core, Legs).

Former competitive swimmer here. Yes, if done properly, swimming is really one of the best activities out there for getting fit. So many benefits, really.

1) low impact
2) great cardio if you really do push yourself hard enough to get your heart and lungs working.
3) If you do switch up to use all of the major strokes (freestyle, back, breast, butterfly) you will be working pretty much all of your muscle groups.
4) Using a kickboard can be a good tool as well to give your legs and butt muscles a good whippin'.
5) Speaking of muscles, swimming is really a perfect mixture of cardio and resistance training. Considering that water is more dense then air, with every stroke you take in the pool you are basically providing similar benefits as high rep/low weight resistance training for your muscles.
6) Another great benefit can be the meditative aspect of having that quiet time in the water with no other distractions in your brain. The solitude while swimming laps can be a nice counter to the pace of being constantly "plugged in" with all of our electronics throughout the rest of the day.


One thing to remember is to really work at pushing yourself so that you get the full benefit of having a real workout. Go ahead and swim slowly while first getting used to having a swim routine but as you get more and more confident in the water add both distance and also shorter interval training (mix it up a bit) to your repertoire.

Could be helpful to see if a local YMCA or club in your area has any Masters Swimming program or classes for you to help get started.

Good luck with it all.

I'm a teenager and i started swimming. I plan to swim 4/5 times a week for an hour each session. I weigh 13st and 7lbs and really want to lose weight and feel better about my self. How long will it take me to lose 3/4 st?

Swimming is indeed a great workout BUT… you may be surprised how few calories that you burn.

The feeling of breathlessness may make you think you’re working harder than an equivalent land based session.

When logging you shield be honest to yourself to log the duration you actually swam for (excluding rest periods) and the genuine intensity you swam at - remembering just how hard the above mentioned competitive swimmers are training.

I do triathlon specific training sessions which most ‘swimmers’ at our local pool couldn’t hope to be able to complete but sadly the calorie burn is really disappointing for the 1hr coached session even with minimal break periods and when I leave feeling exhausted.

Also be aware that swimming tends to make you hungry afterwards much more than say, walking. There seems to be many theories on why this may be but they’ve not quite nailed it down yet.

So enjoy your swimming, it’ll be great for you and you can build up the distance, effort and duration on each visit. Just be mindful of the above.

I swam for the first 7 months of my journey until I got to a weight where my knees could handle running. Ended up losing 80 pounds in those 7 months (I started at 388 pounds) with 30 minutes of swimming combined with following my eating plan to a T.

I’d have to Google the reasons they think it made you more hungry as it was a long time ago I last looked at it but I think it included the temperature difference and also being horizontal amongst other things.

Everything does not need to be qualified by the hunger games. I'm passionate about swimming. I missed some words. Just put one word in front of the other and get off the couch from the speed of zero. Take it all back outside, do what you love and love what you. I can't let anything ruin this for me or you.

Nah, you didn't step on any deeply felt principles or feet. I've heard it for years and years, how swimming makes you so hungry and thirsty. Eat and swill water. Good food fixes everything. I don't even try to outexercise my food.
Happy Trails to you, too.

How many calories do we burn on an average if we swim 01 km in
60 mins
50 mins
40 mins
30 mins

Please share your input.

The calorie burn from swimming doesn't depend on distance and time so much as it depends on your technique while swimming. An efficient swimmer could glide through the water quickly, with little effort, and for great distances, where a swimmer with poor technique is thrashing and struggling and becoming exhausted quickly.

Swimming is much more about form and technique than it is about strength. Beginning swimmers should really get some form of instruction, especially because their perception of what they are doing in the water can vary greatly from what a trained observer sees. The strength and endurance will come in time anyway but it's better to practice with their best form.

Yes and no. If you're having to tread water a lot and do that for 30min, then yeah pretty good workout. If you can just walk and touch the pool bottom, then not so great because you need less muscle to stay upright in water.
Go to the deep end.


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I love swim aerobics. I always gain a pound or two and lots of muscle. You can see an obvious difference in my body. I like it.