Swimming as a fat burner?

deb_ge · October 2007

ok, guys, I need your input. I just did some internet research and am coming up with 2 different viewpoints on this topic, so I am putting it out there for you to put in your 2 cents, as well.

Swimming as a fat burner. I know it has to do with your heart rate...and I am sure mine is elevated to say the least. I am swimming a mile breastroke in about 50 minutes. That may sound slow but I am 50 years of age and about 150 pounds overweight so for me it is quite an accomplishment. I am tired and sore afterwards. I am out of breath, but not terribly. I used to swim competitavely as a young person and still have many of the skills.

the controversy? 2 schools of thought:

1. Old school. Very good swimmers swim with such ease they expend very little energy and therefore do not burn as many calories as working out on land. ( As opposed to unskilled swimmers who thrash and fight through the water, burning up more calories.)

2. New school, based on some recent research: Very good swimmers actually burn more fat than un skilled swimmers. Because they get into their zone quickly, keep up a strong regular pace ( with I do, I think I swim my last lap faster than my first) and do not have to stop to rest, but can actually sustain swimming for an entire hour, they actually burn up quite a bit of calories.

I am really hoping the second is true, as I am presently swimming 8 miles a week. ( I also weight train and walk uphill 3 times a week.)

Any insights or ideas. I would love to hear your thoughts.

deb_ge · October 2007

ok, guys, I need your input. I just did some internet research and am coming up with 2 different viewpoints on this topic, so I am putting it out there for you to put in your 2 cents, as well.

Swimming as a fat burner. I know it has to do with your heart rate...and I am sure mine is elevated to say the least. I am swimming a mile breastroke in about 50 minutes. That may sound slow but I am 50 years of age and about 150 pounds overweight so for me it is quite an accomplishment. I am tired and sore afterwards. I am out of breath, but not terribly. I used to swim competitavely as a young person and still have many of the skills.

the controversy? 2 schools of thought:

1. Old school. Very good swimmers swim with such ease they expend very little energy and therefore do not burn as many calories as working out on land. ( As opposed to unskilled swimmers who thrash and fight through the water, burning up more calories.)

2. New school, based on some recent research: Very good swimmers actually burn more fat than un skilled swimmers. Because they get into their zone quickly, keep up a strong regular pace ( with I do, I think I swim my last lap faster than my first) and do not have to stop to rest, but can actually sustain swimming for an entire hour, they actually burn up quite a bit of calories.

I am really hoping the second is true, as I am presently swimming 8 miles a week. ( I also weight train and walk uphill 3 times a week.)

Any insights or ideas. I would love to hear your thoughts.

hjcopeland · October 2007

I would lean towards #2 - exercise is exercise.

You could always stop for a few seconds every few laps and check your heart rate if you really want to know what kind of cardio workout you are getting. Of course you'd only have to disrupt your swin to do this "experiement" once to answer your question.

There's plenty of info out there on target heart rate, so I'll leave it to you to figure out where your's should be for a good workout.

HJC

pamelawh · October 2007

i swam on a team when i was younger. swimming to burn calories to me is lap swimming. no stopping at the end of each lap and what is really weird when you perspire and you are in water. i don't swim on a team any more but when i swim for exercise i'm doing strokes and flutter kicking, arms come out of the water and back down. to me the breast stroke has always seemed like coasting. on biggest loser program they have worked out in water before and they were always worked very hard.

twonewmilnes · October 2007

I think swimming is great excersise epecially if you're overweight. Being in water causes less strain on your joints and you are actually working muscle and working your heart and lungs. That's why a lot of gyms have water aerobics. Keep up the good work though!

redalee · October 2007

We don't have a pool handy here, but my 19 year old daughter loves swimming as a great toner. She does the crawl and finds that her sides (waist line) and back of the arm where the flab sits, always tighten and tone with swimming.

deb_ge · October 2007

Thanks you guys for the great input...I am sorry I wasnt able to come back to the board sooner...I live in Thailand so our days are your nights.

About the breaststroke. I am pushing really hard, not coasting. Like in a competitive swimming manner. I swam on teams, too, from age 9 - 20 and I am pushing that hard, just unable to go as fast due to my age and weight.

When I do the crawl, I get very breathless, but with the breaststoke am able to get a breath every stroke.

Another thing, which my family is finding very amusing. Swimming never made me sore before ( I always did the crawl or freestyle) but since I have been doing this breastroke, I feel like my sore muscles have sore muscles. Deep in my upper arms, my shoulders, my buttocks, my inner thighs, ( 2 miles a day of whip kicks!)

I think the only thing not sore is my neck, cos I dont have to turn my head for a breath.

I am going to press on for now. After many years of letting my fitness go, I am so happy that I am able to do something and enjoying it. I was just a little concerned about the water or land controversy.

chloe210 · November 2007

maybe your bodys gotten used to the exercise. I read that as your body gets used to the exercise the calories burnt will get less. Thats why interval training is sometimes more effective. Prehaps switching strokes during your swim would help

banks1850 · November 2007

don't let how you feel afterward fool you. Swimming is one of the BEST total body workouts available. There are very specific reasons why you feel better comming out of water then you do after say, an eliptical.

Mainly, swimming stresses none of your joints and none of your bones. Where as on any machine or regular cardio exercise, 1 muscle group is targeted heavily and becomes stressed and tired much faster.

I'm sure if orthopedic doctors had their wish, every person in the world would swim for their cardio.

With that being said, deb, you still need to find a heart rate that is fast enough to be in your effective fat burning zone. I.E. 50 to 60 % above normal (I think that's it, depends on your age though). You may need to take one day and screw up your pace by stopping and checking your heart rate. If it's too low, then your wasting your exerience (not completely, but you aren't getting what you could out of it).

That said, your almost guaranteed not to hurt any muscle groups swimming! Keep up the good work!

icandoit · November 2007

Deb_g
I was a swimmer in High School. We would start slow and increase speed every 50 yards. We would swim 200 yards before rest. Stopping only for just a few seconds. We would continue this using each stroke-Free, back, breast, and butterfly. This way you are using different muscles. Not just the same over and over. We would also mix it up by doing 1 lap free, 1 breast, 1 back adn 1 butter. It is a great work out. If you are not able to do some of the strokes, than mix it up with the ones you know.
Swimming does burn alot of calories. 45 min free style at a strong pace can burn up to 800 calories. The water arobics instructor at the gym said that you can burn up to 900 calories if you keep a strong pace and go for 1.5 hours.
I have started back swimming, and I see a difference in my arms and legs. They are really taking shape.
Keep up the great work. It takes time, and you are headed down the right road.
Keep swimming!!!:happy:

MFS27 · November 2007

Hi Deb_G,

I am also a fellow swimmer :happy: and swam competitively in high school (as well as life-guarded, taught swim lessons, etc.) I fell off when I had my three children, and started up again 4 months ago by joining Master's (it's like a swim team for adults - welcomes ALL levels). I get up at 4:30 AM to swim from 5:30-7 every day and sometimes Saturdays. The motivation of having a team and coach push me on is exactly what I need!

So, I've lost about 15 pounds since I started swimming (I only need to lose maybe 5-10 more, not stressing about it) and become more fit (my goal).

As far as swimming being a fat burner - have you ever seen an overweight elite swimmer? Nah! They are lean and tone. Swimming can be an excellent exercise - the key is to push yourself and change your swimming sets from time to time - so when you start getting more fit, you should add some other strokes (freestyle, etc.) and do interval training. My coach gives a new workout each day, so my body doesn't have a chance to "adapt" and I push for faster interval times.

Keep it up - you can do it!!

traumarn · November 2007

swimming is a great cardio exercise. my sister swims all the time and has a great body .

cguhlke · November 2007

I'm an awful swimmer. I HATE to put my face in the water so needless to say...I stick to land sports. However, when my volleyball ridden knees couldn't take the pounding of running on the treadmill or on hard ground my trainer suggested aqua jogging. Now- you hard-core competitive swimmers are laughing...I can hear you (my boyfriend is one of them), but it's a really great workout! The resistance of the water against your body and the fact that your joints aren't being jarred together makes it really hard without being really hard on your body.

banks1850 · November 2007

Ha! I once laughed at doing water resistance training (aqua jogging is part of that). Never again! Get the right (or wrong depending on how you look at it) trainer and the resistance in water can become an evil, torturous demon that will have every muscle in your body burning in 30 to 45 minutes. But it's a great workout for cardio AND toning up muscles all over the place.

Swimming as a fat burner?

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