Swimming is a fantastic cardiovascular workout that engages the entire body, especially the core, against the water's resistance. It boosts endurance and improves oxygen utilization. Swimming can contribute to weight loss, provided you maintain a healthy diet and stay hydrated. Consult your doctor before starting any new weight loss strategy.
How Swimming Aids Weight Loss
Swimming burns calories, and a calorie deficit leads to weight loss, according to Dan Daly, CSCS, owner of Train Daly and a competitive open water and masters swimmer. Vigorous lap swimming for 30 minutes can burn approximately 360 calories for a 155-pound person, as reported by Harvard Health. This is comparable to rowing (369 calories) and more effective than vigorous stationary cycling (278 calories) for the same duration.
Starting a Swimming Routine
For beginners, Kristen Hislop, a triathlon and swim coach, suggests swimming more frequently but for shorter durations (20-30 minutes, four times a week) to build strength gradually. Increase the time to 30-45 minutes as you become more comfortable, and incorporate interval work to improve speed. Remember, a calorie deficit is essential for fat loss. Consult a doctor or nutritionist to determine a safe and healthy calorie deficit.
To estimate calories burned during your swim workout, use an online calorie counter, inputting your body weight, activity time, and activity level (METs). The Compendium of Physical Activities site can help you determine the METs value for your swim workout; for example, moderate-effort freestyle is listed at 5.8 METs.
Swim Strokes
- Freestyle: A long-axis stroke performed on your stomach, alternating arms and legs.
- Backstroke: Similar to freestyle but performed on your back, also a long-axis stroke.
- Breaststroke: A short-axis stroke involving simultaneous arm strokes and a frog-like kick.
- Butterfly: A short-axis stroke with a dolphin-like kick, moving the legs together in a wave-like motion.
New swimmers might find backstroke easier initially, as the face remains above water. Breaststroke is also suitable for beginners due to more frequent breathing opportunities. However, trying all strokes is beneficial as they engage different muscle groups. A great exercise is the 100 IM, swimming one lap of each stroke (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, then freestyle).
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Essential Swim Gear
You'll need a streamlined swimsuit, comfortable goggles, and a swim cap (often required by pools, especially for those with long hair).
Maximizing Your Swim Workout
- Warm-up: Begin with dynamic stretches and a slow swim (one or two laps).
- Technique Practice: Focus on improving specific movements or flip turns.
- Sprints: Include short bursts of high-intensity swimming to prepare your body for the workout's intensity.
- Breathing Technique: Establish a breathing rhythm. For freestyle, breathe every other stroke to the same side. Inhale deeply above water and exhale while your face is submerged.
- Increase Resistance: Use flippers, resistance bands, or buoys to make kicking and stroking more challenging.
- Vary Strokes: Working on all strokes engages different muscles and breathing patterns. Butterfly improves hip flexibility and power, while backstroke enhances ankle flexibility.
- Intervals: Incorporate speed variations to make workouts more engaging, challenge your muscles, and improve cardiovascular fitness.
- Seek Coaching: A swim coach can provide tailored drills based on your skillset and needs, boosting your confidence and skill in the pool.
Pool Exercises for Fat Burning
These exercises, recommended by Daly, require no swimming and can significantly contribute to calorie burning:
- Running: Run from one edge of the shallow end to the other, leaning forward, pumping arms, and using a high-knee position. Increase resistance by holding a weighted object or kickboard.
- Pool-Edge Push-Ups: Place hands on the pool edge, shoulder-width apart, and push your torso out of the pool until your arms are fully extended.
- Squat Jumps: Squat in the shallow end with feet shoulder-width apart, then jump as high as possible.
- Side Shuffling: Shuffle from one edge of the pool to the other in the shallow end, keeping your core engaged.
- Prone Scissor Kick: Holding onto the pool edge or a flotation device, lift your legs and perform scissor kicks.
- Press to Row: Holding a kickboard against your torso, squat until your chest is submerged, then extend your arms and the kickboard forward and pull back.
- Jumping Jacks: Perform jumping jacks in the pool with your head above water.
Perform these exercises as a circuit, completing 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off, with a two-minute rest between rounds. Start with two rounds and gradually increase to eight. Perform the workout twice a week between other lifting and aerobic workouts.
Benefits of Swimming
Swimming is a low-impact exercise that's gentle on the joints, making it suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels. It engages both the upper and lower body, increasing your heart rate and burning calories. Swimming can be a great alternative to exercises like walking or jogging, especially for those who are out of shape, older, or prone to joint or back pain.
Swimming also increases your metabolism, leading to increased energy levels and calorie burning, even during rest. The number of calories you burn depends on your weight, metabolism, calorie consumption, workout intensity, and strokes used.
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Tips for Swimming Workouts
- Consult your doctor before starting.
- Begin with a warm-up.
- Start slow and gradually increase intensity.
- Use pool accessories like noodles and floats.
Swimming Strokes and Calorie Burning
- Breaststroke: Burns an average of 250 calories in 30 minutes, strengthening the heart and lungs and toning various muscle groups.
- Backstroke: Burns an average of 250 calories in 30 minutes, improving posture and toning muscles.
- Freestyle: Burns an average of 300 calories in 30 minutes, toning the shoulders, buttocks, and stomach.
- Butterfly: Burns an average of 450 calories in 30 minutes, building and toning muscles, increasing upper body strength, and improving flexibility.
Workout Intensities
- Low-Intensity: Ideal for improving stroke technique or for recovery days. Maintain an effort level of 4 or 5 on a scale of 1 to 10.
- Moderate-Intensity: Primarily aerobic, requiring 70% to 80% of your maximum effort (a level of 7 or 8 out of 10).
- High-Intensity: Alternates all-out swimming with rest or recovery swims, requiring a 9 or 10 effort level.
Additional Tips for Fat Burning
To maximize fat burning during swimming:
- Vary your swimming strokes.
- Incorporate training aids like kickboards and pull buoys.
- Try interval training.
- Use water weights for resistance.
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
HIIT involves short bursts of maximum effort followed by brief rest periods. Swim as fast as you can for 30 seconds, then rest for 15-30 seconds, and repeat. This method is scientifically proven to efficiently burn fat and increase fitness.
Low-Intensity Steady State (LISS) Training
LISS involves maintaining a steady pace within the "fat-burning zone" (60-70% of your maximum heart rate). While it may not have the prolonged post-workout fat burn of HIIT, it effectively burns fat during your swim.
Other Benefits of Swimming
Swimming is a great way to get a leaner midsection. Swimming aids weight loss and sets up a more favorable hormonal environment within your body. Swimming has been shown to seriously boost mental health. Swimming is a low-impact sport.
Swimming for Weight Loss Plan
Begin by deciding what your goal weight is. Then map out how many weeks itâll take you to get there. Track your weight every day at the same time and then at the end of the week, add your daily numbers together and divide it by 7. Pencil it in and make it part of your routine. Ideally, choose a time of the day when unexpected events are less likely to emerge such as the early morning.
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The first part of any swimming workout is the warm-up. The warm-up will get your blood pumping and your muscles ready for action. Your main set will be the meat and potatoes of your swimming workout. By the end of your main set, you should be breathing hard and feeling warm.
Download an app called MyFitnessPal, and use it to log everything you eat for one week. Itâs important to remember that if youâre currently overeating, thatâs ok. If youâre not losing weight, thatâs ok too. The best dietary program is the one you can stick to. So find something you enjoy and that you can sustain for months to come. Skip fad diets, quick fixes or anything else that promises unrealistic results.
Once youâve established a routine of swimming, itâs time to start increasing one or more of the training variables. The best way to do this is to start small and consistently aim for small improvements; for example, you could aim to add an extra repetition to our main set per session every week.
Proper sleep will give your body the chance to recover after hard training in the pool. Resistance training is a fantastic addition to any swimming weight loss plan. Training with weights (or your bodyweight) signals to your body to retain muscle mass when youâre in a calorie deficit.
Additional Health Benefits of Swimming
- Full-Body Workout: Swimming engages various muscle groups, providing a comprehensive workout.
- Heart and Lung Health: Swimming improves cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiovascular endurance. Breathing exercises may expand lung capacity.
- Back Pain Relief: Swimming may positively affect lower back pain.
- Arthritis-Friendly: Water-based exercises are beneficial for people with arthritis due to buoyancy and gentle resistance.
- Calorie Burning: Swimming burns a significant number of calories.
- Neurological Benefits: Swimming can benefit people with Alzheimerâs disease.
- Anxiety Reduction: Aquatic exercise can boost mental health by improving mood and reducing anxiety.
- Safe During Pregnancy: Swimming is generally considered safe during pregnancy, but consult your doctor first.
- Great for Kids: Swimming is a fun way for kids to get the recommended daily aerobic exercise.
- Affordable: Swimming can be an affordable exercise option compared to others.
Getting Started
Find a pool near you, and consider taking swimming lessons to learn different strokes and breathing techniques. Follow pool rules and etiquette.
Safety Tips
- Swim in designated areas with lifeguard supervision.
- Wear sunscreen.
- Stay hydrated.
- Supervise children closely.
Sample Swim Workouts
Tabata Protocol: A high-intensity interval training method.
Kick Sets: Improve leg fitness and core strength. Warm-up with 400m, alternating 50m swim and 50m kick.
30-Minute Workout:
- Warm-up: 400m with fins, alternating swim and kick.
- Part 1: 6x100 IM with 25 seconds rest.
- Part 2: 6x50 freestyle swim with 20 seconds rest.
- Warm down: 10-minute walk.