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How effective is swimming?

purbeast0

purbeast0

No Lifer
well i went to the doctors today and he gave me the okay to try and put weight on my broken ankle (its been 6 weeks) so i'm somewhat walking right now. i can walk, but very slowly. but i figure by next monday it will be a lot less stiff and i am going to attempt to go to the gym (maybe this weekend as well).

anyways, i asked him about swimming and he said to go for it. i want to do cardio asap because summer is coming and i was supposed to already start my lean cycle, but i broke my ankle the week i was going to start it 🙁. so it sucks enough i couldn't lift weights for 6 weeks, but im going to start very soon, and also start swimming.

i know swimming is a very good full body workout, but how much do you have to swim to get, say, as much of a cardio workout as running for 15 - 20 minutes? i won't even be able to really try the eliptical machine for probably 3 weeks (according to my doctor), so i won't be running any time soon at all to start getting really lean.

does anyone know? thanks.
 
Best exercise. Involves lots of muscle groups and is non-impact. Do it every other day for 30 minutes.
 
It's probably the best for overall body toning. I wish I had a close place to do it. It's just much easier to jump on a treadmill or elliptical while at the gym than drive down to the pool, change clothes, swim, etc. But it is a GREAT cardio workout plus involves muscles.
 
wow sounds pretty good 🙂

i knew it was good at getting the body toned up, but i am mainly trying to get as ripped as possible cause summer is coming up. obviously the target area is my abs, but you can still see my abs through the little layer of fatty (not nearly as much as it has been in the past, and as much as i want it to be 🙂).

i'm going to try and do it next time i go to the gym, which will HOPEFULLY be tomorrow but i'm not sure. i just hope i didn't lose too much strength 🙁. i was like at my peak in strength and size when this happened 🙁.
 
I read an interesting national geographic article (or was it popsci) about swimming, and apparently it's not as good as one might think. Something about our body slowing itself down in water to conserve heat, and to keep from drowning. I'll try and find reference to it
 
Swimming is an ideal exercise for women with physical limitations such as musculoskeletal problems and asthma and for women who are pregnant. However, swimming does not raise the heart rate quite as much as other aerobic exercises because humans are equipped with a reflex that causes the heart to slow down when immersed in water. For swimming, use a heart rate target of 75 percent of the maximum minus 12 beats per minute. It is also not recommended as a primary activity for losing weight because the body tends to conserve body fat as insulation in cold environments. For those whose only option is swimming, however, it is certainly better than remaining inactive

first reference i could find here
 
Originally posted by: Kenazo
Swimming is an ideal exercise for women with physical limitations such as musculoskeletal problems and asthma and for women who are pregnant. However, swimming does not raise the heart rate quite as much as other aerobic exercises because humans are equipped with a reflex that causes the heart to slow down when immersed in water. For swimming, use a heart rate target of 75 percent of the maximum minus 12 beats per minute. It is also not recommended as a primary activity for losing weight because the body tends to conserve body fat as insulation in cold environments. For those whose only option is swimming, however, it is certainly better than remaining inactive

first reference i could find here
Click to expand...

yea, right now its my only option ... and fyi, i have asthma too 😛
 
My dad is in his 60s and has been swimming a lot before work for about 3 months. He has lost a lot of fat off his belly and says he feels great.
 
More info on the Human Diving Reflex:

Text
Text


Keep in mind that I'm not saying swimming isn't as effective, it's just not as effective as land based exercises. However, swimming is a heck of a lot of fun, so, for the OP who has a broken bone, it'd be the way to go.
 
Originally posted by: Kenazo
More info on the Human Diving Reflex:

Text
Text


Keep in mind that I'm not saying swimming isn't as effective, it's just not as effective as land based exercises. However, swimming is a heck of a lot of fun, so, for the OP who has a broken bone, it'd be the way to go.
Click to expand...

The mamalian diving reflex is actually really amazing. A lot of changes can occur to our bodies. My favorite is what happens to your lungs when you dive to very deep depths. Basicaly the pressure causes your lungs to contract and fluid comes out fo you bood to fill the gaps (and prevent complete collapse) and after all that you lungs are about the size of a grapefruit.

A lot of changes occur and they are all made to allow you to shut down and conserve. Pretty amazing how we still retain evolutionary characteristics.

http://www.learnfreediving.com/data_center/physiology.asp
http://www.britishfreediving.org/index.asp?sec=1&pag=3
 
Swimming is even better than running for cardio, I think. Two laps leave me out of breath and I'm pretty fit. Plus, it builds strength too. A total body workout. I wish I could swim.
 
Remember that story of the kid that was found at the bottom of a frozen pond and was eventually revived? Scary stuff.

But anywho, swimming is great exercise for burning calories, building muscle, and working out that heart of yours, but you have to do it right. It's so easy to wave your arms around and think you're swimming.

And it is scientifically proven that lots of sex (like once a day) makes for great cardiovascular exercise.
 
Originally posted by: Mrvile
Remember that story of the kid that was found at the bottom of a frozen pond and was eventually revived? Scary stuff.

But anywho, swimming is great exercise for burning calories, building muscle, and working out that heart of yours, but you have to do it right. It's so easy to wave your arms around and think you're swimming.

And it is scientifically proven that lots of sex (like once a day) makes for great cardiovascular exercise.
Click to expand...


So, would three or four hardcore wanks be equivalent?

 
I dunno if I could do three or four hardcore wanks a day. You'd gotta be pretty dedicated to pull that off.
 
Originally posted by: Kenazo
Swimming is an ideal exercise for women with physical limitations such as musculoskeletal problems and asthma and for women who are pregnant. However, swimming does not raise the heart rate quite as much as other aerobic exercises because humans are equipped with a reflex that causes the heart to slow down when immersed in water. For swimming, use a heart rate target of 75 percent of the maximum minus 12 beats per minute. It is also not recommended as a primary activity for losing weight because the body tends to conserve body fat as insulation in cold environments. For those whose only option is swimming, however, it is certainly better than remaining inactive

first reference i could find here
Click to expand...

That's what I remember from my high school swimming class. Definitely a great excercise if you're recovering from injury. But I know I didn't lose any weight after a semester of swimming every day.
 
Tread and never let your head go under water for up to 30 minutes. Start out really low at first, 3-5 minutes the first couple of days, then up it by 1 minute every two days. Really good swimming workout and not that hard. If a bunch of 14-15 year old freshmen in high school can do it, so can you.
 
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