Lose weight: Is swimming a good workout?

Lose weight, You already know that aerobic exercise is an important part of losing weight.

However, if you’re new to traditional methods such as cycling and running, it’s a good idea to switch routines and try swimming.

swimming to lose weight

“Swimming is relatively difficult and can sometimes look intimidating, but it’s one of the best aerobic exercises you can do at any age,” said LifeTime’s chief swimming coach and US and ASCA certified swimming coach.

“This is an aerobic exercise that strengthens the heart muscle and does not strain the joints because water carries 90% of its weight.

In fact, swimming can be both aerobic exercise and muscle activity.

Swimming raises your heart rate and burns calories, but the various movements and resistance of water help strengthen your muscles.
Of course, trying out new exercise routines can be difficult. Here’s what you need to know about swimming to lose weight and how to get the most out of it.

How can swimming help you lose weight?

Swimming raises your heart rate and strengthens your muscles, which definitely helps you lose weight, “.

“Swimming is a real whole-body exercise, and each movement uses different upper body muscles to stay in the water, so use your arms, legs, and upper body as well.
According to a Harvard University study, a 125-pound person burns 330 calories in a 30-minute freestyle, 330 calories in a butterfly stroke, 240 calories in a backstroke, and 300 calories in a breaststroke.

For a USD499.54 person, the same workout using the same exercise consumes 488, 488, 355, and 440 calories, respectively.

For comparison, a 30-minute run consumes 342 calories for a person weighing 120 kg and 510 calories for a person weighing 180 kg, according to the American Council on Exercise graph.

Cycling at an average speed of 10 mph for 30 minutes consumes 165 calories for a 120 kg person and 246 calories for a 180 kg person. Swimming is clearly one of the best aerobic exercises.

How can swimming help you lose weight?

Does swimming help reduce belly fat?

 Swimming is a full-body workout, so it definitely helps to reduce belly fat.

However, We warn against spot training, that is, trying only a part of the body and trying to lose weight in that area.

In particular, body composition and genetics can affect (and cannot control) fat accumulation. Where you accumulate fat. 

Swimming moves various muscles throughout the body, but when it comes to certain areas, butterfly strokes, backstrokes, and breaststrokes all put more strain on the upper body.

The more you use it, the more you work on that area and the thinner your muscles.

But: “The best way to reduce belly fat is to eat a healthy and balanced diet with proper exercise.”

How long should I swim to lose weight?

The good news is that you don’t have to start with a lot, especially if you’re new to swimming.

“If you do 30 minutes three times a week, it works at first,”. “You will find muscles that you didn’t even know existed.”
To lose 1-2 pounds a week, you need to burn 500 calories a day.

You can reduce 500 calories, burn 500 calories through exercise, or a combination of both. For example, a 130 kg adult burns 472 calories in a 30-minute high-speed swim.

How does swimming training for beginners work?

Freestyle is often considered the fastest and easiest to learn, but We recommend starting with a breaststroke.

“I’m starting now because it burns a lot of calories and can float at first, at least until the new swimmer gets used to swimming and breathing techniques.”

First, We recommend swimming slowly for 30 minutes three times a week to increase the speed or time spent in the pool after four weeks.

  • If she can swim comfortably for 30 minutes, she can try the next interval training.
  • She slowly warms up in the pool with 4 laps (up to 25 breaths during each lap).
  • She swims 5 laps with moderate intensity without stopping.
  • Swim high intensity or as fast as possible for another 5 laps without stopping. Let it cook slowly for 2 laps.

“As you learn more strokes, you can change your swimming routine to target different parts of your body,”.

“You will find that the more you swim, the faster you get. Just practice a little.”

How to burn more calories while swimming?

There are several ways to burn more calories while swimming. The next time you want more challenging training, try these ideas.

Increase resistance. You can increase resistance in the water by adding fins, resistance bands, or buoys.

Anything that makes it difficult to push or run in the water will increase your strength.

Change the stroke. Studies show that butterfly strokes burn the most calories, followed by breaststroke, backstroke, and freestyle swimming.

However, swimming the butterfly for an hour is not easy, so Gagne recommends mixing different swimming styles.

Try swimming heavier strokes for a minute or two during the workout, then when you’re completely exhausted, swim freestyle to actively recover.

Incorporate intervals. hit intervals can help you burn more calories while swimming, because the faster you swim, the harder the workout.

 

“A study by the American College of Sports Medicine estimated that a person weighing about 80 kg who swims freestyle for an hour burns 704 calories, compared to 493 calories for a slower swim,”.

But since you probably can’t swim that fast consistently, it’s helpful to schedule intervals.

For example, swim as many 30-second laps as possible and rest for 30 seconds between each lap.

Dividing your workout into intervals allows you to maintain a faster pace and stroke rate, resulting in increased energy production and calorie consumption.
Exercise with your swimming coach. “Swimming coaches can also create training schedules, adopt breathing techniques and slowly increase their pace and speed over the course of months,” which helps burn more calories in the pool. 

Unless you’re a particularly experienced swimmer, it’s probably the hardest part to get started, “.

However, swimming can be a fun workout as the coach will help you overcome your fears and doubts.