Fat loss and Swimming

[pliny_2001]

I'm a former swimmer/current lifter, so I feel qualified to answer:

The handles: I'm a fan. You do get a full extension, but what's even better is that they allow your wrist to be a straight position, instead of bent at 90 degrees. If you don't elevate your feet by a similar amount, though, you're effectively moving less weight, so you may wish to put your feet on the stairs, some textbooks, the cat, etc. If you elevate your feet to a position above your hands, you can get a more intense workout, as well. I'm a particular fan of plyometric push-ups (the ones where you clap your hands) - an incredibly intense exercise.

Starting out slow: there are a trillion things that you could do here. Bench and curls are a good place to start, but it's probably wiser to work your chest and biceps' opposing muscles as well; your back and triceps. It would be easy to add in a few sets of rows for your back, and bench dips for your triceps.

Hand position: It really depends on your frame, and what you're attempting to exercise. In general, most people will either say 'shoulder-width' apart, or say to place your fingers on the non-textured "rings" that most bars have - for the average guy, that ends up being the same thing. I'm 6'3'', so my hands are outside the rings, while a smaller person would be inside the rings. Similarly, a narrower grip will work your triceps more on the lift.



I know that I started lifting after years of swimming: the controlled violence of water polo, and the desire to muscle up for the speedo, turned me into something of a cross-trainer. A move and a new, pool-less, gym turned me into a lifter-only a few years ago - perhaps it's time to get back in the water.

[gb99]

Thanks for the hint on raising my feet for the pushups, I had not realized that the handles were reducing the effecting weight I was moving.

I'll take your advice towards working opposing muscle groups as well.

[728mark]

In my experience, swimming is great for toning and can be an integral part of a successful fat-burning exercise program. I, too, have (successfully) taken to swimming laps for my regular maintenance workouts. And I, too, have some serious leg-joint problems (like Fittsy who started this thread).
I'm in my 50's and in decent shape, after a 35-year career doing heavy lifting in the film lighting industry. Once or twice a week I add a little dumbbell routine to the mix ~ more often when the water in my 35-foot backyard pool is too cold, like now .
With the cold weather, even here in the Az. desert, I use a shorty wetsuit when water temp is in the 50's. But even with adding booties, hood, and gloves, I am unable to manage the current 45-degree winter water temps. I've searched for weeks, looking at various fullbody wetsuits ~ there are SO MANY makes/models!
Here's my problem/quest: What type of suit is best suited for the upper body flexibility needed for actual lap-swimming workouts? I know I need at least 4 or 5 mm's of thickness, but some of them have multi-density thickness(es) ~ like 6/5/4 mm combos. One can spend a TON of $$$ on a new suit and get stuck having selected the wrong kind (for such a specialized usage as this).
Any advice?

[Willie D]

I swam for one of the best high school teams in the country and did the two-a-days and 8,000 yard marathon workouts, but my body shape never changed dramatically. My shoulders were larger but that was about it. Gary Hall was on my team one year, he was pretty much a doughboy. You look at a lot of the best swimmers...Matt Biondi, Mike Barrowman, Janet Evans, they're definitely in shape, but they aren't chiseled from stone. The most cut, ripped guy on my college team was also one of the slowest.

As to limiting your diet, I don't necessarily agree. Swimming more than 3,000 yards a day breaks your body down (which is why tapering works). If you're hungry, eat..healthy. JMHO.

[The Lion]

great thread.. I swam at the collegiate level, my little sister is currently swimming at the same university i swam at. I was quite surprised a few weeks ago to find out that many of her friends on the team are using clenbuterol to burn weight, maintain an anti-catabolic state, etc. Personally, i'm on the fence about using clen at such an intense aerobic level. But, to each his own. Swimming, with a great diet, is absolutley enough to keep a person looking great, no matter what level..

[The Lion]

Originally Posted by Willie D

I swam for one of the best high school teams in the country and did the two-a-days and 8,000 yard marathon workouts, but my body shape never changed dramatically. My shoulders were larger but that was about it. Gary Hall was on my team one year, he was pretty much a doughboy. You look at a lot of the best swimmers...Matt Biondi, Mike Barrowman, Janet Evans, they're definitely in shape, but they aren't chiseled from stone. The most cut, ripped guy on my college team was also one of the slowest.

As to limiting your diet, I don't necessarily agree. Swimming more than 3,000 yards a day breaks your body down (which is why tapering works). If you're hungry, eat..healthy. JMHO.

Matt Biondi.....my all time favorite!

[gb99]

Folks

I posted here several weeks back saying that I had been swimming for about 3 weeks and had lost 10 pounds or so... Well now its been about 12 weeks and my weight loss has been over 25 lbs. I did not think I could make this much progress so quickly.

I have also modified my diet to adopt some of the "clean eating" techniques (healthier food and eating more often).

So if anybody reading this is wondering if the combination of swimming and clean eating can help you loose weight -- it certainly has worked in my case.

[The Lion]

Originally Posted by gb99

Folks

I posted here several weeks back saying that I had been swimming for about 3 weeks and had lost 10 pounds or so... Well now its been about 12 weeks and my weight loss has been over 25 lbs. I did not think I could make this much progress so quickly.

I have also modified my diet to adopt some of the "clean eating" techniques (healthier food and eating more often).

So if anybody reading this is wondering if the combination of swimming and clean eating can help you loose weight -- it certainly has worked in my case.

Great to hear..keep up the good work!

[biscuitman357]

Swimming is the most efficient aerobic exercise out there. Cardio, stretching and resistance all in one. Easy on the joints.

But if your goal is weight loss, you will have to incorporate strength training into the mix. Sounds like you are.

But you have to pick your poison.

There are people who swim five days a week and lift only two.

There are people who lift five days a week, isolating specific muscles, and swim only two.

I find you can't have it both ways.

If it's any consolation for swimmers, I find that people who swim regularly live longer. It's only anecdotal evidence on my part, but I find it to be true. I don't see many competitive hardcore weight lifters pushing 90 years of age. It's all about balance. No one can burn the candle at both ends, well not for long.

Something to consider about swimming is that it is easy, and I mean easy, to plateau out in the pool. You also risk swimmers shoulder, ear infections and possibly an increased risk of staph infections. Some people react badly to the clorine/peroxide mix and actually lose their sense of smell. (not many, but it happens) It's good to swim but you gotta think about the implications of doing it so frequently that it's no longer considered "in moderation"

In terms of the pushup bars, try the Fitball system. Its just the giant rubber ball. I saw it once on an NFL documentary about something or other and looked it up. It's a hell of a workout though you look like a nut doing it.

Good luck

[Terry Kerrigan]

Hi,
The truth of the matter is that 90% of your bodywieght is supported by the water(Low weigh bearing) and this make it difficult to raise the HRate substantially for lenghts of time needed. Swimming/exposure to water below body temperature causes the body to slow down metabolically in order to keep warm. Preservation of heat is the body's concern. The body will burn calories while moving in the water but the duration and intensity along with your nutritional intake prior will dictate the caloric expenditure and which ratio of fat/glycogen usage there will be.
As a top pro Ironman triathlete, I know from experience and from education. I would say unless you are an experienced swimmer that can push yourself long and hard close to VO2 max then choose a better activity to raise your work capacity. Alternatively, using floatation devices and fins can help your body balance and allow you to push harder and longer in the pool or wherever safe...
Terry check out aperionforlife
888-MYAPERION

[azzurribaggio]

Originally Posted by tidalwave

I'm not a fan of running, and I used to be a competitive swimmer, so I've been swimming to get my bodyfat down.

I was kind of shocked when i heard about swimming not being good for weight loss. While most of the material I read on the subject was anecdotal and did not suggest much for causation, there was one study that had a group doing running and a group doing swimming drills. Both groups lost bodyfat in the study. However, for some reason, it was noted that the swimming group didn't lose as much because they tended to consume more calories post-workout than the running group. The article didn't really suggest a reason for this, but the conclusion was that swimming is indeed effective for fat loss. You just might have to be a little more watchful of your food intake.

I've always been a sprinter of sorts, so my swimming workouts have been more anaerobic in nature. My workout consists of 200 meter sets at a moderate pace with just enough rest to let my heart rate begin to settle. Also, for the last 50 or 25 meters, I try to sprint to the end. This seems to be working thus far.

This was my routine last summer and I dropped 10 lbs in a little over a month....but I swam 5-6 times a week during that time. 45 mins consisting of 10 laps (25 meters) to warm up, then 10 laps of sprints (back and forth) with 30 second rest intervals, then the last 10 of alternating sprints. I'll tell ya I was always exhausted after 45 mins though...I tried to eat good but it wasn't always achieved but I think the calories I burned in the pool was pretty high hence the weight loss.....

[jorcaryvan]

Hi there people. Long time lurker, first time poster. Well i recently began swimming (just over a month) and I started doing it coming from a long time of inactivity and weight gain. And while I'm feeling great and full of energy the weight loss I was expecting hasn't been coming. My arms are getting harder of course along with my shoulders but the weight is still there. I suppose the weight loss is gonna take much longer in me than in other people. Nevertheless I was wondering if you got some advice for me, maybe some vitamins or supplements I should take. To be honest my diet is not as healthy as one should expect so that's probably a place to start. Anyhow keep up the good work people. Greetings from Lima, Perú.

P.S.: I swim 3 times a week, 2000 meters freestyle 1000 meters of other styles.

P.P.S.: what would be the 'healthy diet' for me?

[gb99]

jorcaryvan -

Here is the "healthy diet" that I followed to lose weight while swimming. BTW, its now been about 6 months and I am down 35-40 lbs from my original weight.

Diet

7AM - Protein Shake with Banana (Muscle Milk / Lowfat Milk)
10AM - Instant Oatmeal
Noon - Salad of mixed greens, vegetables, hardboiled egg whites, and a Chicken Breast.
3PM - Apple
5PM - whole wheat pasta, turkey meatball
9PM - Smoothie / Apple perhaps some Cottage Cheese

I workout around 7PM and swim about 3 x week (1000 - 1500 meters) with some moderate weights another 2-3 x week.

I also take a couple of supplements - including a multi vitamin, Omega 369, CLA and 5g of Creatine (in the morning protein shake).

GB

[jorcaryvan]

Thanks for the reply gb99, i thought people had forgot about this thread. The thing is your reply has really made me curious and now I have a lot of questions, don´t know if you can answer all.

First of all what is the deal about eating 5, 6 times a day. I read about it all the time but I don't know the logic behind it. Should the lapses between 'meals' have to be evenly spaced in time?

What I should drink? Only water or can I drink coffee or tea (I love tea)?

What is the deal with sugar? Is there a moment when taking sugar is a good thing?

What about milk (that is not lowfat)? What the hell is a Smoothie (I´m from Perú remember)?

What does Omega369/ CLA (meaning?)/ Creatine do to your body? Where do I get them here in Lima (if by any chance you know)? What is the amount of calories this diet delivers?

I hope not to bore you with all this questions, thanks for all.

[pliny_2001]

I'll give some general answers to the questions and you can get more indepth info (and answers to other questions, and new diet plans, etc) just by browsing the forums and using the search function.

The reason you eat 5-9 times a day is so your calorie input is more regular - it's culture, not your body, that's a fan of 3 meals. If you eat smaller meals, more often, then you'll use the energy more efficiently, and not process as much into fat.

Water's great to drink, but it gets boring real fast. I also love tea, so I have alot of that (I hate coffee, so I have no idea about it). And by tea, I mean actual tea. No milk, sugar, cream, or other additions. Milk can be great for you, but drinking non-lowfat milk is only going to up your calories. If you want to lose weight, either drink low-fat/skim or stop drinking milk.

Smoothies are blended drinks. Usually ice, water, fruit, and protein powder, though there are a ton of recipes.

3/6/9 works to give you a better fat ration in your diet. They're pills, and incredibly helpful. CLA is another supplement - some people like it, others don't. Creatine's pretty useful for lifters, but a total and complete waste for swimmers.

Calories in a diet depends on portion size.

In truth, your first post has all the info you need to work on: swimming is giving you some muscle tone and some health, but it will not make you slender until your diet becomes healthy. Read a bit on healthy diets (google, or use the forums here) and post any questions you come up with in the diet section (please don't post asking someone to "make me a healthy diet plan," though - that's just impossible to do).

Good luck.

[jorcaryvan]

Thanks for answering my questions pliny. Now I understand things a little better. So eating small portions several times a day good; water, tea (without anything alse) also good; no milk (except lowfat/skim); smoothies good (I'll search for a recipe); Omega 3/6/9 good (which one should I use?); CLA maybe good; Creatine is a no-no unless I go the bodybuilder way, am I right?

OK, now i got just a few questions: how I made my body get accustomed to this new regime of eating? Should the lapses between meals have to be evenly spaced in time? The diet should allways be the same everyday?

Well, now i'll go search for some recipes on the forum. Hopefully I'll start my new diet on the weekend. Thanks for all.

[xpat3bn]

I liked it because all the pretty young things in bikinis were at the pool all winter long too...that get's a guys heart pumping too!
[/quote]

Yep that's why I liked swimming also. This is a great topic, I am recovering from a fall. My heel, knee and lower back make it impossible to use tread mill, stationary bike and eliptical trainer difficult. I will check with my doctor and physiotheapist and see if I can incorperate swimming into my rehab. I also have to alter my diet it's been 10 weeks since falling and I gained 11lbs.

[Jesus_Rules]

How much exactly do you have to swim to burn even an ounce of fat? How much to burn up to, oh say, 100 calories?