Swimming is a great way to burn calories and tone muscles. It's great because it's zero impact and it works the entire body. You'll not only work your legs (from kicking) and arms (from the strokes) but you'll tone your back, chest, abs, glutes, all over!
Try to vary your strokes, and do 2 or 3 different ones each session. Since I'm not good at butterfly, I always do freestyle, breast stroke, and back stroke.
Here's an example of what I do when I want to swim for an exercise. Oh, and when I'm describing my routine, a "lap" is "there and back" and a length is just one way.
I start out with a nice-paced freestyle lap or two to get warmed up. Then I'll do the same with breast stroke. Medium paced, there and back, twice.
Then I go pretty hard freestyle again about 2-3 laps. This gets my heart rate up pretty quickly. When I'm tired, I go to breast stroke.
If I ever get too out of breath, I switch to back stroke. That way I can breathe whenever I want, catch my breath, but I never stop working out.
Once I've caught my breath, I go back to freestyle. And basically repeat all over again until I'm done. Usually about a half hour.
To keep the pace going, I have really worked on my flip turns. That way I never have to stop and hold on to the side of the pool. It's a non-stop workout for 20-30 minutes, and I feel great afterwards.
It's a GREAT all over workout.
Remember to drink water! A lot of people get dehydrated while swimming. All the water makes you think you're not sweating as much and also makes you not as thirsty. So you have to make a conscious effort to drink water before and after your workout.
Also, wear goggles so your eyes don't get all red and yucky. :)
2007-06-11 03:36:47
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answer #1
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answered by Laurie F 5
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2016-04-01 01:47:37
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answer #2
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answered by Anonymous
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I'm not quite sure of the exact number, but I do know that swimming burns more calories than any other physical activity. Swimming is a great exercise and it's also really good for your heart.
Just keep swimming!
2007-06-11 03:35:12
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answer #3
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answered by Rachel 3
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You burn approximately 350 to 420 calories per hour swimming.
2007-06-11 03:37:45
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answer #4
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answered by sjt 1
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my friend swims three times a week, he has for five years now, he has 2% body fat. swimming burns alot of calories, alot...
2007-06-11 03:31:42
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answer #5
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answered by Anonymous
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Visit the site, http://calorielab.com/burned. Put in your weight and the activity you will be doing and it will calculate how much you will burn for leisurely swimming, vigorous swimming, etc.
2007-06-11 03:33:53
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answer #6
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answered by Lov'n IT! 7
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i dont know the exact number, but i do know you burn a lot. also, if you can, get in the shallow water and excersize. maybe lift some weights or something. try to blend in excersizes and swimming together.
2007-06-11 03:44:50
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answer #7
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answered by Nan1 2
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Depends on how much you weigh - This wil calculate it for you:
http://www.magnetic-diet.com/calc/exercise-calorie-calculator.html
2007-06-11 08:52:58
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answer #8
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answered by Nick Smith 4
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half an hour is realistic for a beginner but an hour is ideal.
2007-06-11 03:36:06
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answer #9
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answered by zhi 5
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