Swimming as cardio?

Sorry if this is the wrong forum, but I've recently gotten back into swimming and I feel like my cardio has improved dramatically over the last few months I've been swimming twice a week. Did anyone else try this?

 

Where's your power meter?

 

I was quite into natation before moving to cycling. Natation is GREAT to improve endurance, just like high perfomance cycling. No wonders your cardio improved dramatically, swimming is a really tiring workout.
The most important thing is to keep the pace and breath well.

 

I don't what you mean by that, sorry.

Oh yeah, it has taken me some time as well to figure out the proper breathing while swimming but it was so much worth it.

 

Swimming is great for cardio especially during the summer months.

 

Swimming is a fantastic exercise. It is known to be extremely draining on the body, which is why you will see swim meets provide swimmers with cookies and other foods just so they don't pass out. If you have a pool of your own or a gym where you can actually get a good swim in, go for it. It might even seem like you aren't really even exercising lol.

 

I don't know so much about cardio? It definitely has cardio benefits, but it's also technically a weighted exercise. It requires muscular exertion on a total-body level, so it isn't just a clearcut cardio exercise in the way running is. Running is exertion but the weight of the air is pennies to the weight of water.

 

Yeah, that's right. Swimming is one of the best exercises that can help you to develop cardio respiratory fitness. I think it burns way more calories that cycling. I am a consistent swimmer and I really love swimming. It's like my second favorite hobby after cycling. It helps to burn more calories than cycling because when you swim, every part of your body moves, unlike cycling. That is why it is a good exercise.

 

I wholeheartedly agree. I wrote this in another thread, but yesterday a friend and I rode 22.5 km to a nearby lake, had a swim and then rode back. Exhausting, but so much fun.

All I know is that my cardio improved dramatically when I started swimming again.

 

^ I can imagine, you're still getting cardio benefits from the exertion and heartrate increase. I'm saying I don't think it is particularly considered cardio, it's in a weird territory. Aerobic exercise is generally cardio, I'm just pretty sure swimming isn't necessarily considered cardio is what I mean

 

Hi guys.. I have a question recently I stopped swimming and running because of difficulty in breathing. Am I sick? or its just normal?

 

You should find out why you are having difficulty in breathing. In my opinion, it is normal but it may be there because of the serious medical conditions. So, I would highly recommend you to visit the doctor. If there is no underlying cause, then you may consider this normal.

 

There is a large cardio component to swimming. You can also engage in water aerobics as well if you really want some cardio benefit. Low impact and great for the heart.

 

What's water aerobics? I've never heard of it.

 

Swimming is great for cardio, just like any exercise is that gets your heart and lungs working more than they usually do. Swimming is also good for keeping you doing cardio even if your injured, as its a form of non impact exercise, meaning that if your struggling to cycle or go jogging for example then you can still exercise even with aches, sprains and pains.

 

Absolutely this. I didn't mention it before, but swimming is great cardio if you have some nagging joint issues. I actually recommend swimming over running as preferred cardio if you want to lose weight.

 

Personally I prefer swimming over jogging anyway if I'm being honest, and there's been a few times now when ice come back from jogging with a twist or a knock due to the impact nature of the exercise, and like I said, with swimming that's something you don't have to worry about.

Only downside I have found, is that here in the UK, it can be freezing coming away from the pool in the winter with wet hair, haha!

 

Are they called blow-driers? That little fan machine with blows hot air? Sorry, English is not my first language, but I'm sure you know what I mean. My hair is always very short though, so I don't have problem with that. Plus I wear a hat in the winter.

I agree, definitely swimming over jogging for cardio. I just grew to love it so much.

 

Swimming is way better to work out, because your body makes a bigger effort. Running is good too, but you'll end up working out the legs, while the rest of your body is not very developed by that.

 

I don't think it matters how well you dry off after a swim, you never feel completely dry until you've got home, showed and changed, well, I don't anyway, but I do know what you mean about the blow dryers.