Swimming as cardio?

[pwarbi]

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.

You're right there and swimming does provide more of a full body workout that running does, even though I still don't think it competes with cycling.

Cycling can also work out your whole body, and a lot of people don't realise that, and just think it's your legs that are working, but that isn't the case.

 

[rz3300]

If I had my way I would have access to a body of water every day of my life. Of course if everything was perfect and ideal than that body of water would be a lake or an ocean, but I would also settle on a pool or modern swimming machine (although those are rare). It is a great workout, and for me it is fun, which makes it so much easier to make it a part of a routine. It is just that darn access problem that will always be there for me.

 

[pwarbi]

If I had my way I would have access to a body of water every day of my life. Of course if everything was perfect and ideal than that body of water would be a lake or an ocean, but I would also settle on a pool or modern swimming machine (although those are rare). It is a great workout, and for me it is fun, which makes it so much easier to make it a part of a routine. It is just that darn access problem that will always be there for me.

I think that's probably everyone's dream to have a pool in their own house, I know that would be ideal for me as well. A few years ago a friend of mine won quite a bit of money on the lottery and he lived in a big house anyway, but he had an extension built with a full size pool and gym in it.

To be honest I don't think it made much difference to the amount of times he went swimming, it just meant that when he did, he didn't have to leave the comfort of his own house!

 

[Jcycle]

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.

Water resistance is there, but it is still a clear cut cardio exercise.

 

[pwarbi]

Any form of exercise in my opinion that get's your heart beating harder and faster than it would do normally can be called a cardio exercise and that includes swimming.

The main reason that I can think of why people don't include it as part of their training regime as much, is mainly because of the fact it's not the easiest thing to do. It's not as if you can go swimming and then go and immediately do another form of exercise like you can in a gym.

 

[ballyhara]

Very complete exercise indeed. Swimming makes you move all your muscles, while avoiding to carry your own weight. For sure, you will feel exhausted while you finish swimming, specially if you are out of shape or a rookie, but honestly, that's the best cardio you can do. Try to get some workout/swimming books, or talk to a trainer, so that way you can take advantage of the time you invest swimming.

 

[Kakashi]

I know that swimming is one of the best cardio exercises but sadly I don't like swimming but I often jog, and I do hit the gym 3x a week and that really boosts my cardio strength also I do some Cycling which is also a an effective activity in building up endurance and cardiovascular health.

 

[treecko142]

Swimming is definitely a great cardio exercise and you don't feel as tired when you rest and float in the water in between.

 

[DenisP]

Swimming is actually my second most favorite form of cardio, right next to cycling.

Swimming involves the use of all four of your limbs, and this combined with the added resistance of the water itself makes for an intense cardio workout. There is a reason why Olympic swimmers are famously some of the leanest athletes in the industry.

It's also a fantastic form of cardio because it's low impact by nature. It's perfect for people with joint issues. It's hard to find an effective form of cardio if you have joint issues, particularly with your knees, but swimming doesn't strain the knees in the way running or cycling does.

I wish my neighborhood had an indoor pool so I could swim all year long.

 

[Corzhens]

We were in a swimming pool resort last weekend. My nieces and nephew were engaged in a friendly race in the pool. From time to time, they would race for 1 lap in the olympic size pool. They said that doing the laps is pretty hard at first but later on it becomes easy. And on the next day, they have more strength and stamina. I also do some laps but the problem with me is I get hungry when I feel tired.

 

[Henrywrites]

Swimming is great for cardio especially during the summer months.

The summer period is always a time where you can get to take your swimming period to the next level. I always enjoy taking out time to swim which is really good as well.

 

[Henrywrites]

We were in a swimming pool resort last weekend. My nieces and nephew were engaged in a friendly race in the pool. From time to time, they would race for 1 lap in the olympic size pool. They said that doing the laps is pretty hard at first but later on it becomes easy. And on the next day, they have more strength and stamina. I also do some laps but the problem with me is I get hungry when I feel tired.

You can always do it as time goes on. I have come to realize that you can get to swim as much as you want when you are in the pool.

 

[Corzhens]

You can always do it as time goes on. I have come to realize that you can get to swim as much as you want when you are in the pool.

I have done that once - swim as much as I want. And what did I get? Muscle pains all over my body. That's why I am now careful when it comes to abusing my body in the pool. But I agree that it is sometimes good to push yourself to the limit just to test your physical capability. Maybe if we have a pool of our own, I can do real swimming.

 

[reighn]

Yeah, swimming is good for our cardio, the pressure under water helps us to maybe exercise our lungs and push it limits. That's why some of the athletes preferred to do their exercise in a pool.

 

[svejorange]

It's one of the best cardios if you ask me. You can easily count your breaths.

 

[Henrywrites]

It's one of the best cardios if you ask me. You can easily count your breaths.

Swimming is always a good way to get better as we are training our heart beat to be really strong. That's a good way to go about keeping fit.

 

[fouad1995]

It'll work, but if you stick the cyclocomputer on the bar the signal might not reach.

And since stationary bikes don't go anywhere at any speed, I say forget about it. Track your workouts by effort and duration instead. Ride at an effort level where talking begins to get difficult. Try for at least 45 minutes.

 

[PedalPowerPaul]

Hey! I agree, tracking speed on a stationary bike can be tricky. Focus on effort and duration instead. Aim for 45 minutes at a challenging effort level. Keep pushing!

 

[Leachyy2k]

That's fantastic to hear about your cardio improvements through swimming! It's always great to see people challenging themselves with new activities. I've heard that swimming can significantly boost cardiovascular fitness, so it's no surprise you're seeing results. As a cyclist, I'm always open to exploring different forms of exercise to complement my training. Keep up the excellent work!

 

[floridabiker]

Absolutely, swimming is a fantastic way to build up cardio! I've been road biking for years, but only recently got back into biking after a long break. I started with a Cannondale Silk Trail 4