Swimming is great for keeping fit and muscle tone, but if you exercise with just your waistline in mind, some coaches might tell you to change your sport and not. not choose swimming.
Many received ideas about the practice of swimming and lifeguard requirements to lose weight effectively are conveyed …
So, will swimming help you lose weight? Can you build muscle and improve your figure while swimming? What sessions to do to lose weight? What pace of training do you need?
Let’s not waste any more time, and let’s take a look at this immediately.
Quick navigation in the article
- But what is the reality?
- Comparison between land sport and water sport.
- Scientific studies on weight loss and swimming.
- The results of the study.
- Freshwater to lose weight.
- The exercises to be performed in the swimming pool for weight loss.
- How many calories will you burn?
- Appetite after training
Swimming to lose weight but what is the reality?
If you want to lose weight, better to walk around a pool than to swim in it.
Some fitness teachers or weight loss coaches will say.
It’s a bit extreme but it’s a common misconception that swimming has huge benefits for the body and weight loss. In addition, unlike land sports, swimming is a sport without impact on the ground and protects your body from possible injuries.
We will promote work on the legs with the beats and work in HIIT to strengthen your thighs, your arms, and your stomach.
Comparison between land sport and water sport
Swimming is a sport carried, which involves somebody flotation, which reduces the work of moving the body, compared to exercises on land – especially if you have a little body fat, which will increase buoyancy.
On the other hand, you have to work against the “water resistances” on your body and if your kick or swimming technique is not very efficient it can greatly increase the energy you use for swimming.
Scientific studies on weight loss and swimming
Kay Cox, a professor, and researcher at the University of Western Australia recognizes that there are pitfalls to using swimming to lose weight, but she has shown it is possible.
In 2010, she conducted a study of healthy, inactive older women who started a swimming program and compared them to other women who started a walking program.
The study was published in the journal Metabolism – Clinical and Experimental (Australian Scientific Journal), it showed that after one year of participation in the program, the swimmers lost more weight and waist circumference than those in the program. of walking.
The results of the study
The two groups did sessions at the same intensity (measured with cardio frequency meters) and for the same duration three times a week.
The first six months were supervised, then continued for the next six months without follow-up.
At the end of the study, they measured the weight and waist circumference of the swimmers, the results are clearly noticeable.
Swimmers lost an average of 1.1 kilograms more and about 2 centimeters more in waist circumference than walkers.
This study clearly proves that swimming helps in weight loss and reduction in waist circumference.
Plus, it relieves the joints compared to running or walking, which means you’re less likely to injure yourself and more likely to have fun every time you come to the pool.
But how do you explain such a difference in weight loss between swimming and walking?
Freshwater to lose weight.
The temperature of the water is a factor to consider, it promotes blood circulation and forces the body to produce energy to keep a body temperature at 37 degrees. It’s the cool pool environment (26 degrees Celsius) that might explain, at least in part, why swimmers have an advantage when it comes to weight loss.
Temperature plus physical exercise in the water may explain why the swimmers in Kay Cox’s study performed better than the walkers.
Most aquatic centers maintain a temperature around 26/27 degrees Celsius, so water that is too hot should be avoided as it will negate part of the effectiveness of physical exercises in losing fat.
The exercises to be performed in the swimming pool for weight loss.
Use your legs ( Kick, wave, breaststroke ) intensely when swimming because they are the muscles in the body that consume the most calories even when swimming. For comparison, swimming 1000 meters in crawl will make you spend around 224 calories against 370 for breaststroke over the same distance.
Alternate lengths where you go faster and lengths where you swim slower to catch your breath.
Challenge yourself to personal challenges by setting goals and performing regular time tests. Take your time 50 or 100 meters every week to have a point of comparison.
To maximize calorie burning, we also recommend swimming using the interval training method, HIIT. It can be as simple as swimming as fast as you can for a length, then a length in a more relaxed way – it can really speed up the fat loss process and this logic is widely used by runners and cyclists who achieve excellent results. results.
How many calories will you burn?
To lose a kilo, you have to burn about 3500 calories, trainers and doctors recommend a combination of a healthy/balanced diet and regular physical activity, this is the best way to get results quickly.
It is also recommended to swim at least 2.5 hours per week during weight loss, and at least one hour after achieving weight loss goals.
Burning 3,500 calories means you need to swim for around 7 hours, which is an easily achievable monthly goal for most of us. So don’t give up and be consistent and success will come for sure.
How many calories can you burn per hour?
It depends on your initial weight and your swimming skills, but on average, a 75-kilogram person will burn around 500 calories per hour of swimming while a 100-kilogram person will burn over 600 calories per hour of swimming.
So this is good news for those who are a bit heavier, as they will start to see results faster and this could be a great way to stay motivated and keep going…
But be careful, the SWIM level and the intensity of swimming play a very important role in having results.
Appetite after training
Two factors will increase appetite after swimming training, physical exertion and water temperature.
The colder the water, the more calories the body will need to burn to maintain an ideal body temperature.
The women in Professor Cox’s study got around this problem by being vigilant about their food intake after every workout. All study participants were instructed to follow an appropriate diet before starting the swimming program.
In summary, if swimmers do the same amount of exercise as on land and don’t compensate by eating more afterward, swimming will have more of an impact on weight loss than exercise on land. at the same intensity.
- For this, we must therefore remember 4 important factors in weight loss associated with swimming:
- The water temperature should not be above 27 degrees.
- Correct swimming technique should be applied while promoting legwork.
- The swimming intensities must be varied: fast/medium/slow.
- The food plan must be adapted
We hope that the information and advice in this article will motivate you and help you improve your physical condition by losing weight in a healthy and sustainable way.
