Any swimmers?

How does swimming compare to other excersise say walking or eliptical? I am trying to mix it up a bit, but still want a great excersise that will build muscle, while being cardio. DO you think swimming meets that criteria? I have noticed that i can't swim as long as i can do the eliptical, so maybe it's a more intense workout????? Thanks in advance, Melinda

Hi Melinda!   I am a personal trainer and love suggesting swimming as a way to add variety to your cardio routine.  The intensity depends upon the type of swimming you are doing (lap swimming, ocean swimming, and the type of stroke).  One reason you may fatigue sooner in the water is because your cardiovascular system is not only working at swimming, it is also working to regulate your body temperature.  Here's a good 30 minute pool routine that involves several intensity levels: Warm-up with kickboard using legs only 6x (each "x" is a lap form one end of the pool and back) Moderate breaststroke 3x  (as a kid this was more lovingly called "froggie kick") Quick breaststroke 2x Moderate backstroke 5x Moderate freestyle 2x Cool-down with kickboard using legs only 4x Another option is water-jogging using a "noodle" or two kickboards.  This is an easy cardio exercise that is also very social, making it good for groups or doing with a friend.  A water noodle is a long tubular flotation device that's sold at most sporting good stores in the swim section.  Simply wrap it the noodle around your breast-line (in front or back) so it cradles you, allowing you to float.  You can achieve the same thing with two kickboards - one under each arm pulled close to the rib cage.  Simply "run" in place, the sensation will feel similar to using a bike machine.  Try doing that for twenty minutes with a warm-up and cool-down of kickboard laps 3x.   I hope this helps!  Enjoy the water!    -Joanna Fee   

Great info!  Thanks for sharing the variety.  I was getting in the pool and just doing regular laps while setting a time goal for myself -- that gets pretty boring fairly quickly! Don't know why I didn't think about a kick board!  Thanks, Donna

Thank you Joanna Fee, I will give the routine a try, although it will take me a while to build up to that! Thanks for your time and expertise.

Meltingmel, I do aqua aerobics and there are so many different exercises that I was amazed.  I took the classes for several months and now I do them on my own.  I can pretty much do everything in water that others do in the gym.  I do jumping jacks, sit ups, lunges, squats, jogging, work on inner thigh, calves and tri and biceps!  I also use the noodle to sit on like a bike and pedal on my laps.  I was doing 60 minutes 5 or 6 days a week and was told to cut back to 30 minutes since my back was starting to hurt.  The back is not hurting any more, I've been dropping inches as I did in the past since muscle weighs more than fat.  I love the water and also have a gym membership.  Most of my swimming is in my complex at night, I live in AZ.  I have just been trying to do as much exercise as I can so I won't have too much hanging flab later...lol Jamie

I was an assistant swim coach, and am training now to be a water aerobics instructor (at 307 pounds!) In all honestly, water exercise does not burn fat as efficiently as some land exercise, but it's much easier tolerated by the joints--- and hell, it's fun!  Think beyond swimming, too. Water running and jogging are great. Deep water crunches and jumping jacks are fun, and done quickly can give you quite the cardio workout! I like to do a mix of things, adding more as I become more physically able. Mix some pool time into your routine-- it's so enjoyable!