Does swimming in a pool help you lose weight? Why is it generally believed that swimming affects your figure? After all, let’s say, whales spend their entire lives in the water, but you can’t find where their waist is.
Hello everyone, dear readers. Svetlana Morozova is with you. Are you bored? And today we will look at what must be the most enjoyable and versatile type of activity: swimming. Does it help you lose weight, and what water options should you choose? Read this article.
Friends, read the article further, there will be a lot of interesting things in it! And for those who want: “Find out the degree of slagging in your body” or “Find out what’s stopping you from losing weight?” Take Selection TEST
Losing weight in the pool: arguments against
Swimming allows you to burn about 500 kcal per hour
. However, experts recommend including it in a weight loss program only as an additional load. According to sports nutrition experts, going to the pool rarely leads to weight loss because: 1. Many people feel very hungry after a swim and, because of this, consume more calories than they burned during the activity. 2. Swimming loads almost all muscle groups and leads to such fatigue that people often avoid any physical activity outside the pool. 3. In addition, exercise in warm water does not increase body temperature, which means it does not force it to spend calories to cool the body. Thus, energy consumption occurs only during swimming and abruptly stops as soon as a person leaves the water.
To the pool with the whole family
Swimming is suitable for almost everyone. Find out how swimming benefits men, women and children - even babies.
Swimming in the pool for weight loss: what to do, the best options
Of course, just coming for a swim is the same thing. But if you purposefully go to the pool to lose extra pounds, it is better to choose not just a general strengthening workout, but one of the most fat-burning options:
- Water aerobics. The name is clear, I think. Group aerobics classes with a trainer, only in water. It is becoming more and more popular and here’s why: as I already said, you can repeat many familiar exercises in water, and the effect will increase significantly. The abdominal and thigh muscles are perfectly toned and the calves are moderately thinner. With the help of aerobics in general (and aquatic exercises especially) you can get rid of cellulite quite quickly.
If not water aerobics, then even pregnant women can do gymnastics in water. Of course, only after consulting your doctor. Raise your leg, sit down while staying afloat, make a “mill” with your hands while standing up to your shoulders in the water - this kind of calm water gymnastics well prepares a woman’s body for childbirth and a quick recovery after it.
- Water polo. A very energy-intensive game (try jumping high out of the water), it burns a lot of calories. At the same time, it develops the shoulder girdle, pectoral and back muscles very well. It will be ideal for men.
- Exercises with various sports equipment. Swimming pools often offer the opportunity to choose various attributes: dumbbells, balls, sticks (noodles), hoops, etc. Take it, don't refuse. If you exercise not in a pool, but in an open body of water, the same thing. Swim with fins - this is the best way to fight the hated orange peel.
- A combination of various techniques. Learn to swim in every way: breaststroke, crawl, butterfly, backstroke, bellystroke. At least like a dog! Watch the video and use all types in your workouts. Each technique loads a certain muscle group more than others. For example, when you float on your back, you tighten your sides and obliques. And the rabbit, by the way, burns the most calories – more than 600 per hour.
You can simply do interval training for yourself, alternating styles and speeds. I recently wrote about the correct technique for interval training, read it.
- Running on water. Not a pool, but still. An excellent reason not to give up your usual jogging on vacation if you run regularly. When jogging in shallow water, you should try not to raise your legs too high - there should be resistance to the water.
As they say, for every taste, comrades. Now let’s figure out how to take up swimming in the pool to lose weight and achieve results.
Lose weight in the pool: pros
But what if swimming is the only possible and comfortable way to get exercise? For example, for people with serious injuries that preclude activities on land, or for those who, due to excess weight, are embarrassed to actively move in the presence of others. As already mentioned, exercise in the pool allows you to train almost the entire body
- the heart, lungs and muscles work as a single system. Swimming is great for improving health and fitness - that is, preparing for more serious loads, allowing you to effectively lose excess weight. To get rid of extra pounds by working out in the pool, you need to burn more calories than you eat. To do this, you need to carefully monitor your diet and fight hunger pangs after exercise with low-calorie snacks. In addition, you should choose a pool or pond with cool water. This will increase the burning of calories, since the body will have to work to heat itself. Don't forget about safety and hypothermia prevention if you decide to swim in a river or lake.
Swimming in the pool for weight loss: water against fat, kick from the outside
Let's start with the fact that swimming is an aerobic physical activity. Otherwise - cardio. They are the best friends of slimness and fat burning. Namely, water sports are always complex. The entire muscular corset is involved, along with deep muscles and those that are usually little used.
This requires a lot of energy. What does this mean: the more energy is spent, the more fat is burned. Remember the golden rule of losing weight? Spend more than you consume, then we will start losing weight.
During swimming, we have to overcome the resistance of the aquatic environment, which means that the load on the entire body increases compared to similar training in the air.
Let’s say, if we compare which burns fat better: running or swimming, then during an intense jog, 25% less energy is spent than when exercising in the pool.
That’s why swimmers always have such a sculpted body – the skin is elastic, there is a minimum of fat, and the muscles are pumped up.
At the same time, swimming in a pool for weight loss is gentler than other aerobic exercises - water relieves excess tension, cools, and the skin tightens better during exercise. Plus, there is a lower risk of injury, and the load on the joints is reduced, even in the elderly and obese.
Another factor is that water stretches the spine, helps fight curvatures, and strengthens the back muscles. Posture improves, and this contributes to changes in the figure: the chest is tightened, the flabby abdomen disappears. You've probably noticed that stooped people always have a belly.
Besides, what is swimming? A great way to relieve stress. And a happy person is an equally beautiful person, healthy and with a good metabolism. Hence healthy weight loss. Happiness is generally transformative, as seen from personal experience.
How to learn to swim half a kilometer in two months?
If you just started going to the pool, you are unlikely to be able to swim a sufficient distance to spend those same 500 kcal.
Choose a pool with a 25-meter lap that you can use at least twice a week. Gradually increase the distance you swim each time, measuring it in "pools". Here's a rough plan for the first four sessions: Workout No. 1 (100 meters) 4 x 25 meters, 20 minutes rest for the entire session - about five minutes after each track. Workout No. 2 (100 meters) 4 x 25 meters, 15 minutes of rest for the entire session. Swimming pool and skin health
How to enjoy swimming without harming your skin, says Sergey Chub, Candidate of Medical Sciences, employee of the Central Research Institute of Dermatovenerology of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia.
Workout No. 3 (150 meters) 6 x 25 meters, 20 minutes rest for the entire session. Workout No. 4 (150 meters) 6 x 25 meters, 15 minutes of rest for the entire session. Thus, by adding two “pools” to every third workout, by the 18-20 session you will be able to swim up to 500 meters in one visit.
Basic principles of swimming in a pool for weight loss
Swimming in a weight loss pool has its own characteristics. The first thing you need to emphasize is systematicity. Without a persistent and focused approach, there will be no result. Training should not be very long: from 45 minutes to 1 hour will be enough. And at intervals of 3-4 times a week.
Before training, you need to warm up for 5-7 minutes on land, warm up and stretch different muscle groups. Then, already in the water, do some warm-up exercises and swim 100-150 meters with calm movements in any style. After this preparation, the intensity of the training should increase and the activity of the swimming itself should increase.
For better results, it is recommended to alternate sets of active exercises with slower ones. For example, after swimming 200 meters in crawl, you can swim 100 meters in a calm breaststroke, then 100 meters in an intense butterfly, and after that 50 meters in a calm backstroke. For a variety of workouts and the use of different muscle groups, it is better to draw up a training plan for yourself in advance and carry out the assigned tasks.
For example, you can swim on your back, without using your arms or legs, or use a swimming board or ball. The load can be increased gradually, from lesson to lesson. Record the time you complete the distance and try to improve it, just like swimming itself. The results of losing weight will not keep you waiting.
Basic principles of swimming in the pool for weight loss
There must be at least small goals for each lesson. Each workout should end, as at the beginning, with a calm swim of 100-150 meters to restore breathing and relax the muscles.
Swimming is useful precisely because the load on the joints is very gentle, and even with intense training, neither the spine nor ligaments are damaged, but on the contrary, these exercises are useful for the knees and ankles. After all, they bear the main burden of a person being overweight.
Proper workouts in the pool will help you lose weight
Nutrition and exercise for effective weight loss
The diet must be thought out. It is advisable to take the advice of an experienced nutritionist in combination with swimming lessons. The predominance of protein foods and a reasonable combination of them with carbohydrates will help you come to the pool full of strength and energy for a productive workout.
Nutrition and exercise for effective weight loss
For classes, it is allowed to use additional equipment and devices: fins, balls, swimming boards. With their help, you can significantly diversify your exercises and make each lesson memorable. At first, it is important to perform the exercises correctly in order to use the right muscle groups and not overstrain the rest. Then you can gradually increase the speed of the exercises.
Additionally, for a faster weight loss process, you can add massage sessions and a visit to the sauna or bathhouse to your sessions in the pool.
Swimming is very good for losing weight , and a clear and balanced approach to training will make it a pleasure, not a job, and losing excess weight will become just an additional incentive, and not a difficult and almost impossible task. All efforts will definitely be crowned with success.
The effect of swimming on the body as a whole
about swimming for weight loss are mostly good. Many people notice that the weight comes off gradually, and the muscles and ligaments become stronger. The cardiovascular and respiratory systems work easier in conditions of high humidity than in a dry and dusty room.
An additional bonus of swimming for weight loss is the moisturizing and tightening effect of water on the skin of the entire body. Which in its effect is similar to cosmetic massage and cellulite prevention. This, in swimming for weight loss , is especially attractive to women.
- Another advantage will be the relaxing effect of water on the nervous system and the release of tension and stress accumulated during the day at work.
We must not forget about the diet even during very intense training. It is not recommended to eat an hour before class and an hour after it, precisely to improve the process of fighting extra pounds. And it’s impossible to train well with a full stomach. You can drink clean water without gas.
After just a few workouts, the effect will be noticeable, which will become an additional incentive to continue training.
The effect of swimming on the body as a whole
Swimming for weight loss in the pool strengthens the back muscles without loading it , according to reviews , such as, for example , as a result of working out in the gym. Posture is straightened, pain in the spine and neck muscles goes away. Frequent headaches go away due to improved blood circulation and enrichment of blood with oxygen. The tone of life rises significantly and, with the loss of excess weight, excessive fatigue and fatigue go away.
