V5

Oi Chris! Kenny??????????????????????? Noooooooooooooooooooo! Haven't even read further down your post, but if you're confusing me with that Saxo Boy!! Grr! (Kenny - )


Edit to and say I scrolled too far down the page and hadn't seen that Kenny had posted! Oops.

[Edited by V5 - 7/1/2003 1:31:54 PM]

ChrisB

I was answering SB's question Iain. Actually, maybe you're suffering from fuel surge in the pool?

Reading more...

Whilst burning fat is generally the idea of weight loss, burning the biggest number of calories seems to be the target.

I'll quit rambling now and wait for Ozzy to arrive

[Edited by ChrisB - 7/1/2003 1:33:20 PM]

V5

Morning

Over the last three weeks or so I've been getting back in the gym habit, and including swimming in my workout. Now, this morning I've swum 1.5miles (2400m) in just under an hour and a quarter. (So fairly slowly then! )

When I stopped I measured my heartrate, and it was about 95 bpm. I'm 30 years old, so it's 50% of my MHR. My question is this: is that actually a worthwile workout? IIRC the fat burning zone is about 60%-70% of MHR. So should I up the intensity and therefore cut down on time?

Cheers
Iain

TopBanana

Swim faster!

XRS

I'm not convinced that swimming will lose weight for you - I use it just to exercise my heart a bit. I do think you need to speed up however. I'm a good bit older than you and swim my 2,000m in around 39 minutes.

No doubt someone will mention Atkins sooner or later....

V5

Atkins-schmatkins!

As I said, swimming is just part of what I'm doing. I was quite suprised that my heartrate was so low, and I guess was just looking for confirmation that I need to speed up. I think what I'll do is a combination of shorter, faster swims (I won't use the word sprints just yet ) and longer ones.

Still amazed that I don't get bored in the pool tho

pbee

I used to swim at county competition level, and it is not good at fat burn. This is why swimmers have to do lots of running and gym work (no weights).

but for aerobic and cardio vascular toning you cant beat it.

by a float that is shaped like a figure 8 you can use it for squeezing between your legs and and just using your arms and then reverse to just use your legs.

this makes you work much harder as you only have one movement to do work hard with it and you will see the benefits over just swimming.

V5

pbee - I saw someone with one of them and wondered wtf it was! Would that workout apply to breastsroke as well? Cos that's all I can do!

I have been thinking about getting swimming lessons, to teach me proper form. I've read things saying just how much difference it can make. Anyone got any ideas as to what one should look for in an instructor?

blueE9

fantastic CV workout and also seems to work the muscles quite hard without tightening them up like you get from weights (which I like too). Sounds to me like you could be swimming a bit faster. same applies to me - it's easy to fall into the habit of trawling along at the speed of an arthritic goldfish for long distances, when you'd prob be better off picking it up a bit. I am solidly in the arthritic goldfixh camp at the moment and need to do s'thing about it.

blueE9

hmmm. V5 I was going to ask if you were doing b'stroke. I used to do this for long distances when I was a kid and was told basically swim freestyle or you're wasting your time. it would be worth getting some lessons and you'll notice the difference in intensity.

blueE9

quite a lot of pools (esp the private gym type ones) now have technical instructors who can help you one on one. i had some help and the bloke basically told me my stroke was 10 years out of date. It does make a real difference.

V5

From the few times I've done a bit of freestyle I remember it being harder. But, this could be that it's just because I'm even worse at that than breaststroke!

I never got the hang of breathing during freestyle - any tips?

ScoobyJawa

Step up the pace

V5

I'll have to remember to ask at the gym tomorrow if they have any instructors. I just don't want it to be someone who's managed to pass swimming 101 and that's it.

V5

I wondered when the really top-notch constructive advice would arrive. Thank you Jawa.



No muppetising my thread you! This is serious business!

yoza

If your pool is the same as the one I use, try walking up and down the length of the pool(I do 40 lengths after a leg workout), excellent exercise. You do look a bit of a twit though.

PS. Our pool is one depth allover, and only reaches the bottom of my chest, no snorkells required.

V5

Yoza, I don't mind looking a bit of a twit! I used to do swim-pt. Every hundred metres, get out and do 20 press-ups and 20 crunches. Repeat 10 times for 1000m swim and 200 press-ups and 200 crunches.

Not gonna be doing that for a bit - I'd scare people!

scoob_babe

V5 - if you're going to use the pull-buoy (figure of 8 thing) on breastroke, make sure your technique is good and your arms are quite strong otherwise you'll get very tired very quickly and sink with your legs trailing!

Also make sure your legs are kicking correctly otherwise you don't exercise the muscles in the right way. For correct - look at the way a frog swims

V5

Cheers scoob_babe - mebbe I'll leave the pull-bouy for a bit then!

I think I'm kicking correctly, tho it does sometimes get a bit lop-sided.

ChrisB

I'm not the world's best swimmer (I could probably compete for the worst actually!).

I find doing front crawl knackers me out amazingly quickly. I guess my technique is very wrong given I can do an hour of CV in the gym without much problem.

I can float up and down doing back stroke all day.

ScoobyJawa

Hang on, Jlanng said the same thing but you didn't comment on him. [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img] I'm not muppetising your thread - I'm telling you what you need to hear

scoob_babe

Chris - I occaisonally used to swim for Lincs and Humberside so I used to be pretty fit. I didn't do so much at uni but went to the gym a lot in my final year. Carried on with the gym and then decided to start swimming again. I was dead after just 25m butterfly (more of embarrasment)!!
Being fit in the gym bears no relevance to the swimming. Have started pootling up and down in the pool again lately though

V5

Neil

I know technique is important - I couldn't swim any real distance until I'd sorted my breathing out. (Does "Mikey blowing bubbles, Mikey blowing bubbles" ring a bell with anyone? No Wacko Jacko comments please!) I think it's the breathing I need to sort out for freestyle.

Was just looking around for more info on Total Immersion, having heard good things about them/their 'method'. There's a weekend workshop next weekend - only £310!! Think I'll lokk for a local instructor!

zoog

I took up swimming 6 months ago after retiring from GYM and running work due to disc problems.

got knackered v quickly to start with but now i am not bad at all and quite fast compared to most I see in there.

I notice that it is quite hard to get the HR up to high levels even trying really hard, that is a feature of swimming versus running. But it really helps with flexibility and overall muscle tone, with no cost to the joints.

Another vital point re swimming: Most girls are very attracted to the competitive male swimmer's physique, more so than the more muscly gym honed body shape.And at the end of the daym, if we're honest that is a big factor in why we like to keep fit and go to gyms, never mind the health benefits!

scoob_babe

so that's why I used to swim so much

caught out now!!!!!!!!!!!!!

daiscooby

To a fish - Yes

NeilT

I used to go the gym 3 times a week and use the cardio machines - running machine, skiing etc then got bored and started swimming instead.

I started off slowly and built up to swimming a mile 2 or 3 times a week (breast stroke and front crawl) and can honestly say that I have never felt so fit. I've been doing this for about 6 months now and wont be going back to the gym as swimming IMHO is less boring and a better workout.

just my two pennieth....

Neil

TelBoy

Is that in a directional swimming pool Neil?

Arron

V5, Swimming is prob the best exercise you can do as it puts no strain on joints and works all muscles, great fo CV.

I assume you can swim correctly, as you said you swam 2400m in an hour.

If you want me to put a swim program in place for you drop me an e-mail and I'll help as best I can.

Arron. ex British National Swimmer and Prof Teacher.

[Edited by Arron - 7/1/2003 12:46:04 PM]

[Edited by Arron - 7/1/2003 12:46:44 PM]

V5

I've got one of them! Somewhere. I just keep it well hidden! (Or should that be well padded??! )


And a at daiscooby, too!