Swimming is the best workout method to lose weight and burn calories. It aids to strengthen muscles and makes you fit and healthy. Swimming is much easier and supportive than other workout types. Even it helps to recover from injuries.

How Swimming work for Weight Loss?

Water is denser than air which works as resistance to the whole body with each kick, pull and push. Swimming helps to strengthen core muscles, glutes, arm, shoulder and hips joints. Relaxed and easy swimming burn around 500 calories in one hour whereas a rigorous may burn 700 calories. Therefore, swimming not only burns calories but also develop lean muscles. The lean muscles help to promote metabolism and burn more calories.

Expert suggests doing 75 minutes of energetic exercise or 150 minutes of moderate workout. Swimming helps the overall body and cardiovascular health. One hour of swimming burns calories just as running without influencing joints and bones.

How many calories do you need to burn for weight loss with swimming?

You require to burn 3500 calories to lose one pound. Physician and trainers suggest a combination of diet and one should swim for at least two to five hours every week to lose weight. After that, you need to maintain weight by swimming for an hour.

Swim for 7 hours to burn 3500 calories to keep your monthly goal. Don’t give up in the mid of your program keep swimming consistently to achieve the best results.

To burn a specific number of calories per hour depends on the swimming skills and weight.

An individual with 154 pounds can burn up to 500 calories every hour by swimming.

An individual with 200 pounds can burn up to 500 calories every hour.

The people who have more weight can able to see the results fast for weight loss.

Steps to consider before swimming

Step 1

Find your present strength ability and activity levels. If you are an average swimmer, then you will also get the benefit of weight loss, but you need to be careful while swimming. You can also take your partner help until you learn the physical limits.

Step 2

Do the entire warm-up exercise as fit to your skill levels. Warm up before any training is a good routine to get ready your muscles for boosting blood circulation and exercise in the entire body.

A beginner can start 15 minutes walk in the pool. Individuals who are excellent athletes can able to perform light bodily workout or pool yoga to get started.

Step 3

You require to swim every day for at least 30 minutes. If you feel satisfied, then you can continue swimming. In the beginning, 10 minutes swimming may make you exhausted which is common. Gradually increase the swimming workout sessions with time to increase your weight loss potential. You can perform breaststroke, freestyle stroke, butterfly or doggie paddle throughout the pool. It is the consistent motions of resistance from the water which helps to lose the weight.

Step 4

Cool yourself after every swimming workout. Post swimming cools down is important for muscles recover. It will help to reduce the lactic acid accumulation in the muscles. You can walk in the pool for fifteen minutes and slowly reduce the heart rate to normal.

How swimming help weight loss?

Swimming is good for joints

Water compensates gravity so when you get in the water, then your weight get reduced virtually. You will be floating in the water until you are inside the water. The feeling of weightless makes your joints rest. Swimming is safe and doesn’t cause injuries like strength training or running.

Swimming prevents potential causes of joint pain. You can actively exercise in the water and move your knees which doesn’t make you feel tired. It benefits muscle strength and fluids which cushions knees.

During swimming, your joints don’t get any weight stress and prevent bone damage which is more likely to happen in normal exercise. Swimming is one of the better workouts for legs without any damage.

Swimming helps to stay younger

According to research regular swimmers are biologically 20 years younger than their real age. The research of Sport-Medicine-Conference from American college shows that an individual who does swimming have the following function can be comparable to the person who is younger than them.

The body function includes:

Blood pressure
Central nervous system
Cholesterol levels
Cardiovascular system
Cognitive functions.

How much swimming can help to lose weight?

The swimming duration limit depends on the type of body and the particular amount of weight you are trying to lose. The weight loss with swimming also depends on the speed range and different strokes you are using.

The center of Disease-Control-and-Prevention recommends doing swimming at least for two hours and thirty minutes each week to lose weight.

Swimming not only help to lose weight but it also balances your weight.

Distinctive swimming strokes to use for weight loss

The volume of weight you want to lose also depends on the different swimming strokes. Here are the swimming strokes to promote weight loss.

Butterfly stroke

It is a difficult exercise which burns more calories by its kick which is similar like dolphin and windmill arm movement. These swimming strokes burn 150 calories every ten minutes for an individual who weighs around 72 kg.

Average: It burns around 450 calories in 30 minutes of swimming.
It is a powerful all-round stroke which helps to build and tone the muscles.
Butterfly stroke is best for strengthening the upper body, chest muscles tone, back muscles, triceps toning, and stomach.
It benefits to provide suppleness, muscles stretch and flexibility in the body which improves your posture.

Freestyle stroke

Freestyle stroke also describes as front crawl. It helps to burn huge calories to aid weight loss. This stroke is easy to perform that’s why it is called freestyle.

An individual who weighs 58 kg can burn 590 calories after performing one-hour swimming.

Breaststroke

Breaststroke is a swimming method which involves rotating the chest and torso by the swimmer.

It is popularly known swimming workout because during this workout the swimmer’s head remains out of the water for more time. It makes you swim easily with comfort at a slow speed.

Most of the time beginners learn front or breaststroke.

However, breaststroke swimming needs speed for gaining strength compared to other strokes. It also describes as frog strokes as the legs and arms move similar to a frog.

The methods of breaststroke are tricky, but once you learn it, then you will manage to coordinate.

Here are the steps for breaststroke.

Step 1: Body position

Place your body flat and lie in the water by facing your body down. Keep align your body with the water surface.

Step 2: Arm movement

You will require to complete three steps in arm movements such as pull, catch, and recovery. It can be an enjoyable way to learn similar like dipping an ice cream big bowl (catch) and pushing near the mouth (Pull) and repeating it again (Recovery).

Catch – Keep your arm straight, and palm should be facing downwards, then press down and take out at the same time.
Pull – Keep your elbows raised over hands and pull it hard near your chest. The pull should extend your hand motions by pressing back and downside with forearms and palm.
Recover – Combine your both palms in prayer position by keeping in front of chest then push out till your arm get straight. This position helps to decrease friction while pushing upon the water.

Step 3: Breathing Method

Raise your neck and head over water at the end of the pulling motion for taking a breath. During recovery point exhale bubbles in the water and keep your hands pushed ahead. Breath properly again in praying position.

Step 4: Leg Action

Begin with your legs by keeping straight and twist your knees to get your heel near your bottom. Keep doing circular movement outwards with your feet till they get back to starting point. While your knees are in twist position, keep your feet under the water surface and keep your shoulder be aligned.

Make sure to keep your feet in a dorsiflexed point similar to a flat foot while doing breaststroke kick for more thrust.

Learn to Glide

After performing the breaststroke, make your body contour shape by keeping your arms and legs straight. Stay for two seconds in this position as you drive your legs forward.

Backstroke

Backstroke is swimming method which is more relaxing and less difficult than another swimming stroke such as butterfly stroke and freestyle. It will not let your head under water.

Backstroke is the ideal swimming stroke which relieves back problems. Understanding proper backstroke swimming method can help to reduce the back stress while workout of legs and arms.

Head

Keep your head over the water surface and tuck your chin near your neck.
Keep your ears even to the waterline in the whole backstroke.
As you start swimming, try to keep your head in the same position and gaze upward.
Many pools have a marker which checks on the pool.
These markers help to manage you while swimming backstroke.

Body

During backstroke lay on the water horizontally in a straight line.
Place your legs completely extended whole time and stretch your body to straighten your back.
Avoid dropping your hips as it drags and slows down the exercise.
During every stroke, keep your body rolling at an angle near sides of your arm to insert in the water.
This method helps to provide your body resistance by reducing water pressure.
It also helps to engage your core muscles in entire backstroke and make you lean during rolling motions.

Arms

In backstroke swimming keep moving your arm similar like a windmill.
Stretch your both arms all time.
One arm comes out of water from your hip and rotates backward and upward.
Then, the arm enters again in water backward of your head with entering your pinkie finger first.
Keep your arms rotating in the air and let the other arm scull in the water from backside under the water.
Let your palm open to moving like a paddle in the water.
Maintain the time for stroke so that one arm goes underwater and other totally scull under the body.

Legs

During backstroke let your legs do flutter kicks.
Maintain your arm rhythm and do the same amount of flutter kicks while performing every complete stroke.
You need to do the flutter kicks by completely submerged position.
Move water with a kick by slightly bending your legs downside.
Let your toes point in against your body to move more water.

Tips

Boost your calorie burn and increase weight loss with interval training.

For a lap, you can swim with speed as fast as you can maintain.

Then swim at a more relaxed speed for next lap.

Increase your workout intensity with short outbreaks of time which can help to raise your calorie burn and metabolic rate.

Balance your health and lifestyle for regular swimming to reach a weight loss plan.

Swimming Benefits Weight Loss

Swimming promotes cardiovascular health.
It helps weight loss as well as reduce the risk of PCOD, diabetes, and stroke.
Swimming helps to decrease blood pressure.
It slows down the aging and makes your appearance 20 years younger than your actual age.
Swimming improves good sleep quality.
Regular swimming maintains flexibility.
Swimming reduces arthritis pain and recovers injuries.
It’s benefit for muscles endurance, power, and strength.
You will find yourself more relaxed and good in the mood.
You can enjoy a great time with friends or family during weight loss.

Caution

Feeling hungry after swimming is normal, but it can cause you to gain more weight. You need to keep ready healthy and weight loss friendly snacks before swimming. Eat rich fiber food, nutrients, and full protein foods.

Avoid processed foods, sugary foods, and trans fats.

Swimming for Weight Loss