Thread: Swimming

i used to box for some time and I would go swimming after I lifted occasionally. On those days I did not go crazy with the lifting, but after done with swimming I was drained. If you're going to lift and swim in the same day, make sure you're carb intake is high; you will need a lot fo energy.

right now i lift then like 5-6 hrs later i do like an hour of cardio (30 min treadmill, 30 min jump rope session), can I completely substitute cardio for swimming and get the same if not better results (in terms of droppin BF%) than cardio?

I would not substitute it completely. Just substitue like a day you would go running for a day of swimming. It also depends on how much you're swimming. I would always swim about three times a week, 500 meters every time (20 times there and back) with freestyle stroke. I would then somtimes do a ltitle breast stroke, but that was pretty much the swimming I did. In my situation I dropped alot od BF% but I was also running and jump roping every so often and then of course the standard boxing training. I can't isolate swimming and say that it dropped my BF% because there were a lot of factors in my situaton. Swimming will help for sure since it is a cardiovascular workout (depedning how much you swim); however, I would also keep up with jump roping and running.

I read something a while back about how swimming isn't the best thing for fat loss. The rationale was that the water temp is usually between 75-82 degrees, while your body temp is 98. So your body reacts to the colder water temp by relying on the fat to warm the body. I don't know how accurate this is, but it makes a little sense to me. I do agree that swimming is a great form of cardio.

Originally Posted by forum9351

I would not substitute it completely. Just substitue like a day you would go running for a day of swimming. It also depends on how much you're swimming. I would always swim about three times a week, 500 meters every time (20 times there and back) with freestyle stroke. I would then somtimes do a ltitle breast stroke, but that was pretty much the swimming I did. In my situation I dropped alot od BF% but I was also running and jump roping every so often and then of course the standard boxing training. I can't isolate swimming and say that it dropped my BF% because there were a lot of factors in my situaton. Swimming will help for sure since it is a cardiovascular workout (depedning how much you swim); however, I would also keep up with jump roping and running.

did u do all 3 in the same day (Lift, swim and run/jump rope)? or is that too much? I heard that swimming after lifting can really injure and like tear ur muscles n stuff so i was thinkin that doing all 3 in the same day is much more O.D. Im tryin to drop like a good amount of BF% before i start to get on my bulk (which i plan to start like april 18th or so)

I did not often do all three in the same day. How many days a week do you lift, and how many days a week do you plan on swimming? I would run/jump rope on the same days you lift, and then swim on the other days. I used to lift three days a week and I would run/jump rope on those days, and then swim like 2-3 days a week on the days I was not lifting. Whenever i would swim after lifting, my lifting was not as intense because I knew I needed energy to swim, otherwise I would swim a couple laps and then just leave.

i lift mon-fri and run/jump rope on those days (like 5-6 hrs later). I dont know how to swim AT ALL, like if u throw me in a 6ft pool, im literally gonna drown lol, so i had thought that if i was to "swim" and by that i mean learn how to swim (a friend of mine that is a marine is going to teach me) that it wouldnt be TOO taxing on my body since im not gonna be doing much swimming and stuff. but after i catch on and learn how to swim, i was planning on doing it like everyday or so like after my lift. is that bad?

I would not say it's bad. This is my advice to you: learn how to swim and get the proper technique down. If your friend is in the marines, you should get some solid tips and how to swim correctly. Form is important. Second, once you get the hang of swimming AND you can swim long distances or 15-20 minutes without stoping, substitute some of those run/jump rope days for swimming. So (for example) in the end you would be lifting mon-fri, You would run/jump rope maybe mon,wed,fri, and then swim on tue and thur or something like that. With respect to a healthy diet and proper lifting, you would have no problem loosing BF%.

If you would really want to, I see no reason why swimming and lifting in the same day are bad. However, that is going to drain you of a lot of energy so you would have eat well to provide you with adequate energy.

thanks man, quick, direct, and good answers, finally somebody like u responds to my posts

Originally Posted by SnakeEyez

thanks man, quick, direct, and good answers, finally somebody like u responds to my posts

my pleasure

swimming is an amazing sport. one of the healthiest forms of cardio hands down.

if you want to lift and swim, just make sure that you are eating before and after your lifting and dont eat right before you swim.