Working out.

thanks JoeCrisp....much appreciated

I was on the swim team in college and that kept me in the best shape of my life. Of course, having a coach yelling at you to keep swimming for 3 hours a day probably had a lot to do with that.

But I always thought swimming was the best kind of cardio you could do, though JoeCrisp would be able to tell us. I kind of thought that swimming was good because when you think about it, when you're in the water, no matter which direction you move your arms and legs you are meeting resistance. The water provides a bit of resistance (which has the effects of weight training). It's kind of like doing cardio with very light weights for a ton of reps. Good for the heart & lungs, and good for the muscles at the same time.

Plus, I always liked how I wouldn't get too overheated. We would bust our asses up and down the pool but the cool water always felt good; it just takes heat away from your body.

Plus, I always liked how I wouldn't get too overheated. We would bust our asses up and down the pool but the cool water always felt good; it just takes heat away from your body.


And if you needed to pee.......

Schneed - do you recommend just laps or any other activity?

Schneed - do you recommend just laps or any other activity?

Yeah there's actually lots of great stuff you can do if you get bored of laps. I know I went insane on a number of occasions just following the black line on the bottom of the pool up and down, up and down.

First, you can mix up your strokes. Try backstroke, breaststroke, or butterfly. I find that backstroke works your abs, hips, thighs, and ass the most. Butterfly really works your shoulders and chest (though it's the hardest stroke for novice swimmers). Breast will really work your abs, inner thighs, chest, and biceps. Tough to explain how to perform each stroke in written words. Best thing I can suggest is try to find some video of the olympics if you're not familiar with what they look like.

Other good exercises:
Elementary Backstroke. This is good when you're tired, but you want to keep moving. It's relaxing, allows your muscles to "warm down." Lie on your back and do a breaststroke kick, followed by a double stroke with your arms. Your arms and legs never break the surface of the water.

Kicking. Grab a kickboard and hold it out in front of you. Rest your straightened arms on it. Now kick for a few laps. Works your legs, abs, and ass big time.

Underwater swims. Swim as far as you can under water without coming up for air. Then right after you catch your breath, repeat. This builds lung capacity and helps make your body more efficient at using oxygen. I think it's real fun too.

Sprints. Just go balls out as fast as you can for 1 lap. Catch your breath, and wash rinse repeat. Improves fast twitch muscle. Reminds me of running suicides (aka wind sprints).

Sculling. Hard to describe. Lay flat on your stomach, push off the wall to get momentum. Then once you're moving, no kicking. Just use quick, tiny little strokes out in front of your body to keep you moving, never pulling your arms down past your shoulders. Works on your upper body big time. This is a bit more advanced.

Tarzan swimming. Keep your head out of water looking straight ahead. Swim freestyle without putting your head in. Makes you real tired, works your back and abs.

Pool running. Trying to run just 15 yards in shallow water is a serious workout.

Underwater shadow boxing. Just duck underwater holding your breath for 10-15 seconds and shadow box like a madman. Come up for air just for a few breaths, and repeat over and over till you're tired. I mean beat the crap out of your imaginary friend. This isn't as good cardio-wise, but some people get frustrated with laps and want to do something different. Being underwater and holding your breath helps your lung capacity and makes you use oxygen more efficiently. And the water provides resistance to your punches. Remember to exhale steadily while underwater.

Swimming offers many advantages:
Peeing in the pool
Staying cooler, stinking of chlorine instead of sweat
Girls in bathing suits

Disadvantages:
Others peeing in the pool
Stinking of chlorine
Grandmas in bathing suits

Swimming and cross-country skiing are probably two of the best cardio exercises in terms of burning calories and improving cardiovascular condition. Obviously, most of us won't be able to do much cross-country skiing, but the cross-trainer machines I spoke of in a previous post simulate the action of cross-country skiing, providing resistance to both the upper and lower body, much in the way that swimming does.

Another great benefit of swimming and using cross-trainers and other elliptical machines, is that they are zero-impact activities, meaning there is no stress on the joints due to impact on a surface, which is one of the major drawbacks of running and other aerobic activities.

As an indication of how beneficial swimming and cross-training can be for the heart, some of the lowest resting heartrates ever recorded in healthy humans have been those of Olympic-class swimmers and cross-country skiers. These athletes have been known to have resting heartrates in the 30s! As a comparison, a resting heartrate of 60 is considered healthy for most humans. Resting heartrate is an indicator of the strength and efficiency of the heart and cardiovascular system. The healthier that system is, the less beating the heart has to do, since the heart muscle is stronger and capable of pumping more blood per beat, and the vascular system is capable of transporting blood and oxygen more efficiently throughout the body.