Fitness enthusiasts utilize swimming workouts for a number of reasons, including aerobic or strength training, cross training and recreation. Swimming has a variety of benefits but incorporating swimming into your fitness routine may be difficult. Following a few tips can help you get started and improve the overall success of your fitness program.
Watch Your Frequency
Start out slow when swimming for fitness. If you are starting a new fitness program or you're new to swimming, don't swim more than 15 to 20 minutes during the initial workouts. Maintain a slow and comfortable pace for three to four times per week. As you increase your swimming strength and stamina, gradually increase the intensity and duration to 20 to 30 minutes and then 30 to 60 minutes.
Monitor Heart Rate
Be aware of your heart rate while swimming. Monitor your heart rate throughout the swimming workout. This will prevent you from over-stressing your body and keep you within a training zone. The American Heart Association recommends staying in a target heart rate zone of 50 to 85 percent of your heart rate maximum. To calculate your heart rate maximum, take 220 minus your age. For example, if you are 20 years old, your heart rate maximum is 200 beats per minute (220-20=200). Stay around 50 percent of the heart rate maximum when you start swimming for fitness and gradually increase to 75 percent as your fitness level increases.
Burn Calories
Use the swimming strokes that maximize burning calories. The number of calories burned per hour will vary depending on body size, swimming stroke and intensity. Using a breastroke, for example, will burn about 863 calories per hour if you weigh 190 lbs., which is similar to running 6 mph. Treading water with moderate effort will burn about 345 calories per hour. The most effective swimming strokes for burning calories includes the butterfly, breastroke, fast freestyle and fast treading.
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