Swimming Programs For Burning Fat

Everything you do in the swimming pool could be considered a workout due to the resistance against your body created by the water. Swimmers maintain their slender bodies by swimming consistently. Participating in any type of water exercise program can help you lose weight by burning fat. Choose a swimming program that best suits your abilities, and check with your doctor before starting any program.

Water Aerobics

Water aerobics combine the resistance of water with aerobic movements and buoyant water weights to give you a low-impact workout in the swimming pool. The program focuses on strength, toning, flexibility, cardiovascular health, endurance, weight and fat loss. Water aerobics can burn up to 400 calories during a one-hour class. To achieve optimum benefits, participate in a one-hour class at least three times a week.

Basic Swimming Program

Swimming makes your body work differently. Your lungs have to adjust to a different style of breathing and your muscles must work together differently while swimming to keep you from sinking in the pool. For the basic swimming program to be effective in fat burning, swim four lengths of the pool freestyle, rest for 30 seconds and repeat 5 to 10 times. Use the basic swimming program two to three times a week for the first two weeks.

Advanced Swimming Program

Incorporate additional swimming strokes to increase the amount of fat you burn with the advanced swimming program. Different strokes help balance your muscles while swimming as different strokes target different muscles. Try adding the breaststroke, the backstroke, the butterfly and the sidestroke to the freestyle stroke to break up the monotony of your swimming workout program. Warm up with four laps of freestyle, rest 20 seconds and swim the backstroke for eight laps. Add a kickboard for four laps. Rest your arm on the foam kickboard and kick your legs to propel you through the pool. Wait 20 seconds before swimming eight laps, alternating between the backstroke and freestyle. Complete eight more laps using your favorite stroke, sprint for an additional two laps -- moving through the water as fast as possible -- using your favorite stroke once again. Cool down by swimming two relaxed freestyle laps. You can complete the advanced swimming program in less than 30 minutes and burn nearly 300 calories.

Why Swimming Programs Work

Water is about 800 times denser than air, creating a greater resistance to movement. It is this resistance that creates an environment conducive to building muscles and burning fat. Swimming can burn up to 700 calories an hour while increasing your lean muscle mass. When you increase your muscles, you increase your metabolism and continue to burn calories out of the pool.

Benefits

Not only does swimming burn fat, but it also offers low-impact exercise as well as a cardiovascular workout, elevating the heart and respiratory rates to help improve your overall health. Swimming and exercising in the water works out your entire body through resistance. The elderly, the obese, the disabled and individuals recovering from injuries all benefit from swimming.