Swimming and kickboxing are both excellent forms of aerobic exercise, and engaging in either or both sports on a regular basis will reduce your risk of obesity, heart disease, certain cancers, stroke or high blood pressure. Because the actions and locations involved in swimming and kickboxing are very different, there are certain relative advantages and disadvantages of each sport. Consult your doctor before starting any new exercise regimen.
Calories Burned
Leisurely swimming burns 205 calories in 30 minutes if you weigh 150 lbs., according to the CSG calorie burn calculator. Vigorous lap swimming, at the same weight, burns some 341 calories in 30 minutes. This is the same number of calories burned in 30 minutes of general martial arts -- representative of kickboxing -- if you weigh 150 lbs. Calorie burn will be higher if you are heavier and lower if you are lighter.
Impact Levels
If you are looking for a low-impact sport, swimming is preferable to kickboxing. Because the water supports your weight during swimming, there is very little stress on your joints. For this reason, swimming is a form of exercise that is not weight bearing. Thus, it is appropriate for people who are significantly overweight or otherwise wish to avoid strain on the skeleton. Kickboxing is weight-bearing exercise, and can be medium or high-impact depending on whether you kick and punch the air or an opponent. Kickboxing is advantageous in comparison to swimming because weight-bearing exercise improves your bone health and strength.
Access
Swimming has the advantage over kickboxing when it comes to regular, cheap access to the sport. Unless you are a kickboxing instructor, you will likely participate in kickboxing as part of a group exercise class. This will likely come at a certain cost and take place in the same indoor location on a regular basis. Swimming is in many ways a more flexible sport in terms of scheduling-- you can swim without instruction at an indoor or outdoor pool, or even in open water such as lake or ocean. If you travel a lot, you would more likely encounter swimming facilities at hotels than you would kickboxing classes.
Motivation
Kickboxing, because it is facilitated by an instructor in a group setting, can be more motivating than swimming. If you sign up for a kickboxing class, you're likely to exercise throughout the class duration to keep up with the group. Swimming alone, you have to motivate yourself to keep going for a certain length of time and distance -- it is easier to make excuses to cut short a workout when you are not part of a group. Additionally, kickboxing is more social than swimming. If you prefer social exercise, this is a motivating factor in favor of kickboxing.
Member Comments