swimming or running

[singing master]

is swimming better cardio than running... i have been weight training at gym and have not really had time for cardio anymore.. i have decided to do my cardio in the morning .should i swim or run.... of course swimming would be more convenientsince , but loosing weight is imortant to me and would rather do what is most affective

[Tigershark]

Everyone is going to have a different opinion so here is mine.
Swimming puts no imapact on your joints and is very good exercise. You move your arms and legs around a lot while doing it. I personally get very bored very quickly while swimming so I don't do it. I stick with the treadmill cause I can plug my headphones in and watch Sports Center for 40 min.
Anyway here is a table from the Mayo Clinic if you are interested?

Activity (1-hour duration) Weight of person and calories burned
160 pounds (73 kilograms) 200 pounds (91 kilograms) 240 pounds (109 kilograms)
Aerobics, high impact 511 637 763
Aerobics, low impact 365 455 545
Aerobics, water 292 364 436
Backpacking 511 637 763
Basketball game 584 728 872
Bicycling, < 10 mph, leisure 292 364 436
Bowling 219 273 327
Canoeing 256 319 382
Dancing, ballroom 219 273 327
Football, touch, flag, general 584 728 872
Golfing, carrying clubs 329 410 491
Hiking 438 546 654
Ice skating 511 637 763
Jogging, 5 mph 584 728 872
Racquetball, casual, general 511 637 763
Rollerblading 913 1,138 1,363
Rope jumping 730 910 1,090
Rowing, stationary 511 637 763
Running, 8 mph 986 1,229 1,472
Skiing, cross-country 511 637 763
Skiing, downhill 365 455 545
Skiing, water 438 546 654
Softball or baseball 365 455 545
Stair treadmill 657 819 981
Swimming, laps 511 637 763
Tae kwon do 730 910 1,090
Tai chi 292 364 436
Tennis, singles 584 728 872
Volleyball 292 364 436
Walking, 2 mph 183 228 273
Walking, 3.5 mph 277 346 414
Weightlifting, free weight, Nautilus or universal type 219 273 327

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/SM00109

[little p]

good post mate, i personally think interval running is the best

[BrettVarvre]

if you are a competent swimmer it will definitely be the better workout, the only drawback for me is being left alone with just my thoughts for so long it gets creepy.

[auslifta]

If it's just a matter of choosing and you don't have a preference, swimming because its low impact.

[VegasRenegade]

to lose weight running to build cardio fitness swimming. You have to burn swim much much more to burn fat since it is not weight bareing think seals polor bears etc.

[auslifta]

to lose weight running to build cardio fitness swimming. You have to burn swim much much more to burn fat since it is not weight bareing think seals polor bears etc.

I don't understand what you just said, could you please clarify.

[boz]

good post mate, i personally think interval running is the best

Intervals are very effective, IMO swimming can't go wrong.

When i was younger i had a great body from swimming. I was not lifting a finger from weights.

[hoyle21]

I read an article once that swimming is good for cardio, but not so great for cutting fat. Supposedly if you spend time in a pool your body will try to actually add fat to increase buoyancy. It's an evolution thing.

[KeyMastur]

I read an article once that swimming is good for cardio, but not so great for cutting fat. Supposedly if you spend time in a pool your body will try to actually add fat to increase buoyancy. It's an evolution thing.

i guess that explains why all the olympic swimmers are fat.....

[RaginCajun]

swimming is great cardio and building endurance, but i am finding that running/jogging is best for burning fat. it is really hard to sweat in the pool! the water actually cools the body off so you are not burning the calories at the same rate as you would when your running. i am incorporating both into my weekly routine now so hopefully i will be able to increase my mileage on runs by getting into the pool, which will ultimately make me burn more cals! hope this helps some, just my .02.

[Sicko]

I read an article once that swimming is good for cardio, but not so great for cutting fat. Supposedly if you spend time in a pool your body will try to actually add fat to increase buoyancy. It's an evolution thing.

heheheh that is funny...I would love to see some fact to back up that broscience...

I actually was on a swim team for three years as a youth and if any of you have ever been involved in competitive swimming you well know how brutal the practices are..Especially back in 1978 the rules were a lot diferent about how hard the coaches could push you, they literally drowned us on a daily basis!!! anyways the point is I didnt accumulate any body fat due to water exposure...I love swimming as a form of fat burning exercise..since I only run now when I am being chased...heheheh

[D7M]

It's all about heart rate. It doesn't matter what the activity is: swimming, running, elliptical, sex. whatever.

I love swimming, problem is, it's difficult to monitor your HR.

[Sicko]

swimming is great cardio and building endurance, but i am finding that running/jogging is best for burning fat. it is really hard to sweat in the pool! the water actually cools the body off so you are not burning the calories at the same rate as you would when your running. i am incorporating both into my weekly routine now so hopefully i will be able to increase my mileage on runs by getting into the pool, which will ultimately make me burn more cals! hope this helps some, just my .02.

Sorry, another example of broscience..in reality the excercise is irrelevent its about reaching your target heart rate and keeeping it there for set amount of time...

x2 keymastur...

[singing master]

huh? i am confused some people say swim some people say don"t.... what the hell

[n00bs]

Eat maintenance or below do weights profit

[singing master]

so have i been waking up at 5 every morning to swim for no reason ... or not

[D7M]

Eat maintenance or below do weights profit

Huh? Are you saying she doesn't need cardio?

so have i been waking up at 5 every morning to swim for no reason ... or not

Like I said above, both swimming and running are good forms of cardio, what you should do depends largely on your goals.

One exercise isn't necessarily better than the other, but what ultimately matters is getting your HR up.

I can't say you've been getting up at 5am to swim for no reason, because I don't know anything about your goals or training, but in general, cardio is always a great thing!

[VegasRenegade]

Like I said swimming is great for your heart and if you swim enough you wil lose wight. If you are going to swim a compitve swim program workout more power to you. If you are just doing laps in the pool not so much.

[Times Roman]

I read an article once that swimming is good for cardio, but not so great for cutting fat. Supposedly if you spend time in a pool your body will try to actually add fat to increase buoyancy. It's an evolution thing.

for everyone else.... laugh all you want. I've read articles on this phenomenom years ago... sorry, can't remember where.... don't remember the buoyancy bit, but I do remember that the body, as a defense mechanism, will create a thin layer of fat right below the skin to fight the effects of hypothermia. If you ever have noticed (i have), that swimmers don't quite have that vascular / ripped look that others may have with a similar bf% due to more of their fat will proportionally be right below the skin... other than that, swimmers are as healthy as a horse

[RaginCajun]

just swim. its still cardio!

[Sgt. Hartman]

Swimming is a great choice for cardio but it is not ideal for fat loss. This is because when the body is submerged in water, the core temperature is lowered causing the body to retain fat for warmth purposes and burn glycogen for primary energy instead of fat stores. It is still a great way to burn calories just not fat reserves. If fat loss is your primary goal, I would do some sort of interval training on the treadmill or outside.

[SlimmerMe]

Hi.....as long as you are actually cardio if swimming is your cardio for the day. And this would mean you would have to be swimming fast enough to get your heart rate up.

I swim ED in the summer. And although I am pretty fast, I know I am still not cardio since not quite fast enough to be considered cardio.

It is GREAT for toning and emotions. One reason I love to swim is that I notice around the 12-13 minute mark, the monkey mind/broken record starts to disappear. And then when I am finished, whatever was bothering me is gone.

So....bottom line: are you doing swimming for your cardio? and if so, is your heart rate up enough to be considered as such? If so.....swim away Mermaid and enjoy........and if not fast enough to be considered cardio, swim away for toning and then try to get some type of cardio in addition to your swimming....

[KeyMastur]

maybe it's just me but i don't think i could swim slow enough to keep my heart rate down and my body afloat haha. that's why i just like the recumbent bike or inclined treadmill

[hoyle21]

Just look at the bodies of the top swimmers. Ill try and post links of the top 50m simmers and compare that with the top 100m. There is a noticable difference in body fat percentage. You really don't need broscience or rumor to do a comparison. It passed the eye test.

Swimmers
http://www.famousdudes.com/celebriti...v/all/1113.jpg
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/phot...16/phelps2.jpg
http://hotkimchinights.files.wordpre...y-hall-jr1.jpg

Not saying they are in bad shape, but their BF% is higher than this

Sprinters
http://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/20...on-Gay-415.jpg
http://www.fraudsandscams.com/SSH2/AsafaPowell.JPG
http://www.pollsb.com/photos/o/64688-maurice_greene.jpg
http://www.oocities.com/colosseum/1092/bailey2k02.jpg
http://www.hindu.com/2005/08/07/imag...0708861901.jpg


That's a comparison of the best of the world in swimming vs the best in the world in running. I think the sprinters look quite a bit more "cut" than any of the swimmers. Again, I don't think anyone would think the swimmers are out of shape by any means, but it does seem that running is a bit better.

[SlimJoe]

Prefer running

[SlimmerMe]

This post will sound contradictory so please try to follow this train of thought:

First of all we need to remember OP is a female and honestly the swimmers look smaller than the runners and most females ( I am assuming here) want to look smaller than larger.

The runners look like they train a heck of a lot more so they look more bulked up to me. So if they just ran and did not train so heavily, I bet they would end up looking smaller than the swimmer at the end of the day. Think of the Nigerian who is fast as lightening and is skinny before he starts to lift. ( and I know genetics plays a huge part but is an example of taking the lean and bulking...and I am guessing OP is someone who wants the lean and not the bulk)

Very few people swim fast enough to get the their heart rate up. So to take off the pounds, I would have to say either running or fast speed walking at a real fast clip would serve you best and on empty stomach. Or bike riding.

Perhaps alternate. With more emphasis on the running. My .02

[LubbockTX]

to lose weight running to build cardio fitness swimming. You have to burn swim much much more to burn fat since it is not weight bareing think seals polor bears etc.

Very logical Vegas.
I was just about to post about this, but you've answered my question. That makes perfect sense really. Since i'm hypertrophy, I'll swim for cardio rather than running. Thanks so much

[Back In Black]

Has anybody suggested that you do both? Alternate session to session or week to week, or do the one as a majority and stick the other in there for a change? Nothing wrong with cross training for losing weight and being a better, all round, athlete.

Also worth noting is that, nothing will increase lung capacity more, over time, than swimming. Increased lung capacity means more oxygen uptake to muscles meaning more nutrients delivered or at least delivered quicker, to your muscles. This would have a knock on effect of being able to run faster, longer and, therefore, possibly making workouts more efficient!

Personally though, I hate swimming!!!

[singing master]

some one at gym told me to swim one day and run the other day......i love swimming i have always been a good swimmer but gave it up now i am back and need to lose weight .....

[KeyMastur]

hoyle (and everyone else), don't mark me as racist, but every swimmer you posted was white, and every sprinter you posted was black. to the "eye", darker skin is going to have a more defined look - why else would bodybuilders / fitness models bother getting spray tanned before a competition?

[VegasRenegade]

[QUOTE=KeyMastur;5527497]hoyle (and everyone else), don't mark me as racist, but every swimmer you posted was white, and every sprinter you posted was black. to the "eye", darker skin is going to have a more defined look - why else would bodybuilders / fitness models bother getting spray tanned before a competition?[/QUOTE)

Now no way you can look at these guys and think what you are seeing is all color. However It is not a simple as saying swiming makes you look like this and sprinting makes you look like this. Basoth groups have vastly different genetics. Sprinter much more fast twist muscels. That is why they can sprint. The work out routing also
vastly different. Sprinter is not normally thought of when you think of cardio most whould think more of distance runners. Looke at these guys and you would get a very different picture. Again very different genetics and workout routine. However both groups of runners will have less body fat under the skin than swimmers.

[KeyMastur]

Now no way you can look at these guys and think what you are seeing is all color. However It is not a simple as saying swiming makes you look like this and sprinting makes you look like this. Basoth groups have vastly different genetics. Sprinter much more fast twist muscels. That is why they can sprint. The work out routing also
vastly different. Sprinter is not normally thought of when you think of cardio most whould think more of distance runners. Looke at these guys and you would get a very different picture. Again very different genetics and workout routine. However both groups of runners will have less body fat under the skin than swimmers.

no, i'm not saying it's ALL color. i didn't want to come across as a racist b/c for one, i do think it's easier for blacks to maintain a lower BF% than white males. that's all genetics.

[hoyle21]

I don't really buy the white/black thing. Those swimmers are sprinters, meaning 50 meters. The runners are 100m guys. They are both sprinters. The reason swimmers are white is probably more to do with socioeconomic standing than anything, but that's a different discussion for a different board.


As far as black people having it easier for a lower body fat percentage, I don't know how you would assume that. The fattest states in the Country (Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Michigan) all have large percentages of "black people". Pretty much the same as above, obesity has a lot more to do with socioeconomic status, and little to do with ethnicity.

Healthy food is far more expensive alternative than the food a lot of Americans can afford.

[hoyle21]

[QUOTE=VegasRenegade;5527660]

hoyle (and everyone else), don't mark me as racist, but every swimmer you posted was white, and every sprinter you posted was black. to the "eye", darker skin is going to have a more defined look - why else would bodybuilders / fitness models bother getting spray tanned before a competition?[/QUOTE)

Now no way you can look at these guys and think what you are seeing is all color. However It is not a simple as saying swiming makes you look like this and sprinting makes you look like this. Basoth groups have vastly different genetics. Sprinter much more fast twist muscels. That is why they can sprint. The work out routing also
vastly different. Sprinter is not normally thought of when you think of cardio most whould think more of distance runners. Looke at these guys and you would get a very different picture. Again very different genetics and workout routine. However both groups of runners will have less body fat under the skin than swimmers.

Try a sprinters work out sometime. It is crazy cardio, but you are right, they don't run for five miles. I personally get way more out of a good sprinting workout than what most people consider cardio.