Hi everyone,
I'm trying to get a good cardio/weight lifting routine going here and I need your help with some questions...
What I know, please correct me if I'm wrong...
- Swimming pretty much works out every muscle group
- Yet, freestyle works the arms/shoulders, while *** stroke is more towards working out the chest.
- Swimming tones muscles and doesn't work them as intensely compared to lifting heavy weights.
I've been lifting (exercising upper body) for a while now as well as running on the days I don't lift, but recently I've decided to drop one of my running days in exchange for swimming. Yet, swimming would mean I'd be working my arms out possibly two days in a row if I decided to swim and then lift the next day, compared to my current routine in which I work out my upper body and then legs (running) the next day. So therefore, I was wondering, do muscles technically need need 48 hours of rest after swimming to recover properly or is the muscle gain minor just like its OK to run nearly everyday? Also, If say I were to decide to swim on Monday and Wednesday, could I lift heavily in between those days on Tuesday without worries or would my muscles need more time to rest? Bottom line, I don't really want to decrease the amount of days I weight lift in order to throw in a day of swimming, but if I have to then I will. So if I work out my arms intensely by lifting weights, then can I swim intensely the next day and still gain muscle mass under the standards that one needs 48 hours of rest to completely recover that muscle group?
Also, what about running and swimming? Theres obviously, people out there that swim or run nearly everyday, so I'm guessing the 48 hour rule of rest/recovery doesn't really apply to those sports because the muscle gain isn't as intense as lifting weights?
Here is my routine that I have made so far, does anyone think I am not getting proper muscle rest?:
Sunday: run
Monday: lift
Tuesday: swim
Wednesday: lift
Thursday: run
Friday: lift
Saturday: rest
- Thanks!
Not sure if this will help or hurt the process, but here is my basic workout schedule (subject to change of course):
Sunday: long run AM (at about 12 miles now), followed by 20-30 min intense abs
Monday: swim AM, lift PM
Tuesday: swim AM, run PM (run is about 5-7 miles)
Wednesday: swim AM, lift PM
Thursday: swim AM, run PM (run is about 5-7 miles)
Friday: swim AM
Saturday: lift PM
Realistically, I get in 4-5 swims/week, 3-4 runs, and 2-3 lifting sessions. My lifting focuses on chest, arms, and back...with some abs after. My long runs are mostly just cruising, tend to take the Tues a bit intense, the Thurs somewhere in the middle. Depending how I feel, I do 5 min of abs after the Tues/Thurs runs. Swims are 98% with my masters group, Sun Devil Masters, and I usually do what the coach says (Mon-IM, Wed-long/hard, Fri-Fast).
My goal from all this? To loose weight and look like I did when I got out of the Army 15 years ago. So far, I've lost ~15 pounds, my waist size has gotten smaller (everyone at work asks if I've lost weight) from a 33/34 to a 31/32. My swimming improves in spurts. A secondary goal is to break a minute in my 100 SCY free (last Mar/Apr I was timed in practice off the block @1:03).
About 60% of the time my job is in my office at a desk, where I'm eager to workout after work. The other portion is presenting to groups, either locally or on the road, both involve driving and/or flying (and many hotel rooms) and being at my best under stress...and it is sometimes a welcome stress relief to get in a run or lift after.
Again, not sure if this helps the OP's cause, but thought I'd throw it out there. I'd also welcome any feedback.
Not sure if this will help or hurt the process, but here is my basic workout schedule (subject to change of course):
Sunday: long run AM (at about 12 miles now), followed by 20-30 min intense abs
Monday: swim AM, lift PM
Tuesday: swim AM, run PM (run is about 5-7 miles)
Wednesday: swim AM, lift PM
Thursday: swim AM, run PM (run is about 5-7 miles)
Friday: swim AM
Saturday: lift PM
Realistically, I get in 4-5 swims/week, 3-4 runs, and 2-3 lifting sessions. My lifting focuses on chest, arms, and back...with some abs after. My long runs are mostly just cruising, tend to take the Tues a bit intense, the Thurs somewhere in the middle. Depending how I feel, I do 5 min of abs after the Tues/Thurs runs. Swims are 98% with my masters group, Sun Devil Masters, and I usually do what the coach says (Mon-IM, Wed-long/hard, Fri-Fast).
My goal from all this? To loose weight and look like I did when I got out of the Army 15 years ago. So far, I've lost ~15 pounds, my waist size has gotten smaller (everyone at work asks if I've lost weight) from a 33/34 to a 31/32. My swimming improves in spurts. A secondary goal is to break a minute in my 100 SCY free (last Mar/Apr I was timed in practice off the block @1:03).
About 60% of the time my job is in my office at a desk, where I'm eager to workout after work. The other portion is presenting to groups, either locally or on the road, both involve driving and/or flying (and many hotel rooms) and being at my best under stress...and it is sometimes a welcome stress relief to get in a run or lift after.
Again, not sure if this helps the OP's cause, but thought I'd throw it out there. I'd also welcome any feedback.
