Some questions about swimming's contribution to fitness
Former Member
Hi,
I am a new member here. Due to a serious knee injury (4 time dislocation), I am interested in taking up swimming. It is especially appealing as it is a low impact sport and involves all parts of the body.
How good is swimming for the heart? I know it forces my heart to work, but is it good to keep it in shape?
Is swimming good for strengthening a knee?
Lastly, swimming is the only sport/exercise I do. As a result, I assume I would have to do quite a lot of swimming to make up for the lack of other exercise. How many hours a week would I have to put in (assuming I swim constant lengths with some rest in between - or as far as I can, but not just standing in the pool).
Sorry for all the questions on my first post
Thanks
Parents
Former Member
Someone below said various heart monitors etc don't work well in the pool, but is there still a way to monitor the distance I have swum and my heartrate in the pool?
Distance is easy, count laps.
You can take your heart rate the old fashioned way, count the number of heart beats for 10 seconds and multiply by 6. Or even better, don't multiply by 6, just memorize your target heart rates divided by six. For example, if your target is aerobic, and aerobic for you is 120 beats/minute, then you want your 10 second heart rate to be 20+.
Your original questions have been answered in detail but I didn't notice anyone mentioning bones. If you are worried about osteoporosis at all, you need to add some weight bearing activities to your swimming. Swimming does not maintain bone density, but adding something as simple as walking the dogs will.
Someone below said various heart monitors etc don't work well in the pool, but is there still a way to monitor the distance I have swum and my heartrate in the pool?
Distance is easy, count laps.
You can take your heart rate the old fashioned way, count the number of heart beats for 10 seconds and multiply by 6. Or even better, don't multiply by 6, just memorize your target heart rates divided by six. For example, if your target is aerobic, and aerobic for you is 120 beats/minute, then you want your 10 second heart rate to be 20+.
Your original questions have been answered in detail but I didn't notice anyone mentioning bones. If you are worried about osteoporosis at all, you need to add some weight bearing activities to your swimming. Swimming does not maintain bone density, but adding something as simple as walking the dogs will.
