Weight gain from swimming???

A progressive weight lifting program CrossFit Personal Trainer Classes (Core, Yoga, Spin, etc) Training for an event. My gym has an indoor 1 hour tri at the end of the month, 10 minute swim, 20 minute run, 30 minute bike. This got more people in the pool than New Years did. I might try that 5x5 program... Also, a 1 hour indoor triathlon sounds pretty fun. What distance is a 10-minute swim?

Nick, Yes I also have read about the higher level of bf in swimmers as opposed to runners or cyclists. You bring up some interesting points. I would like to propose a few more. First is the matter that swimmers must propel themselves through, namely water, as opposed to runners propelling themselves through air. The viscosity of water is much higher than air. Therefore swimming would naturally encourage greater muscle development than running since you are using more force. The 4-to-1 rule seems to apply. Therefore there is a great similarity in times between, say, the 400m. run and the 100m. swim. Also since you are much lighter when in water, bw is less of a factor. I swim early in the morning, before work, with other regular swimmers. Some are very fast and efficient. None are what you would call thin and some are heavy (one of the best swimmers is, in fact,quite overweight). Almost all are well muscled (most do not lift weights and only swim). At my pool there is also a gym with many treadmills. I see the regular runners as I enter. They are all thin, some verging on anorexic. No muscular development to speak of. I realize that all this is anecdotal but I do feel that it is indicative. Finally, the skill factor must be considered. Swimming is a very technical activity. Much more so than running. Technique is a greater factor in forward progression in swimming than in running. Therefore, the nature of swimming w/o's are different, with more time dedicated to technique. This improves swimming but does not facilitate weight loss. So the bottom line is that if one's goal is strictly weight loss, swimming would not be the optimal method. Joshua - some interesting observations... I think that as swimmers often our desire for low BF is often nothing to do with going quickly but eveything to do with our vanity and ego's. In running there is most definately a benefit in having low BF but as you say some of my fastest swimming buddies are - shall we say carrying an inch or two around the middle!! If this is the case then the question it begs - is will we be actually faster if we hold onto the spare tyre? I reckon over the last month I have lost 1-2% of BF through hard twice a day training - but I am not swimming any quicker - in fact I am probably slower!! But of course I look great in my Speedo's! :blush:

How about the ladies in good looking clothes that also look at you ?

I reckon over the last month I have lost 1-2% of BF through hard twice a day training - but I am not swimming any quicker - in fact I am probably slower!! But of course I look great in my Speedo's! :blush: I am in the military and although I get perverse enjoyment from looking fat and swimming fast, I need to lose some BF and build an endurance base. It looks like I will have six months to focus on not much else besides work and swimming (I'm deploying to Kuwait). How many yards are you putting in each day? How many hours? How many rest days do you take each week? I'm trying to figure out a reasonable goal for myself. I'm 50 years old and right now I'm swimming 5-6 days a week, up to 3,500 meters/day.

Don't underestimate the importance the military attaches to looking good in your speedos.

I reckon over the last month I have lost 1-2% of BF through hard twice a day training - but I am not swimming any quicker - in fact I am probably slower!! But of course I look great in my Speedo's! :blush: I am in the military and although I get perverse enjoyment from looking fat and swimming fast, I need to lose some BF and build an endurance base. It looks like I will have six months to focus on not much else besides work and swimming (I'm deploying to Kuwait). How many yards are you putting in each day? How many hours? How many rest days do you take each week? I'm trying to figure out a reasonable goal for myself. I'm 50 years old and right now I'm swimming 5-6 days a week, up to 3,500 meters/day. Hi Swimrocket - I'll tell you what - you tell me how to swim like a rocket and I'll tell you how to shed a few LBS! :D As rightly pointed out shedding BF is mostly about the kitchen and not the sports hall - however you asked specifically how much exercise I have done to drop the two % (also 2KG). Well over the last month I have been training twice a day most days with one swim and one other activity. Swim mileage from 6 sessions is 18KM so 3KM on average a session and then on top of that I have rowed on a Concept 2 30-35km in two sessions and run once or twice around 16 km in total. The rest of the workouts are in the gym either lifting, circuit or core work. In hours this adds up to 12-14 hours in total. On the diet front I eat plenty of calories but restrict my carb intake as I believe that we eat far too many carbs. So apart from my post workout high GI bread I have low carb/low GI until the evening when I will have a portion with my evening meal. I beleive strongly in plenty of health fat - so oily fish, avocados, seeds are a staple with loads of vegetables, salad, fruit (moderation) I also think that taking flaxseed oil helps to stoke the metabolic machine and so take a tablespoon of Udo's Oil every day. I eat plenty of protein including the fish, chicken, eggs and also up to three 25g shakes a day. All in all my goal is to increase endurance and speed while building muscle, shedding fat and probably weight. But as I said previously I need a bit of a re-think because the volume of training is making me slower in the pool :confused: and that is not good. I have a swim meet in two and a half weeks time and so the focus from tomorrow is to build speed for swimming and drop the longer low intensity endurance rowing.... Phew - need a rest after all that! Nick Twitter: uknick Facebook: Nick Ballard Facebook Group: Competitive @ 50

OK, but remember that weight control is at least 50%, and more likely closer to 70%, diet. Being a metric guy myself, I wouldn't know about those extra inches...lol I use jammers - problem solved! As a child of the 1950's I am ambidextrous - metres, miles, inches, CM, pints, litres - need I go on? :chug: Yes humans are greedy - 70% diaet is about right Love my jammers!!!

For weight loss the most important exercise is pushing yourself away from the table. True-I do find though that the more frequently and longer I swim the harder it is to get away from the table.And I don't think swimming burns enough calories to justify the increase in appetite.

Well over the last month I have been training twice a day most days with one swim and one other activity. Swim mileage from 6 sessions is 18KM so 3KM on average a session and then on top of that I have rowed on a Concept 2 30-35km in two sessions and run once or twice around 16 km in total. The rest of the workouts are in the gym either lifting, circuit or core work. In hours this adds up to 12-14 hours in total. Slacking off again mate ?

True-I do find though that the more frequently and longer I swim the harder it is to get away from the table.And I don't think swimming burns enough calories to justify the increase in appetite. From my own experience, swimming and weight lifting tend to increase my appetite post w/o while jogging tends to depress hunger and increase thirst. The only problem is that I love to swim and lift and not to jog. So my solution is to try to eat healthy, low carb food after my swim. As long as I don't eat alot of carbs (including sweets of course) I seem to be ok no matter how much I eat.