mixing swimming in my fat loss routine

[swigue]

Hey,
what do people think about swimming in a fat loss routine? I currently am on a fat loss regimen similar to Diesel's Cutting routine. 3 days of lifting, 3 days cardio in the morning, but I like to swim and want to mix it in after school in the evenings. suggestions?

Swimming just feels really good to me. I get more psyched about ti than running, and I feel like a trooper when I get out of the pool. Can I do this? How many days? (I was considering at most 3)

Will it F@ck up my lifting?

 

[Mercury21]

Swimming is actually one of the best workouts you can have. The "bulldozer" looking guys who workout to look HUGE will tell you that swimming,and infact most cardio workouts will ruin your weight workout, but that is not true.

Just look at all the olympic swimmers. They all have really good muscle tone and upper bodys. That is because swimming mixes in a combination of cardio workouts for all of your body. I would recomend alternating swimming with weights. Or atleast do a very light weight workout the day you swim.

Then in the pool, do a combination of different strokes, such as breast stroke, butterfly, backstroke ect.....and try to do 10 laps at first, or less, for each, then work your way up. Also get some goggles so you can look underwater and see how far from the other side's wall you are, that way you can begin to practice how to sumersalt at the end of a lap, like you see them do in the olympics, so you won't have to stop at the other end of the pool before coming back to the other side. Saves you time, plus stopping creates breaks in the middle of your sets,and you don't want to stop until you finish one full set......try atleast

 

[swigue]

Thanks. I am a fairly good swimmer and can do flip turns...

DIESEL: Do you have any advice here? I agree w/ most everything you say and wouldn't mind your input.

 

[DIESEL]

Originally posted by swigue
Thanks. I am a fairly good swimmer and can do flip turns...

DIESEL: Do you have any advice here? I agree w/ most everything you say and wouldn't mind your input.

Always remember this, most of the huge "bulldozer" dudes usually get big in spite of themselves. Good genetics, shytty training advice.

Cardio is only there to create a negative calorie balance. Period. I advocate the high-intensity style because it's shorter and more efficient, and it has those increased metabolic effects.

That being said, you have the option of choosing whatever cardio you want to do.. just make sure you are working at the appropriate INTENSITY. That's the real key here.

So if you like to swim, then by all means, swim!! Just don't swim like a manatee, OK? Make sure you're cranking it in the pool.

good luck,
D

 

[swigue]

Thanks DIESEL.

I figured from other posts that was what you'd say. Guess I like swimming but feel that sprinting gives me a better fat loss workout. I might include it at night twice a week anyway. I usually only swim for 20 minutes. Maybe not the best for a bodybuilding physique, but I am a good 20 lbs overweight right now, so I think I'll take the added caloric deficit and worry about losing muscle (not a big problem for me usually anyway, pus I think I'll make gains since I just started again) when I get closer to a goal BF% and am in shape again.

Edited to add: Do you think this will negatively affect my lifting routine? By overstimulating my shoulders and back? I am a bit worried about this b/c the only thing I like better than swimming is deadlifting. The last thing I want is for my swimming to f*ck up my deadlifts.