If you want to get the most out of your swimming workouts, this article will show you strategies to use when swimming to lose belly fat.
Swimming is one of the few exercises that activate all muscle groups.
You can use it to lose belly fat, tone your abs, and improve your overall fitness.
Harvard Medical School estimates that a 155-pound person will burn 298 calories when swimming backstroke for 30 minutes.
Swimming breaststroke and butterfly for 30 minutes will help you burn 372 and 409 calories.
Here are the best strategies to use when swimming to lose belly fat.
Swimming to Lose Belly Fat Fast
1. Freestyle
The freestyle swimming style strengthens your core.
It also helps tone your shoulders and back muscles.
Swimming freestyle regularly will build your muscles and as a result, enhance belly fat loss.
2. Use the Dolphin kick
The dolphin kick is used in competitive swimming when making a turn.
Freestyle swimmers get to the wall and position their feet to kick off so as to propel them where they came from.
When doing laps, it’s recommended that you use the dolphin kick when making a turn.
According to US Masters Swimming, you should push off the wall while streamlined.
Hold a dive weight in your hands and push off the wall with your arms stretched overhead, hands together.
3. Try Swimming Interval training
You probably know that HIIT is great for melting belly fat. Well, you can apply the same technique in swimming.
Swim as fast as you can for a short duration then rest and repeat several times.
If you are a beginner, try swimming for 5 minutes or less then take a break and then swim again.
Sprint for longer periods as you gain endurance and then reduce the duration of breaks in between the sprints.
4. Do Ab Bicycles
Lean against the wall of the pool then place your arms on the pool edge.
Start moving your legs as if you’re pedaling a bicycle.
This helps strengthen your abdominal muscles and your legs.
The higher you raise your legs the more the effect.
Try 30 cycles then rest.
Keep increasing the number of cycles as you get stronger.
5. Try Underwater Strength Training
Did you know that you can do strength training in a swimming pool?
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to lift as much as you would when out of the water.
But you will still be able to tone your muscles.
Now, you can’t do underwater strength training in a public pool. You need to join a health center that offers this service.
6. Tread water
Move to the deeper parts of the pool and then tread the water.
This is whereby you hold a vertical position and keep your head and shoulders above water.
Keep your legs moving in order to maintain that position.
You may also want to lift your knees as high as they can go in order to activate your abs.
Vigorous treading can burn calories 600 calories an hour while moderate treading burns 200 calories an hour.
7. Kickboard exercises
This requires you to float while you hold a kickboard.
Even though kickboards are used by people learning to swim, they can provide a great workout if you want to add variety to your swimming routine.
Hold a kickboard out with your arms outstretched while you kick. Remember to pull your stomach in.
Swim the length of a pool or until you tire.
You can also wear ankle weights to make your workout more challenging.
Another kickboard exercise that can help you lose belly fat is the push-pull motion.
Stand in water whereby the level rises to your shoulders.
Hold the kickboard flat to your chest.
Push the kickboard out until your arms are stretched out fully.
Pull it back to your chest rapidly.
Continue the push and pull motion for about half a minute without resting.
8. Water crunches
Lean against the wall of the pool in a position similar to the bicycle abs position I mentioned earlier.
Keep your knees together then stretch your feet downward.
Pull your knees up to your chest. This helps tighten your abs.
9. High Knees
Do this exercise at the shallow end of the pool.
Run on the spot in the water while lifting your knees up to your waist or hip height.
Tighten your stomach and butt muscles when lifting your legs.
Make sure your movements are moderate and controlled for the best effect on your abs.
10. Do Flutter Kicks
Flutter kicks are used in backstroke where the legs are extended straight back and then you kick them up and down in an alternating movement.
This activates your ab and leg muscles.
You can alternate the sides where you operate the kicks.
Without turning your head and shoulders, twist your waist to the right and kick for a few beats.
Change to the center then to the left.
Warning
You need to be cautious when exercising in a swimming pool.
Never swim without supervision due to the ever-present risk of drowning.
Make sure you pay attention to your body’s signs and don’t overexert yourself.
This can cause muscle cramps a lot easier.
If at any point you feel dizzy, get out of the pool.
The Bottom Line
Some experts swear by swimming rather than running. However, you will still need to combine swimming with a healthy diet to lose belly fat. As you may know, you can’t lose belly fat without a calorie deficit.
Swimming is also a great way to build muscle for people with injuries and joint pain since it’s a non-weight bearing exercise.
Lastly, eat at least half an hour before a swim workout. Eating right before you jump in the pool can lower your performance.
If you want to get faster results, combine swimming with short workouts. In just 15 minutes, you can activate every muscle in your body and activate fat burning using these short fat-burning workouts.
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