Dan Daly, CSCS, owner of Train Daly and a competitive open water and masters swimmer, says swimming burns calories like any other workout and helps you lose weight if you're in a calorie deficit.
Harvard Health says 30 minutes of intense lap swimming burns 360 calories for 155 pounds. According to the same source, 30 minutes of hard stationary rowing burns 369 calories and 30 minutes of cycling burns 278 calories.
Harvard Health says 30 minutes of intense lap swimming burns 360 calories for 155 pounds. According to the same source, 30 minutes of hard stationary rowing burns 369 calories and 30 minutes of cycling burns 278 calories.
Short answer: Yes. Gagne advises avoiding "spot training," or working only one body region to reduce weight, as your body composition and genetics might affect where you store fat.
(You can't control where you lose fat initially!) Swimming helps you lose weight, which leads to fat reduction, including belly fat, and specific strokes work the abs nicely.
Swimming exercises several muscles, but butterfly, backstroke, and breaststroke focus your core more. Engaging them more works that area for slimmer muscle
More on all strokes eventually! However, "the best way to lose belly fat is to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet to complement all your hard work."
Gagne advises new swimmers: “In the beginning, going three times a week for 30 minutes will benefit you greatly.” “You will find that you are using muscles you didn't know you had.”
According to Daly, fat reduction requires a calorie deficit. WH reports that your doctor, nutritionist, formulae, or internet calculators can help you calculate your safe and healthy weight reduction calorie deficit.
An online calorie tracker like this one analyzes your body weight, activity duration, and activity level (METs) to estimate calories burnt during your swimming session.
MET stands for “metabolic equivalent of task,” according Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The Compendium of Physical Activities can help you choose a swim workout—moderate-effort freestyle is 5.8 METs.
Daly recommends that while exercise might help you lose weight, you'll also need to focus on diet.