How good is swimming for cardio exercise?

Question

I'm 5'7" and 170 pounds and I guess I could count as a weightlifter. I'm not overweight, but I'd like to be just a little more defined. I'm looking into swimming because I'm not a big fan of running.

If I was to start swimming, what are some good ways to start off?

Answer 1

It doesn't really matter what cardio exercise you want to do, as long as you reach the proper heart rate level. Do the exercise you enjoy and you will accomplish your goal sooner :)

Answer 2

Yeah, just adding to what the other person said, swimming is probably one of the best full-body workouts. Working on your arm strokes helps with defining not only your arms but your back muscles as well. Just using a kickboard alone helps strengthen all of the muscles in your legs, because it forces you to use your lower body to move about the water. In contrast, there are small flotation devices in the shape of peanuts that you place in between your legs while you swim. This stops all movement in your legs and lower half and forces you to use your arms and upper body to move about the water. Swimming strenthens your core, burns fat, and helps a GREAT deal with breath control.

Answer 3

Swimming is an excellent form of cardiovascular exercise.

Just start moving, you can develop your skill as you train.

You can use a kick board if you are not good at swimming.

One of the advantages of swimming is that it does not injure the body since there is no jarring on ground contact, or strain on the joints.