How many laps do i need to swim for it to be a good workout?

Question

Assuming I am going a moderate, but not sprinting pace, how long do I ned to swim to get a good workout? I feel like I get tired after only 10 laps or so. plus I need to take breaks in between. I am talking about a standard 25m pool, i am 5'3" and 120lbs, 25yo

Answer 1

If you want to use swimming as a good cardio exercise, you need to treat it like one. Let's say you jump on an elliptical machine and go fairly hard for about a minute, then stop and rest for a minute, then repeat that about  5 times. Would you say that was a "good workout?" I hope not.

You need to base your cardio workout on time and effort. Keep moving for at least 30 to 45 minutes. You might need to slow down a little. Don't worry about the distance covered. When you can sustain longer periods of swimming, you can throw in some of the set suggestions others have offered.

Answer 2

well im 12 and i swim on a team and i swim about 300 laps a day maybe 250 but thts not even too hard but iif ur just moderate u should try about 100 -80 laps at least 80 because 72 laps is a mile!!

:] i hope i hlped<3

Answer 3

You said its a standard 25m pool, but even if you wish to swim in 50m, it doesn't make any practical difference to have satisfactory workout once you are in with water. It depends mainly on body weight...and yours (120 lbs) is an ideal one to have as many laps as you could. In other words, say, after 10 laps if you start feeling tired, it surely means you refuse to change the swimming stroke. Except on the competitive events, one should not concentrate his or her swimming mainly on one stroke like crawling or breast stroke or back stroke....(forget about butterfly, its heavy). Try to bring in practice different stroke after every 5th lap. Start in first place with crawling (we call here as "free-style"), have the next quota with breast stroke, and continue with back one and again draw yourself with crawling. This will help you to regain sufficient amount of oxygen in your chest and that will help you to cross 10+ laps without fear of tiring the body.

A good workout does not depend upon the volume of your laps; but it works mainly with your stamina. Once you start feeling exhausted, its better to discard the next stroke and enjoy a recess of five minutes and that too in water itself.

Best luck !

Answer 4

Well, im on a swim team, and we swim more then 50 laps per day... im 5'2' and weigh 135... ur fit! im FAT!

Answer 5

A good work out is different for every person. If you feel like you've kicked your butt in the pool, you probably have. If you're tired, stop, don't try to keep swimming when you're tired. If you are getting tired quickly you might want to check your technique. Are you breathing properly? Just like with running, you need to set a pace and check your breathing pattern. Is your stroke correct? Etc...

I swim 32.5 laps in a 25m pool. That is one mile. I also do 5 laps with the kick board and 5 laps of the rescue swim.

Do what works for you and go from there. You know your limits. The more you swim the better and more comfortable you will get. Keep up the good work, I love swimming! It is zero impact and does wonders for the mind and body.

Answer 6

It depends on you and the physical condition you in, and sometimes it does no good to just continuously swim back and forth non-stop. i would use a set interval to take occasional breaks... maybe take 30 seconds rest every 10 laps and swim a total of 6 groups of 10 laps. That's about a mile. You can tweak it to meet whatever needs you have. Hope i helped!

Answer 7

well it always depends on what type of swimmer you are nd what your going for. if it;s just for a good workout then i would go for the 10 100 yrd. free, or what ever stroke you like to do, at about a 1:45 pace. if thats too hard then you can tewwk it so you get about 10 to 15 seconds rest between. then i would do that 10 100's about 3 or 4 times. it's not all about laps, but rather about miles and how hard you are going. try and get you hart ate up into your cardio zone and hold it there for about 20 to 30 min. that would be a geat workout.

     if you have any other questions feel free to e-mail me.

Answer 8

This greatly depends on your fitness level. At 25yo, you are looking at having your heartrate at about 28 beats in 10 seconds to get a good cardio workout. Take your pulse after every 50m.

Also, try doing negative-split sets. Pick a distance (100m works well.) Now do it a few times times, every time taking less time to do the 100m. An example of a negatively split 4x100 m would be:

100m in 2:00

100m in 1:45

100m in 1:30

100m in 1:15

I highly doubt you would be able to complete the aforementioned set, but you get the idea.

Answer 9

Like somebody said, it depends on your condition. When I go swimming, it's after a 2-3 mile run, 2 mile bike ride, 1 mile on the elliptical machine, and wight lifting every Saturday morning (my gym morning) at the gym. I still try an get anywhere from 600 -1000 yards in a 50 yards pool, which is anywhere from 12-20 laps and is about 1/3-1/2 of a mile. Just do as much as your body can physically handle. Over time, your body will get used to the work out and you can increase the distance.

Answer 10

well, on our swim team, in about two hours we swim about 3000 to 4000 yards a day.

so if your pool is 25 yards and you count down and back as one lap then thats 60 to 80 laps.

but it really matters what you do! like your intervals and how much you rest.

Answer 11

Im on a swim team, and starting out in the year our warm ups were 300 in 50 intervals with 10 seconds rest,

by the end of the year our warm ups were 900 with 300 no stop, 3 100s 15 second pause, and then 6 60s with 10 second pause.

Its not how many laps you swim its your pace and how long. swimming lesuirely Id swim for about 45 min, if you mix in some sprints then knock it down to about half an hour.

I would reccommend about 500yards in a workout. thats 16laps if im correct.