Basically the title. I’ve started swimming before work for about 30-45 minutes. I’m very new to it, as I haven’t swam laps since I was 13.
I’m still pretty out of shape, so I can maybe go 1 or 2 lengths before I need to stop to catch my breath. I give myself 30 seconds, and then go again. I’m just doing freestyle, occasionally mixing it up with a backstroke if I’m still out of breath.
I’m used to feeling really sore after lifting weights, so I’m worried I may not be working hard enough in the pool, since I don’t feel sore? My main goal is to lose weight and get in shape, so cardio is my focus with swimming. Any insights are appreciated, because for all intents and purposes, I’m a beginner.
You won’t get sore until you start getting in longer distances, faster times. Even then, you’ll feel more fatigued than anything else. Won’t be the same as weightlifting
Sorry to jump in, but it’s about concentric vs. eccentric muscle activity. Swimming, like cycling, uses concentric contractions, which don’t make muscles as sore since they aren’t forcibly lengthened.
Generally, newbies can’t really do enough work to make themselves sore (as in muscle soreness). But they are working the heck out of their cardio. Keep it up, soreness will come when you add resistance (paddles/fins) and/or increase distance (1-2k+)
swimming is low impact meaning your joints and muscles won’t ache like they would if you were working out on land. i swim 2.5-3 hours 5 days/week, it’s only after 4 days in a row that i can feel it in my shoulders but if i take a break after 3 days then i don’t notice anything when starting up again. i can swim laps for hours, what tires me out is the lung exercises i do after my laps (diving for rings), i find exerting energy fully under water is when i notice fatigue. i love the post swim sleepies, it’s like maximum relaxation.