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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    How do you lose fat and maintain muscle while swimming?

    Related Topics
    Fitness and Sports Medicine Weight Management
    I understand that swimming provides resistance to the body and thus helps to maintain muscle mass whilst also swimming intensively (and thereby getting the heart rate up) can burn calories and thus shed fat; at the very least it can `tone' the whole body and or make the swimmer lean.

    I weigh about 88kg, 5'9" tall, waist: 38 - 39 inches. I do have some fat around my waist and buttocks. I estimate that I have about a 25 - 30% body fat percentage. My goal? Of course, as paragraph 1 suggests, to swim according to high intensity interval training (swim fast at near-capacity, rest, swim, repeat for about 20 minutes).

    My questions are–
    (1) Will I retain current muscle mass according to my proposed training regime? I would eat healthily with sufficient amounts of protein (and other stuff) and swim every second day, every week. If not, should I incorporate further resistance training? (For example, push ups, etc).

    (2)According to #1 above, can we expect weight loss of 1/2 - 1kg per month?
    • 1 answer
    • John Toomey
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    Thanks

    John Toomey

    Exercise Physiologist

    I have a fairly unique set of skills in Wellness, Preventative Health, Longevity and Life Education, having authored Australia's first Wellness Leadership Course in 2001.  … View Profile

    Hi. Without having met you to assess you, your body or your program, I would state that fundamentally your approach will deliver results. There are a couple of but's though.

    First, high intensity training will produce the results you require for muscle strengthening, toning and perhaps some muscle building. You must continue to increase your loads to keep the muscle challenged and keep it growing.

    Following this program, you should lose body fat. Hwo fast willd epend on how well you keep your diet in check. I really do not think you will need to worry too much about protein. Just eat good whole foods and eat enough to satisfy your basic hunger. Restricting calorie dense foods will aid weight loss. Make sure you keep your water up to at least 1 litre per 25kg of body weight per day. Oten dehydration can create false hunger.

    Finally, if you add onto your training some high intensity kicking work using flippers, you will build leg strenght and significantly incrrease your over-all energy expenditure. This will greatly impact fat loss.

    Have fun.

    JTx

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