Benefit of Swim and Bike Combination
Creating an exercise program or
deciding which workout to try on any given day can be a challenge. The right
workout is important whether you have are training for a specific competition,
you want to improve your general fitness, or you are interested in weight
control. Combining swimming and biking in a single workout or training program
can help you reach your goals.
Background
Swimming and biking are both aerobic
activities because they increase your heart rate and improve your
cardiovascular fitness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Healthy adults should do at least 75 to 150 minutes of aerobic
exercise each week. Swim-bike combinations may include swimming and biking in
one workout, doing one activity in the morning and the other in the evening, or
swimming on one day and biking on another. Your workout regimen may include
additional activities.
Weight Control
Lap swimming burns 423 calories per
hour, and leisurely biking burns 292 calories per hour for a 160-pound person,
according to MayoClinic.com. Heavier individuals and higher-intensity efforts
burn more calories. The balance of the calories you consume and the calories
you expend determines whether you lose weight, maintain your weight or gain
weight. You need to burn off 3,500 calories more than you eat for each pound of
body fat that you want to lose. Combining biking and swimming helps prevent
boredom to keep you motivated to burn more calories.
Low-Impact Cross-Training
A benefit of swim-bike combinations is
that they are low-impact motions. This makes them easier on the joints than
high-impact activities, such as running, contact sports, such as football, and
activities that require sudden turns, such as soccer and basketball.
Participating in multiple kinds of exercises, such as swimming and biking, is a
form of cross-training, according to the American Council on Exercise.
Cross-training helps prevent injuries by strengthening a variety of muscles and
reducing repetitive movements.
Improved Performance
Cross-training, such as including
swim-bike combinations in your routine, can help you increase your general
fitness levels faster than focusing on a single activity, according to the
American Council on Exercise. It can improve your performance in triathlons,
which have swimming, biking and running segments. Training for swimming and
biking is necessary to do well in a triathlon, and both activities provide
alternatives to running on days when you need to get in a workout but you do
not want to pound the pavement.
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