Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Training & Nutrition
Reload this Page >

Swimming should help my cycling, right?

Notices
Training & Nutrition Learn how to develop a training schedule that's good for you. What should you eat and drink on your ride? Learn everything you need to know about training and nutrition here.

Swimming should help my cycling, right?

Old 12-24-05, 07:24 PM
  #1  
JOCP Lives!
Thread Starter
 
TheDTrain's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Malden, MA (near Boston)
Posts: 794

Bikes: 2005 Felt F90 (my pride and joy)

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Swimming should help my cycling, right?

I found that swimming really build upper body bulk and makes you stronger. I don't know much about how affects cycling, but it should make you more fit and build endurance, right?
TheDTrain is offline  
Old 12-24-05, 08:08 PM
  #2  
Killing Rabbits
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 5,697
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 278 Post(s)
Liked 217 Times in 102 Posts
If you are out of shape swimming will make you better at almost any sport. If you are already in very good shape swimming won't improve your cycling at all.
Enthalpic is offline  
Old 12-25-05, 01:56 PM
  #3  
JOCP Lives!
Thread Starter
 
TheDTrain's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Malden, MA (near Boston)
Posts: 794

Bikes: 2005 Felt F90 (my pride and joy)

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Out of shape? That's me!
TheDTrain is offline  
Old 12-25-05, 02:06 PM
  #4  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 316
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
I am trying to lose weight and get into better overall shape. I have started swimming at my local gym a couple times a week for 45 minutes to 1 hour at a time. I think it is going to help me quite a bit with general conditioning. Swimming for 45 minutes at a time is alot harder than I imagined it would be.


-lee-
leeinmemphis is offline  
Old 12-25-05, 02:08 PM
  #5  
Retro-nerd
 
georgiaboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Morningside - Atlanta
Posts: 1,638

Bikes: 1991 Serotta Colorado II, 1986 Vitus 979, 1971 Juene Classic, 2008 Surly Crosscheck, 1956 Riva Sport

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 30 Post(s)
Liked 57 Times in 39 Posts
Originally Posted by TheDTrain
Out of shape? That's me!
You should definitely keep swimming. I can't think of anyway it would directly help your cycling. In other words professional cyclists do not, as a rule, use swimming a part of their cycling training. Some of the climbers don't want to build upper body bulk. However, for over all fitness to equalize the effects of what cycling does for your legs and hips swimming would do for your upper body. Swimming is great for cardio and increases lung compacity.
__________________
Would you like a dream with that?
georgiaboy is offline  
Old 12-25-05, 03:33 PM
  #6  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,295
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Swimming is a good exercise, but I would not consider it a good "cross exercise" (as in cross training) because it suffers from the same limitations as cycling. They both don't do the gravity thing for maintaining bone density. I prefer brisk walking and weight training to go along with the cycling.

Al
Al.canoe is offline  
Old 12-25-05, 05:31 PM
  #7  
Sprockette
 
wabbit's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Canada
Posts: 5,503
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
well, there are triathlons....those people seem to be in pretty good shape.
__________________
You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. That's great...if you want to attract vermin.
wabbit is offline  
Old 12-25-05, 06:00 PM
  #8  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,295
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by wabbit
well, there are triathlons....those people seem to be in pretty good shape.
Nothing beats running and cycling for over all fitness, though I personally would have to do some weight traing unless it impeded my competitiveness if I raced.

Al
Al.canoe is offline  
Old 12-27-05, 12:28 PM
  #9  
Scum, Freezebag!
 
Mo'Phat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Poway, CA
Posts: 4,546

Bikes: 2007 Leader 796R w/ 10sp DA and 2005 Jamis Dakar XLT FS MTB

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by wabbit
well, there are triathlons....those people seem to be in pretty good shape.
Well, yeah...but no triathlete that I know of just jumps in the pool and is a great bike rider or runner. Triathletes...like all athletes...must train the disciplines.

That said, swimming is great for overall fitness, but to be a better rider, you must ride.
Mo'Phat is offline  
Old 12-27-05, 01:23 PM
  #10  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 247

Bikes: Croll 531c/Campagnolo and Schwinn City Bike

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Your cycling will benefit from ANY activity that increases your overall level of fitness. Unless you want to be a paid team specialist in hill climbing/stages, neglecting your upper body for the sake of cycling and an additional few pounds of muscle is foolish. The body works as a whole unit -- in cycling and sports in general. Go for overall fitness and development throughOUT the body. That emaciated look with cycling and running went out a long time ago.
oldcrank is offline  
Old 12-27-05, 01:46 PM
  #11  
...need...more...power...
 
Red is Faster!'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: A place where we ride in the winter!
Posts: 99
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by oldcrank
Your cycling will benefit from ANY activity that increases your overall level of fitness. Unless you want to be a paid team specialist in hill climbing/stages, neglecting your upper body for the sake of cycling and an additional few pounds of muscle is foolish. The body works as a whole unit -- in cycling and sports in general. Go for overall fitness and development throughOUT the body. That emaciated look with cycling and running went out a long time ago.
Amen to Old Crank. As a triathlete, I began a weight training program,designed by a physical therapist, focused on core strength. Forget about Hammer Strentgh machines etc..., he had me doing wood chops, standing one arm dumbell raises and leg raises with weight (sort of a step up lunge). Lots of stuff on stability balls too. The biggest improvement was to my cycling. Every fast cyclist I know does some running and/or swimming. IMHO do all three plus a well designed weight routine. I have seen nothing but improvement since I began mine. Since it's winter, I combine a spin session with 45 minutes on wieghts. Seems to work well as long as you don't do legs on the same day you ride. Likewise upperbody and swim combo days don't work too well either. Again MHO only.
Red is Faster! is offline  
Old 12-27-05, 01:52 PM
  #12  
more ape than man
 
timmhaan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: nyc
Posts: 8,091
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 1 Post
winter is the time to try this stuff. being a good swimmer is not only good exercise, but it's also a good skill to have. i say go for it.

on a slightly related note to running - i recently started doing an alternative: the weightless squat. basically i just do squats with my own body weight for about 3 mintues (around 50 squats), rest 2 mintues and repeat. it works the muslces and cardio system quite well, is easy on the joints, and takes very little time.
timmhaan is offline  
Old 12-27-05, 02:59 PM
  #13  
Senior Member
 
jennings780's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
Posts: 422

Bikes: '06 Cannondale CAAD8, '04 Cannondale Ironman 2000

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Cycling is great exercise but is one that is not balanced for your body. You use your lower body almost exclusively. You use your quads much more than your hamstrings. You build the outside of your quads more than your inside. Over time, the lack of balance could cause problems. Swimming can help the balance by giving you a good upper body and core workout. You should also do upper and lower body weight training. There are a lot of training books that describe weight training for cyclists. Yoga is good. Cyclists are notoriously inflexible. There is a good chapter on this stuff in the book "bike for life" - which, btw, is a very good book. It really does a great job of covering some stuff in pretty good depth that other training books I have read do not.
jennings780 is offline  
Old 12-27-05, 04:29 PM
  #14  
Huachuca Rider
 
webist's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 4,275

Bikes: Fuji CCR1, Specialized Roubaix

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I need to reread the books I already have.
__________________
Just Peddlin' Around
webist is offline  
Old 12-28-05, 10:07 AM
  #15  
Senior Member
 
slagjumper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Down on East End Avenue.
Posts: 1,816

Bikes: Salsa Las Cruces, Burley R&R and a boat load of others.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
I like swimming and think that it is great for cardio and upper body, but it really depends on the type of stokes that you are doing as to what effect they have on your body. Also according to American Journal of Sports Medicine, there are better ways to loose weight than to swim.

https://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/...h/swimming.htm
slagjumper is offline  
Old 12-28-05, 10:18 AM
  #16  
pan y agua
 
merlinextraligh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Jacksonville
Posts: 31,271

Bikes: Willier Zero 7; Merlin Extralight; Calfee Dragonfly tandem, Calfee Adventure tandem; Cervelo P2; Motebecane Ti Fly 29er; Motebecanne Phantom Cross; Schwinn Paramount Track bike

Mentioned: 17 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1426 Post(s)
Liked 692 Times in 351 Posts
Swimming is a good workout. Unfortunately, its not very good for wieght loss, particularly compared to running and cycling. Do it to get generally fitter, and to have fun. But it's not the first pick if your goals are 1) to loose weight, and 2) to be a faster cyclist.
merlinextraligh is offline  
Old 12-28-05, 02:55 PM
  #17  
Hair Free
 
bike756's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Massillon, Ohio
Posts: 378

Bikes: specialized allez with misc. upgrades,commuter mtb

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
If you want to get in shape for cycling, use some flippers.
bike756 is offline  
Old 12-28-05, 05:26 PM
  #18  
Senior Member
 
jennings780's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
Posts: 422

Bikes: '06 Cannondale CAAD8, '04 Cannondale Ironman 2000

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by slagjumper
I like swimming and think that it is great for cardio and upper body, but it really depends on the type of stokes that you are doing as to what effect they have on your body. Also according to American Journal of Sports Medicine, there are better ways to loose weight than to swim.

https://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/...h/swimming.htm
That was a great article!!!! Thanks. I am famished after I swim. I have told friends that I don't think swimming helps at all with weight loss because you are soooo hungry after swimming. I am glad to read thta others agree.
jennings780 is offline  
Old 12-28-05, 11:03 PM
  #19  
Prefers Cicero
 
cooker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Toronto
Posts: 12,870

Bikes: 1984 Trek 520; 2007 Bike Friday NWT; misc others

Mentioned: 86 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3939 Post(s)
Liked 112 Times in 87 Posts
I hate the chlorine.
cooker is offline  
Old 12-30-05, 09:12 PM
  #20  
taking the piss
 
macca123's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: albury
Posts: 380

Bikes: avanti vivace, repco piece of $#IT and a raleigh mtn bike.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
What about using flippers and a kickboard, just working on leg exercises whilst swimming. That would have to improve leg strength in someway?
macca123 is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.