Photography: Courtesy Polar

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or
Swimmer
which gets you fitter?

We all want to get the maximum return for the time spent working out.
Caroline Sandry looks at the popular options of group cycling and
swimming to find out which strokes count the most – pedal or pool?

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Group Cycling Classes Sample class Swimming

A cycling class is an intensive workout
done on stationery bikes in a studio,
usually to some good pumping music. It is
a unisex class for those who already have
a reasonable level of fitness.
■ The Class – After setting up the bike
for your height, the instructor will
guide you through a warm up before
upping the intensity taking you
through hill climbs, races, time trials
and sprints. Some upper body work
such as triceps dips may be included.
The session finishes with a cool down.
■ Who is it for – Most classes are split
fairly evenly with both men & women.
You do need to have a good level of
fitness to join a group cycle class -
complete beginners to exercise would
find it too challenging which would be
demoralizing. Group cycling classes
are good for those wanting to up the
intensity of their CV exercise or are
looking for a change from their routine.
■ What can it do for me – A good
cycling class will increase aerobic
fitness and burn calories and fat.
Cycling primarily works the muscles of
the thighs, buttocks and lower legs,
and there will be some strength gain
in the muscles of the lower back and
core. The inclusion of triceps dips and
presses will also tone the chest, upper
back and arms. A 150lb person cycling
fast for an hour can expect to burn
around 400 Calories. Because body
weight is supported on the bike,
cycling may have a slightly lower
Calorie burn than for example running
where you are carrying your own
weight.
■ The downside – I have heard some
women complain that cycling bulks up
their bum and thighs. My answer to
this would be to stick with a lower
resistance in class, and mix your
training with other sports such as
running which is very slimming for the
lower body (think Paula Radcliffe) and
pilates which is great for lengthening
the body.
■ The Kit – Trainers or cycling shoes
with your usual gym kit will suffice.
You may however prefer to wear
cycling shorts – some of which will
have padding in the seat. Take a small
towel to class to mop up the sweat –
you will need it!
Warm up – 5 mins
2 mins gentle pace
30 secs higher 60% maximum effort
30 second intervals 50 – 60% effort
Standing fast pace to music - 5 mins
Including sets of dips and body raises
Recovery spin
Sprints – 5 – 6 mins
30 seconds at 50%max effort
30 seconds at 60 % max effort
building to last 30 secs at maximum effort
Recovery spin
Hill climbs 5 – 6 mins
Standing out of saddle 30 secs – high
resist 70% max
Faster speed - 30 secs 70 – 80 % max
Higher resistance - 30secs up to 90% max
Drills 5 – 6 mins
In saddle – high resistance – up to 90% max
Recovery spin at warm up resistance
Cool down
5 mins with upper body & back stretches.
your routine. Your heart rate will be high
throughout the class, and if you really go
for it, pedaling against a high resistance
you could burn up to 800 Calories in an
hour long class. The music and
competition amongst members is really
motivating and encourages you to push
your self hard.”
Swimming is usually a solitary sport,
suitable for all fitness levels. Performed
with good technique it is a fantastic
aerobic workout.
■ The session – It is vital when
choosing swimming as your exercise
that you have a good programme to
follow (see example below) and you
will need to be self motivated unless
you decide to hire a swim coach who
will work on your technique and
programme, or you could join in with a
swimming group.
■ Who is it for – Everybody! The great
thing about swimming is that it is a
great starting point for the unfit, as
well as an incredibly challenging
workout for fit individuals and athletes.
The fact that your body weight is
supported by the water means there is
no impact, enabling people with joint
problems to still get a good aerobic
work-out.
■ What can it do for me –
Swimming can burn Calories more
effectively than many other forms of
exercise, working all the major
muscle groups in the body and so is a
great fat and calorie burner The
water provides a resistance so there
can also be some toning effect in the
muscles – particularly the shoulders
and upper body. A 150lb swimmer
using front crawl for an hour could
burn around 640 Calories. Swimming
has a high Calorie expenditure due to
the fact that energy is expended to
maintain buoyancy whilst

I asked Mark Barimore

(www.personaltraininglondon.com) PT
and Group Cycling Instructor his opinion –
“Cycle classes are a really fun and
effective way of increasing CV fitness with
a low impact sport that also includes some
upper body toning. Drills such as sprints
and hills are very challenging and a great
way of building some interval training into

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simultaneously generating horizontal

movement of the limbs. There is also
some drag to overcome which adds
to the effect. Swimming’s low
mechanical efficiency makes it use
around four times more energy
(Calories) than running the same
distance.
■ The downside – You really do need
to be motivated to get a result.
Cruising up and down the pool for half
an hour will not have a great benefit.
Technique is all important, and to get
the best out of swimming – strong
strokes such as front crawl should be
employed. Breathing can take a while
to master and I thoroughly recommend
a few sessions with a trainer to get the
best results. Some people do not enjoy
the drying effects of chlorine on their
skin and hair.

■ The kit – Swimming shorts or trunks

for guys, and a one piece swimsuit is
best for women. Goggles protect the
eyes, and a swimming hat can help to
protect your hair.
I spoke with Zoggs (www.zoggs.com)
who offer free online personalised
swimming programmes - tailored to
different fitness levels and abilities. Their –
‘Swim4Fitness®’ is designed to suit your
lifestyle whether you are swimming for
fun, fitness or training for a challenge.
There are over 200 free swimming sessions
including specific triathlon and pregnancy
programmes at the touch of a button.
Whether you are looking to get into shape,
tone up, improve general fitness or simply
get some blood pumping through your
veins; these sessions will do the trick.
Award-winning world swimming
champion Karen Pickering is providing
expert seasonal swim sessions for Zoggs,
and has designed a programme for Ultra
Fit readers for general fitness (see box).
Karen commented: “Swimming is core to
a healthy lifestyle and is a great way to
exercise, especially for people who find
high-impact sports difficult. It is also very
important for swimming to be accessible
for everyone not just advanced swimmers
or people with private gym membership
and lots of free time.I have heard too
many people say that swimming is
boring or won’t give them the quick
results they are looking for. The
Swim4Fitness® programme is designed to
make swimming fun and effective as a
way of shaping up; using equipment
such as Kickboards and Pull-Buoys,
setting time and distance goals and
mixing up pace and strokes are all ways
in which you can have a much more
thorough and beneficial workout.”
Simply register at
www.swim4fitness.com/register to
view the full selection of sessions available.
Fitness, Stage 1
Target Time 40 minutes
Tip Relax your arms and upper body over your kick board when you are
kicking, kick from the hips rather than the knees
Warm Up 4 lengths/laps moderate swimming any stroke 2 lengths/laps pulling
with your pull buoy 2 lengths/laps kicking with your Streamlined kickboard
Main Set 8 lengths/laps swimming - moderate pace any stroke, 30 seconds
rest 4 lengths/laps faster swimming any stroke, 30 seconds rest
2 lengths/laps fast pace any stroke 2 minutes rest 6 x 1 length
kicking with a Streamlined kickboard or swimming with very long
relaxed strokes, 20 seconds after each
Warm Down 4 lengths/laps easy swimming any stroke
Total Length 32 Lengths/laps
So – Spinner or Swimmer? focused and determined, you may find it
Swimming and cycling are both fantastic harder to push your limits. However –
for fitness training, but are very different swimming is still a great calorie burner
sports and so it is hard to make a direct and the perfect place for anyone with
comparison. If you are looking to change joint or back issues to do some high
your routine, or you want to up the intensity or interval training without
intensity of your training, then I would impact or undue joint stress.
recommend a group cycling class, as with Both swimming and cycling will boost
the instructor there to push you and the your CV fitness and help with weight
other class members for motivation– you loss, but the key to any successful
should find that you are able to train hard. exercise programme lies in your mind –
Swimming relies more on your own the more effort you put in, the more
motivation, and so unless you are very benefit you get back out. UF
Table showing approximate amount of minutes of continuous activity
necessary to expend 300 Calories based upon body weight:
Stationery cycling swimming laps
Weight lbs
140 53 mins 35mins
160 50 mins 31 mins
180 44 mins 28 mins
200 40 mins 25 mins

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