Swimming and cycling, which exercise is better?

Swimming and cycling not only help burn a lot of calories and lose weight, but can also be done indoors or outdoors. Not only young people but also the elderly and those with bone and joint problems can still practice these two types of exercises, according to the health website Medical News Today (UK).

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To know which exercise is more suitable, we need to consider the following factors.

Weight control

Swimming and cycling both burn calories and can help you lose weight or prevent weight gain. The amount of calories you burn will depend on a number of factors, especially the intensity and duration of your workout.

However, swimming tends to burn slightly more calories due to the resistance of the water. This resistance when swimming causes us to exert more effort and burn more calories. If you are focusing on burning more calories, choose swimming.

Cardiovascular health

Swimming will help us exercise our whole body, making our heart and lungs work harder. This intensity of exercise and the resistance of the water make it impossible for us to swim continuously for a long time.

Cycling, on the other hand, focuses on the lower half of the body. Therefore, people can exercise continuously for a long time. Overall, both types of exercises are equally effective when it comes to cardiovascular health benefits.

Muscle strength

During swimming, many muscle groups in the body will participate at the same time, from the muscles of the arms, shoulders, legs to the core muscles of the abdomen, back and hips. Cycling mainly affects the lower body and has the main effect of stimulating the leg muscles, less stimulating the muscles in the upper half of the body. Therefore, if you want an exercise that stimulates the muscles of the whole body, you should choose swimming.

Impact on joints

Both swimming and cycling are gentle on the joints, making them ideal exercises for people with joint pain or recovering from injuries. However, swimming is particularly good for people with joint pain. The buoyancy of the water significantly reduces the pressure on the knees. Cycling, while less strenuous, still puts pressure on the knees and lower back. This can still be uncomfortable for people with knee and lower back pain, according to Medical News Today .