>On Mon, 19 Jun 2000, Ken Stuart wrote:
>
>> >JUSTIN SAYS:
>> >That was me.  Swimming doesn't allow your body to heat up.
>>Thermogenesis is
>> >the only muscle sparing fat burning mechanism.  You can get adrenaline and
>> >thyroid levels going with a swimming workout, but thermogenesis just
>>doesn't
>> >happen, unless the water is warm like in a lake or something.  It probably
>> >did more for your upper arms b/c it reduced your bodyfat, but not b/c it
>> >built more muscle.
>>
>> So, if you were thrown into the 35 degrees F. waters of the Arctic
>>Ocean, you
>> would not generate any heat???
>
>I wondered about this myself.  I always thought that
>thermogenesis was precisely the body's mechanism for maintaining
>its internal temperature when the environment threatens to lower
>it.  Since water conducts heat away from the body better than
>air, a swim in a pool at 80 degrees F. should cause more
>thermogenesis than a walk in the open air at the same
>temperature.  The body must use more energy to maintain its
>temperature.
>
>Todd Moody
>[log in to unmask]

Hi, guys:

Athletes all know that swimmers carry a few percent more bodyfat than
others, no matter what. This is the body's adapting to the water, which is
extremely conductive of heat away from the body. It actually takes fairly
warm water for the body not to have to burn calories to keep body
temperature up, even when exercising. I'm not sure if the sweat reflex
kicks in or not, but it surely would not be productive, as there is no way
to get cooling from evaporation, which is the purpose of sweating.

Swimming is a great all-around body toner, and, as you observed, swimmers
certainly can build muscle. Whether one sweats is a dry-land indicator of
effort, but I don't see what it would prove under water.

Sorry I don't have any scietific sources for any of this. It's just
well-known among trainers.

ginny

All stunts performed without a net!