| How many calories will I burn? Swimming can burn anything from 350 to 700 calories an hour depending on your weight, how fast you are swimming, and the intensity you swim at An hour's fast, vigorous freestyle lap swimming for an 11 stone person will burn 704 calories Even a leisurely paddle up and down has excellent calorie burning potential because you have to keep moving  in the water, after all, if you stop you will sink! Freestyle and breast stroke demand a similar number of calories for most recreational swimmers. Backstroke uses slightly less, but butterfly would use a lot more if it was actually possible to swim it for more than a short distance!
My local pool is always busy! Here’s some simple tips to help you: Always check the lane boards telling you which direction to swim and whether it's a fast, medium or slow lane If there is someone in your lane who you think is far too fast or too slow, don't be afraid to politely suggest they move to the next lane up or down If someone comes up fast behind you try to swim close to the lane rope to let them past, if they don't overtake you during the length then give them space to pass when you get to the turn. They will appreciate your gesture and swim around you rather than over you next time If you are doing a kicking set with your kick board you might want to move to a slower lane if your lane is busy. This will stop you feeling like you are holding people up and you will be able to get on with your work out If you are faster than other people in your lane, give them space and try to get past them at the turns In a busy lane keep moving steadily rather than doing lots of short sprints
Help! I need some advice on technique! Breast stroke Power comes predominantly from your legs Keep your arm pulls narrow Breast stroke will tone your thighs and your bottom without building huge muscles To get that extra bit of toning for your bottom, make sure you kick all the way back until your ankles meet, squeeze your glutes after every kick and hold a short glide If you don't usually wear goggles have a go as they may help improve your stroke technique
Front crawl (or freestyle) Always try to exhale gradually when your head is under the water and inhale when you turn your head to breathe The primary muscles used for front crawl are your triceps and your lattice muscles (side of the body) concentrate on these when you are pulling Front crawl isn't about creating lots of splash, it should be graceful with long smooth strokes Leg kick in front crawl is only really to balance your stroke out, but that doesn't mean you should ignore it 
Backstroke Backstroke uses your shoulders and chest muscles. The key to good technique is to keep your head back and very still Keeping your head back will help lift your hips and keep a high body position in the water
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