Ask a Trainer
Two elite 24 Hour Fitness Trainers tackle your most burning in-the-gym questions.
I have chronic back pain, so I have trouble with the elliptical and treadmill. People have told me to try swimming, but it doesn't seem like a good workout. Is it?
-- Arnold, Miami
Swimming is one of the best cardiovascular workouts you can do, but if you’re looking for the highest calorie-burning workout, it’s not that. You can burn a lot of calories swimming, but you’re going to have to swim a lot longer than you would have to work on a cardio machine.
There’s lots you can do with chronic back pain, and swimming is definitely a great option. You can start by simply treading water for 5 or 10 minutes, then do laps, either the butterfly or freestyle. And to burn more calories, try to get your intensity up to a 6 or 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. You know, cardio by definition is having an elevated heart rate to a specific intensity for a minimum of 10 minutes, and you can definitely achieve that by swimming.
Swimming is ideal for people with any kind of joint problem. But I’d also suggest the recumbent bike as a faster way to burn calories. And I’d suggest you build core strength, too. A lot of back problems are caused by a muscle imbalance. People tend to be heavier through their midsection, and when you’re not as strong in your stomach, it doesn’t support your back.
Meet the Experts
Two trainers, both with impeccable credentials but very different styles.
Brandy Bachmeyer, 28, a former Olympic weightlifter, is a rare amalgam of brains, brawn, and perkiness. Sort of like a cross between MacGyver and a local TV weatherperson. In a good way. An elite trainer at San Ramon Supersport Club in California, Brandy regularly puts in 12-hour days, sometimes joining them as they train for half-marathons—even surveying the contents of their sub-Zeros.
Scott Nunes, a trainer at the 24 Hour Fitness in Escondido, California knows firsthand that getting fit doesn’t just happen. “I used to be a bona fide couch potato,” Nunes avows. When Nunes was in his mid 20s, he had back surgery, developed arthritis, and found himself weighing in at 260 pounds: “When my one-and-a-half-year-old son raced me to the top of the stairs and beat me, I started doing pushups and sit ups that day,” he recalls. Nunes, 37, got in great shape, which helped him raise his son, who’s now 14.
COMBINED WISDOM Dive into a back-friendly work out—just be prepared to stay in the pool longer than you would on the treadmill.
