The other day, as I was being thrashed by a heavy lap swimmer, I once again pondered the difference between a swimmers body and a runners body. I have seen quite a few husky guys, carrying quite a bit of extra weight, who are also very good swimmers. On the other hand, you won't see runners who are carrying extra weight (unless they have just begun running). I think that there maybe a chicken-egg thing here (heavier guys tend not to go in for distance running) but I think that there are other considerations. One of them is that swimming tends to arouse appetite while running tends to suppress appetite.
Having said all that, I just can't yearn for a runners body, even though I would love to drop 5 kgs. I just do not want a body with no arms or shoulders. Also, maybe it's me, but this guy looks like an anorexic model:
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Former Member
A few months ago I read a book called "Race Weight" which discussed, amongst other things, the generalized physical types that tend toward swim, bike, run, and triathlon. They based their types on averages compiled from the BMI, weights, heights, and proportions of elite level athletes in these sports, and compared them. It was enlightening and comforting.
Swimmer (remember, these were looking at elite athletes) carried the higher BMI's. They also tended to be taller, but with longer torsos compared to legs, and wider shoulders/narrower hips.
Runners were in general shorter, but with proportionally longer legs, lower BMI by far, and what I like to call peterodactyl arms.:D
My book was permanently borrowed so I can't look for the other info, but it was encouraging to me. As a newer swimmer, swimming feels way more "right" physically than running does. Wide strong shoulders aren't aerodynamic on a bike either.
Fat buoyancy is also rather forgiving for formerly glorious swimmers too. I swim regularly with a friend who is regularly snubbed by swimmers who assume due to her obesity that she is going to float down the lane. When they eat her bubbles, they repent of their lofty snobbishness. She is pulling more, but her body remembers what it used to do, and does pretty well even now.
A few months ago I read a book called "Race Weight" which discussed, amongst other things, the generalized physical types that tend toward swim, bike, run, and triathlon. They based their types on averages compiled from the BMI, weights, heights, and proportions of elite level athletes in these sports, and compared them. It was enlightening and comforting.
Swimmer (remember, these were looking at elite athletes) carried the higher BMI's. They also tended to be taller, but with longer torsos compared to legs, and wider shoulders/narrower hips.
Runners were in general shorter, but with proportionally longer legs, lower BMI by far, and what I like to call peterodactyl arms.:D
My book was permanently borrowed so I can't look for the other info, but it was encouraging to me. As a newer swimmer, swimming feels way more "right" physically than running does. Wide strong shoulders aren't aerodynamic on a bike either.
Fat buoyancy is also rather forgiving for formerly glorious swimmers too. I swim regularly with a friend who is regularly snubbed by swimmers who assume due to her obesity that she is going to float down the lane. When they eat her bubbles, they repent of their lofty snobbishness. She is pulling more, but her body remembers what it used to do, and does pretty well even now.
