Swimmers Body, Runners Body

That person does have abnormally low fat levels, but it's very popular these days. For looking "ripped" like that, If you're already muscular and not fat it usually takes a few months of preparation prior to shooting where the person lives off of just protein and vegetables while burning slightly more than they consume. They don't maintain this level for they would vaporize to nothing. But I would agree, if that person were a swimmer they would definitely be slower at the super ripped stage. This is because once you get that lean you become, weaker, exhausted, and less buoyant.

I have runner's legs with a swimmer's upper body. All told, this makes for a pretty mediocre swimmer and runner...

That person does have abnormally low fat levels, but it's very popular these days. For looking "ripped" like that, If you're already muscular and not fat it usually takes a few months of preparation prior to shooting where the person lives off of just protein and vegetables while burning slightly more than they consume. They don't maintain this level for they would vaporize to nothing. But I would agree, if that person were a swimmer they would definitely be slower at the super ripped stage. This is because once you get that lean you become, weaker, exhausted, and less buoyant. Yea, he looks like he just came off a low carb (or no carb) diet. I tried that once and I felt like crap. I can't see why this guy would be a cover boy for a fitness oriented magazine. His look is not healthy, in most cases not achievable and certainly not maintainable.

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. My body fits the generalized type for swimmer in a way that it never will for runner, no matter what my BMI. 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.

All those photos are edited extensively as well. I would also argue, while diet is obviously important, the biggest difference at photo time versus a week before/after is water retention which can make a large difference in appearance (water weight is almos indistinguishable from extra body fat)

As a general and totally subjective stereotype I'd say that women swimmers are more attractive than women runners and much more attractive than sedentary women.

thanks man quick question: Did you make some sort of automatic email notification for anytime a person puts the words "that" and "guy" next to each other. You just always seem to be there right after a posting with "thanks", or "not me", etc... Maybe you're just that good.:)

you're just that good.:) thanks man

I realize that there is a great element of subjectivity and opinion in what I wrote but I stand by it. IMHO, that type of body is not even attractive or desirable. But maybe I can frame my thoughts in this way: that type of body is not realistic and certainly not sustainable for almost all adult men who are not full time athletes and who live in the real (job, family) world. As one ages, it becomes even less realistic. It's like a middle aged career woman yearning for the body of a super model. Unless she's Madonna, it's not going to happen. That is not to say that we shouldn't strive to keep trim and fit. That's why I get up early and swim before work.