What sets apart a average swimmer from a truly great one?

Former Member
Former Member
I've been swimming my entire life yet the fastest my 50m freestyle ever got was 28.7 seconds while using a tech suit. Yet I see many Olympians and others that have almost the same muscle mass and proportions and they swim consistent 23's. How is this so?
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  • Former Member
    Former Member over 6 years ago
    I mean, there's a laundry list of things. A great swimmer doesn't have to have all of these but each certainly helps.... I like this group of physical attributes. Let’s compare two Olympians, first the most awarded, Michael Phelps: Tall - Yes long arms - Famously yes long torso compared to legs - Yes wide shoulders - Yes ectomorph-to-mesomorph build - Yes big hands and feet - Yes big lung capacity - Yes flexible ankles, knees, and shoulders - Yes strong core - Yes high lactate threshold - Presumably high proportion of fast-twitch muscle - Yes And now Cody Miller: Tall - No long arms - No long torso compared to legs- No wide shoulders - Yes ectomorph-to-mesomorph build - Yes big hands and feet - No big lung capacity - No flexible ankles, knees, and shoulders - Yes strong core - Yes high lactate threshold - Presumably high proportion of fast-twitch muscle - Yes
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  • Former Member
    Former Member over 6 years ago
    I mean, there's a laundry list of things. A great swimmer doesn't have to have all of these but each certainly helps.... I like this group of physical attributes. Let’s compare two Olympians, first the most awarded, Michael Phelps: Tall - Yes long arms - Famously yes long torso compared to legs - Yes wide shoulders - Yes ectomorph-to-mesomorph build - Yes big hands and feet - Yes big lung capacity - Yes flexible ankles, knees, and shoulders - Yes strong core - Yes high lactate threshold - Presumably high proportion of fast-twitch muscle - Yes And now Cody Miller: Tall - No long arms - No long torso compared to legs- No wide shoulders - Yes ectomorph-to-mesomorph build - Yes big hands and feet - No big lung capacity - No flexible ankles, knees, and shoulders - Yes strong core - Yes high lactate threshold - Presumably high proportion of fast-twitch muscle - Yes
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