My body is, I think, pretty close to ideal for freestyle swimming: 6'6", slender but somewhat muscular, very long arms. However, I suspect that my legs are somewhat longer relative to my torso than is ideal. So I find myself wondering: would it be a viable strategy to bulk up my chest and shoulders more to compensate for the length of my legs? Make my top end heavier so my hips will more easily stay right at the surface? I can't make my legs shorter or my torso longer, but I could do this. Have any of you used this strategy, or do you know any swimmers who have?
I don't think this would be a viable strategy until you've achieved perfect technique at the necessary effort level and developed the conditioning to carry you through the entire race.
The human body is not ridgid and water is not ridgid so that body position is much more complicated. For instance, kicking harder will ordinarily make your legs rise. Body position can be well regulated with practice and good coaching. Since in freestyle, the main propulsion comes from the upper body, it makes sense to work on developing it.
