I'm sure many of you are already aware of this article on about.com It reviews a couple of studies that try to explain why swimmers tend to have more body fat than other athletes.
Thought if you weren't aware of the article you might find it interesting.
swimming.about.com/.../offsite.htm
Lainey
I have to agree with you. I'm tall, lanky and a sprinter. I remember doing the swim leg of a triathlon relay and coming out of the water behind a woman that was at least 20 lbs heavier than me....and I had swam as hard as I could!
The better question, though, is not whether you should have predicted your relative speeds based on your relative sizes, but whether she'd have been even faster if she were leaner. As long as she wasn't so lean as to be unhealthy, I suspect that the answer to that question would be "yes," just because any body mass that isn't creating propulsion creates drag instead. ("Should she lose weight?" or "would losing weight be worth the sacrifice?" is a far more complex question, and one that only she can answer.)
My primary sport since childhood has been swimming, although I have never been an "elite" swimmer. I used to run a lot, too, and loved it even though I sucked, but I had to give it up after I injured a knee. I was leaner when I was running (and I swam faster, too), because I was working out more overall. I wasn't actually any lighter, though. I just had less body fat, and bigger legs.
I have to agree with you. I'm tall, lanky and a sprinter. I remember doing the swim leg of a triathlon relay and coming out of the water behind a woman that was at least 20 lbs heavier than me....and I had swam as hard as I could!
The better question, though, is not whether you should have predicted your relative speeds based on your relative sizes, but whether she'd have been even faster if she were leaner. As long as she wasn't so lean as to be unhealthy, I suspect that the answer to that question would be "yes," just because any body mass that isn't creating propulsion creates drag instead. ("Should she lose weight?" or "would losing weight be worth the sacrifice?" is a far more complex question, and one that only she can answer.)
My primary sport since childhood has been swimming, although I have never been an "elite" swimmer. I used to run a lot, too, and loved it even though I sucked, but I had to give it up after I injured a knee. I was leaner when I was running (and I swam faster, too), because I was working out more overall. I wasn't actually any lighter, though. I just had less body fat, and bigger legs.
