Controversy continues

Here are several oddball way to look at it. My job frequently requires me to "brainstorm" - come up with a whole lot of ideas quickly, then see what really makes the most sense. That's what I'm doing here. Some of these may be able to be dismissed quickly, but they may also make everyone think a little bit. And obviously some are just meant to be silly. 1. Most runners I know are more into the "no pain no gain" mentality. To become a better runner, they train longer and harder. Most swimmers I know are driven equally (if not more) by technique improvement. I personally like to be tired from a workout but not in pain. So, is it possible that the runner is not eating ice cream, beer, etc. because it's part of the whole pain and suffering mentality and the swimmer does eat those things because we are not into the pain and suffering thing? 2. When I workout hard, my whole body is tired. Arms, legs, lungs/heart, torso, etc. I do run from time to time as a change of pace. My arms and torso feel left out. Is the full body workout thing likely to leave a swimmer feeling hungry more than a runner's lower body workout - causing the swimmer to eat more? 3. In some strange way, running seems so much more solitary to me than swimming. Swimmers seem very social. Is it possible that a person who is more of a loner is attracted to running and the more outgoing person is attracted to swimming. Is the more outgoing person more likely to eat out/meet friends for a drink, etc.? 4. Is this a case of the person who is more genetically predisposed to being heavy being more likely to be a swimmer because their joints can better handle it? In other words, is swimming the driving force between the extra fat or is it just a result of it? 5. Is there calories in chlorine?:) 6. Are swimmers in front of the computer more often due to this great web site?:) 7. If someone runs, they are outside and there are no snack machines when they are done. When I leave the Y, I could get ice cream, candy bars, soda, chips, etc. when I leave..... 8. When I watch some of the swimmers at my Y, they are practically doggie paddling down the pool. For some reason, I think swimming is more likely to attract the "casual" exerciser than running (part of the whole pain from running thing). The casual exerciser is not likely to lose weight.....

Originally posted by knelson I've noticed the same thing and it seems much more common in female swimmers than males. It MAY just be a perception thing. Our mental picture of the ideal male physique may be closer to what a typical male swimmer looks like than what our idea of an ideal femal physique is to a typical female swimmer. It may be perception another way, too. I was on the subway the other day, looking at this cute guy (yeah, it's a hobby), when I realized the great line as to when someone starts to look fat is pounds and pounds different between men and women. This guy was solidly built, maybe a bit of pudge, but no one would call him fat. However, if you suddenly made him a girl, everyone would say, "Yeah, she should lose fifteen pounds." That is, guys have way more leeway before we think they're fat. Anyway, I am definitely a data point that people who tend to be bigger prefer swimming. Even when I'm skinny, I'm big (ie, at 5'9" and 134, I still wore a 12), and I hate running. It just feels wrong.

For me, swimming and biking make me more hungry than running. I think it has to do with the "jarring" of my insides as I run. However, after I recover I'm my usual hungry self. Go Steelers!

I was definitely a runner for a good 6 years. I ate like a horse then and eat like a horse now (do horses really eat a lot or is that one of those urban myth things?) I ran b/c it was super easy. I ran through pain, often to injury. I enjoyed running alone b/c I am an outgoing person but I still need that little of me time. I don't run much any more b/c after years and years of gymnastics and distance road running my joints hurt if I run more than 10 miles. (and sometimes 2 or 3) I think if you look at the elite swimmers and you look at the elite runners they are all pretty fit looking. Sprinters tend to bulkier than their distance counterparts in running. The sprinters are either all roided up or they are all full of fast twitch muscles or both. Distance runners tend to look almost emaciated. That is NOT the ideal body type in my mind. Sprinters in swimming tend to be longer and leaner and distance swimmers CAN get away with a few extra pounds, perhaps b/c they need to conserve a little more heat? Super distance swimmers that swim in cold water (Lynne Cox comes to mind) need more body fat to keep warmer. Runners don't want to lug all that lard. You burn more calories running at a good clip for an hour than you do swimming at a good clip for an hour. I think swimming is more tiring. Apparently the least transferable exercise is cross country skiing. It's hardest for all athletes to adapt. I'm not sure where I heard that or if it is true.

Originally posted by SwiminONandON I ate like a horse then and eat like a horse now (do horses really eat a lot or is that one of those urban myth things?) Since we own a horse stabling business, here's the lowdown: For each horse (avg wt 1100 lbs), our horses, on average, eat about 1/2+ bale of hay (~20 lbs per 1/2 bale) and 6-8 lbs of pelleted feed (we don't use grain). They drink anywhere from 3-15 gallons of water each day, usually depending on how hot it is. They also eat whatever grass they can get out in the fields. They will eat carrots, apples, pears, cinnamon-flavored graham crackers and peppermints in infinite quantities. So, about 27 lbs of food and anywhere from 27-135 lbs of water each day per horse and grass and treats. Yes, horses eat like horses. That, plus someone (me) has to shovel alot of it out of the stalls after they have "recycled" it. -LBJ

Also, look at the group they were comparing swimmers to: distance runners. Come on, any other group of athletes are going to have high body fat percentages. I am sorry, but looking emaciated is not what I would consider ideal. Why don't they compare swimmers to other athletes such as baskeball players, volleyball players, softball players, sprinters, other track disciplines? Is there any other sport that has body fat percentages this low? 7% body fat is not a good thing. Plus, it seems to me that there are just as many heavy set girls participating in basketball and volleyball and other sports as there are in swimming. Me thinks this is much ado about nothing. Hook'em Blue

I agree, I said (or meant to) say that emaciated is not a good look. Softball players and baseball players can definitely carry around some extra weight. I think swimming and running get compared the most b/c they are more similiar than swimming and basketball. Bottom line: swimmers are the best!

I have to say runners look unhealthy due to their lack of body fat vs. swimmers who look athletic & very appealing. Getting on a scale means nothing. I weigh about the same as I did in high school but I have learned that it's due to a variety of factors. Lack of exercise is the biggest since muscle weighs more than fat. How my clothes fit has also changed-thanks to gravity & getting older. Your metabolism also changes which you can't do anything about.

Only time my body fat was checked - when I thought I was skinny. They measured the fat with calipers and the said I was the poorest conditioned athlete at the Commonwealth games. Next the measured strength and the said I had the second strongest legs and arms there. Does it mean if you have high fat content it means you cannot swim?

Besides, female swimmers are some of the hottest athletes. Athletes with real low body fat appear to be too skinny. They look anorexic. People need a little body fat to look appealing in my book. What constitutes a little? Not sure. For guys somewhere around 10% and women somewhere between 15 and 20%. People get too caught up in body fat and weight. It kills me to see people weighing themselves. Maybe I'm just missing the boat on this one, but I'm more concerned with my times than my weight. And muscle weighs more than fat, so an athelete it going to be pushing the scales a little bit. I like to get my body fat checked once in a great while, but I think if I look okay in a mirror, then I'm not too worried about the numbers.