How much does body weight effect swimming speed?

What was your 50 fr best?

This has been something I've wondered the last few years. I used to be a college swimmer, fit and trim, but the 10 years since then I've drank my fair share of beer and ate plenty of cheeseburgers. Just curious what peoples' take is on how much the extra baggage really effects swim races. I don't really fit the swimmer mold anymore. I'm 31, 6'2", and 270lbs with a huge beer gut. I got some strange looks since the meet i was in recently was a USAS meet and I outweighed my competition by 100lbs in many cases. My first race in about 5 years i went 23.4 in the 50y free. I didn't expect to be that fast at this weight but at the same time I almost wonder if the added intertia is helping me more on the start and turns. Followed it up with a low 52 in the 100y free but I had a horrible reaction on the start and incorrect pacing. I think if i raced again today that'd be deep in the 51 range. For reference, typical non-taper times for me in college were in the low-mid 22 range at just a tick over 200lbs but I was obviously a lot stronger, younger, and doing a TON more yards at the time, that's why it makes me wonder just how much the weight is actually holding me back. How much time do you think I stand to drop if i were 50lbs lighter? Could it be a measurable difference or something just slight? I guess I ask that to see if it'd be worth my while to drop that much weight quickly by dieting in addition to the swimming i'm doing. I don't really like dieting, and i generally eat what I want, when i want. Not gorging myself at every meal doesn't really seem to fit into my lifestyle :blush: Anyone have a similar story? "I dropped XX lbs and went XX seconds faster because of it." Maybe it's an immeasurable, but I thought I'd ask for opinion anyway. I'm hoping it doesn't turn into a "to diet or not to diet" discussion though. sounds similar to my situation a few years ago. Honestly, nice times. I am sure that people's jaw dropped once you got in the pool. I am about 50 lbs lighter than you and I get stars all the time at USA-S meets. The weight will come off and you will get faster. I was just glad that my weight didn't drop fast like those Biggest Loser contestants. You know that they have alot of sagging skin because they lost it so fast. Keep doing the swimming that you are do, add more dryland stuff if you haven't already. Drop about 80 lbs in 2.5 years. My weight really hasn't dropped in the last 9 months. I guess that I gained more muscle. It would be nice to see the tightness in my stomach though. :( LCM Times 200 LCM fly / 2008-2:42 / 2009-2:26 400 LCM IM / 2008-5:41 / 2009-5:16 800 LCM free / 2008-10:36 / 2009-9:44(from my 1500) 400 LCM free / 2008-5:06 / 2009-4:44 Yards 200 fly / 2008-2:40 / late 2009-2:08 1000 free / 2008-13:00 / 2009-11:05 Can't really use 2010 Yard times since I was properly rested for my taper meets. SCM 400 IM / 2008-5:28 / 2009-5:08 1500 free / 2008-18:47 / 2009-18:12 200 fly / 2008-2:33 / 2009-2:23

"Not as much as you might think" would be my answer. Here's my experience - I have swum at varying weights and my 200m free times were: Aged 17 at 115 lbs 2.32.xx Aged 26 at 154 lbs 2.35.xx Aged 28 at 130 lbs 2.29.xx Aged 31 at 138 lbs 2.28.xx Aged 35 at 145 lbs...after very little training.....lets not go there! Once I was swimming masters at 26 my technique improved and I trained more specifically for 200/400 free which had a greater positive effect than simply being skinny. However having less weight to pull through the water made me feel better after the swim. - The swim was not necessarily easier, but I didn't feel like I was going to drop dead! BTW I hate dieting, but am doing it in preparation for this summer - I want to get back to those sub 2.30 times and felt at my best at 130lbs. I also look a damn sight better in a swimsuit 15lbs lighter!

when I got back in the pool in 2006, nearly 10 yrs later, I was roughly 65lbs over my college weight. I have to agree with the above statement that fly and *** are more effected by weight gain than free and back. Especially fly if you've lost flexibility and strength. after about 3 months in the pool I swam the 100 SCM fr in 1:09,9 roughly 1:02 100yds. I was a breaststroker but my best 100 fr yds time was 52.2. 2007 1:06 SCM 2008 1:03.78 2009 1:00.94 --> 54.?? but still roughly 23lbs over college weight. my goal to the fall is to swim under 1:00. but with my weight gain, and only swimming 3-4x a week I am mentally better att swimming longer events. my best 200 fr was around 1:52. I think i have a better shot at getting down to 1:52 before I can get to :52 my 2007 3km 45:15 my 2009 3km 36:40 my back times have gone from 1:21 to 1:10SCM my best time in highschool 1:06 in yds, I now swim around 1:03yds, but I only swam back when I had to in highschool dual meets. my fly and ***, too embarrassed to say my 2006 times, but my 2010 times against my lifetime best br now 1:05 then 1:02 fly now 1:08 then 53:4 (split from 400 IM, which ended badly 4:19)

I am 56, 6"2 and weigh about 207. I was up to 220 but I made a few adjustments (including leaving a high pressure job) and dropped over 10 lbs. When I was in my early thirties I weighed around 165. Some of the added weight was muscle mass from weight training, but there was also mid section fat. My point is that nearly everyone gains weight as they get older. I also ate what I wanted, when I wanted and how much I wanted. No more. That is not a sustainable lifestyle. My goal is now to get below 200 without losing muscle mass.So if you are 270 at your age you are headed for a real health problem and you have to make a change now. And this has nothing to do with how fast you swim - it's about your health. Swimming is not the optimal activity for losing weight. But for most of us that is irrelevant, because we like to swim. Swimmers on all levels carry more body fat than other athletes at that level. Some fat is advantageous in swimming. And we have all seen really great swimmers at the pool who are also fat. I can't imagine an overweight runner. There are a number of reasons for this but I believe the main reason is that swimming is more more of a skill and technique sport than running. Also, the effect of gravity is much less in the water. What I am saying is that IMHO you may very well be able to swim fast for short distances but what about longer distances? I think that the longer you swim, the more your "extra baggage" will slow you down.

What was your 50 fr best? Best ever was 21.7 at about 192lbs but as I said I was in college swimming shape at the time training about 18 hours a week in the pool plus weights. Now I'm doing about 2400m three times a week in set work so i don't know how much of that speed was the weights and training versus just the weight difference.

I guess I ask that to see if it'd be worth my while to drop that much weight quickly by dieting in addition to the swimming i'm doing. I don't really like dieting, and i generally eat what I want, when i want. Not gorging myself at every meal doesn't really seem to fit into my lifestyle :blush: Your times are impressive. I would imagine you would go faster if you streamlined the vessel by dropping weight. Would you get down to a 22 for a 50 free? Probably, but I guess it depends on how much of a priority that is for you. If you enjoy eating like you say, and swimming at 270 isn't a problem for you, then go for it. At some point in life, the diet that promotes 270 might have to change if the doctor says. So eat and be merry, and swim fast!

Keep doing the swimming that you are do, add more dryland stuff if you haven't already. Therein is certainly the challenge. The weight has come down since i started again this past december (280 then). The good thing is that I've been more excited about swimming in the last few months than I have been since before college. Hopefully that will stay and it won't feel like work anytime soon. :)

23.4 is really good for someone of your size. How fast were you and what were your proportions at your peak? I believe the ideal swimming weight for someone your height is in the range of 175 to 205. You will probably drop half a second or more in your 50 for every 25 lbs you lose. (a full second in your 100) You'll be way way way faster if you lug less lard. Work on it, find out and let us know. ande This has been something I've wondered the last few years. I used to be a college swimmer, fit and trim, but the 10 years since then I've drank my fair share of beer and ate plenty of cheeseburgers. Just curious what peoples' take is on how much the extra baggage really effects swim races. I don't really fit the swimmer mold anymore. I'm 31, 6'2", and 270lbs with a huge beer gut. I got some strange looks since the meet i was in recently was a USAS meet and I outweighed my competition by 100lbs in many cases. My first race in about 5 years i went 23.4 in the 50y free. I didn't expect to be that fast at this weight but at the same time I almost wonder if the added intertia is helping me more on the start and turns. Followed it up with a low 52 in the 100y free but I had a horrible reaction on the start and incorrect pacing. I think if i raced again today that'd be deep in the 51 range. For reference, typical non-taper times for me in college were in the low-mid 22 range at just a tick over 200lbs but I was obviously a lot stronger, younger, and doing a TON more yards at the time, that's why it makes me wonder just how much the weight is actually holding me back. How much time do you think I stand to drop if i were 50lbs lighter? Could it be a measurable difference or something just slight? I guess I ask that to see if it'd be worth my while to drop that much weight quickly by dieting in addition to the swimming i'm doing. I don't really like dieting, and i generally eat what I want, when i want. Not gorging myself at every meal doesn't really seem to fit into my lifestyle :blush: Anyone have a similar story? "I dropped XX lbs and went XX seconds faster because of it." Maybe it's an immeasurable, but I thought I'd ask for opinion anyway. I'm hoping it doesn't turn into a "to diet or not to diet" discussion though.

Heavier people need stronger legs too, just to walk around for daily activities. But with a larger midsection you probably won't be able to get as tight a tuck on flipturns, making them slower. My turns are as slow as heck which is way I am better in LCM. I am working on losing another 30 lbs without cutting off eating so I can finally be competitive in yards.