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.
No, no! Keep posting your times. In a way, having a range of times at your current weight is very helpful because it will show the range of fluctuation that's due to variables other than weight. In other words, if your 50 time remains around 23.3, give or take a few tenths here and there, while your weight remains at 258, give or take a few lbs. here and there, then it will make for a much more convincing case in the future, when you are swimming 20 lbs. lighter and (we all hope!) a half second faster.
A couple additional notes:
Personally, I would recommend not getting too hung up on your weight. This is extremely difficult to change, and those who do manage it, have an even more difficult time keeping at the new, lower weight for the duration. The fact that you are training in the pool, and your times have already dropped, is 90 percent of the victory already. If you can shed more lbs. over time, so much the better, but don't lose sight of the fact that you have already achieved great things.
Two things that might help in the weight lost department. If you drink, consider quitting. My weight went from a pretty steady 184 to a pretty steady 179 just by giving up my three nightly India pale ales. I also stopped waking up every day with a headache. Don't know if you do drink, but this is one relatively straightforward way to shed a bit, especially if your drinking is habitual.
Also, you might want to get checked for an occult contributor to male weight gain--sleep apnea. The stereotype here is red-faced fat guys who snore like grampus whales--the Pickwickian Syndrome types--but I am proof you can be relative lean and in relatively good shape and still have the condition. I didn't even snore all that much. The thing about apnea is that it shifts your ratio of leptin and ghrelin, two hormones heavily involved in fat storage and burning. If you do have apnea, and you get it treated, not only will you feel better during the day, but your hormonal milieu will stabilize, and this can make it a lot easier to shed some pounds.
If you send me an email, I can send you a .pdf of an article I wrote about my own sleep apnea in Men's Health. My email address is Jamesthornton1@comcast.net I can also send you a piece I did on the various components of metabolism that you might find interesting.
Again, best of luck, keep posting, but do not lose sight of the considerable victories you have already achieved just by returning to the pool!
No, no! Keep posting your times. In a way, having a range of times at your current weight is very helpful because it will show the range of fluctuation that's due to variables other than weight. In other words, if your 50 time remains around 23.3, give or take a few tenths here and there, while your weight remains at 258, give or take a few lbs. here and there, then it will make for a much more convincing case in the future, when you are swimming 20 lbs. lighter and (we all hope!) a half second faster.
A couple additional notes:
Personally, I would recommend not getting too hung up on your weight. This is extremely difficult to change, and those who do manage it, have an even more difficult time keeping at the new, lower weight for the duration. The fact that you are training in the pool, and your times have already dropped, is 90 percent of the victory already. If you can shed more lbs. over time, so much the better, but don't lose sight of the fact that you have already achieved great things.
Two things that might help in the weight lost department. If you drink, consider quitting. My weight went from a pretty steady 184 to a pretty steady 179 just by giving up my three nightly India pale ales. I also stopped waking up every day with a headache. Don't know if you do drink, but this is one relatively straightforward way to shed a bit, especially if your drinking is habitual.
Also, you might want to get checked for an occult contributor to male weight gain--sleep apnea. The stereotype here is red-faced fat guys who snore like grampus whales--the Pickwickian Syndrome types--but I am proof you can be relative lean and in relatively good shape and still have the condition. I didn't even snore all that much. The thing about apnea is that it shifts your ratio of leptin and ghrelin, two hormones heavily involved in fat storage and burning. If you do have apnea, and you get it treated, not only will you feel better during the day, but your hormonal milieu will stabilize, and this can make it a lot easier to shed some pounds.
If you send me an email, I can send you a .pdf of an article I wrote about my own sleep apnea in Men's Health. My email address is Jamesthornton1@comcast.net I can also send you a piece I did on the various components of metabolism that you might find interesting.
Again, best of luck, keep posting, but do not lose sight of the considerable victories you have already achieved just by returning to the pool!
