Hey all. I've been doing a lot of exercise lately across a wide variety of disciplines. One of the things, in fact the main one, I'm trying to achieve is a swimmer's physique - nothing new there, I suppose :)
I'm fairly close but am really uncertain about one thing. I tend to be smaller than I want rather than heavier- it's a real struggle to build the upper body I'm looking for as opposed to, say, losing fat. I'm just naturally thin.
For my latest regimen to build up chest, back and shoulders, I thought I would do sprinting pyramids in the pool, increasing max every week. So it would go like this:
Monday - *** - sprint 1 lap, rest, sprint 2 laps, rest, sprint 3, etc. up until say 5, then back down
Wed - Same with Back
Fri - Same with IM, except the numbers represent the multiple of 100 I'll be sprinting.
Following week, up the highest number I go.
Anyway, I'm early on in the program, but already I'm doubtful if this will get the results. I based this whole idea on watching college and Olympic swimmers and figured, hey, they're training for sprint swimming, so that's what I'll strengthen. But I also know they dryland quite a bit. For me, that would essentially be weights.
The thing that got me doubting the program above was looking at photos of Olympic swimmers through the ages. The guys in the 70s almost look rail thin compared to the guys today. The only thing separating them, I have to imagine, is what they did outside the pool, as swimming is, well, swimming :).
So if you were in my shoes, what would you do to build up like one of these pro level swimmers - weights, or sprint swimming? I can do both, obviously, but I'd rather not waste precious time in the pool if it won't really advance what I'm after.
Lastly, not to sound like a jerk here, but if you have a really solid opinion on this, please include a pic so I can see how your ideas worked for you. I'm fairly well along in my training and would want to rely on advice from someone who has really clearly and effectively implemented it.
Thanks so much all!
Everyone has their opinion, of course, and mine is that you can only do so much with the hand you were dealt. If you're naturally thin, have a tough time putting on weight, and don't carry a lot of muscle then you don't have an easy road ahead of you. Yes, you can gain weight and put on muscle and get much faster in the pool, however you'll probably have to try harder than some to make the kind of progress you're looking for.
At any rate, I'd do a combination of weight lifting and swimming. I think that lifting will help you reach your goals more quickly, but you should still continue to swim as it's a great cardio workout and sprint days really help to burn the fat. But for putting on size and weight, lifting hard and eating a lot will make a much bigger difference in a shorter time.
If you want to swim fast? Swim fast.
Some champion swimmers have the "swimmer's physique" and some, in spite of many, many hours of swimming fast, don't have quite the look you want.
And - trust me on this - they work harder than you want to work.
If you are concerned with how you look? Work on how you look.
chetday.com/bodyfatindex.htm
It won't make you swim fast, though.
Let me ask this then, as I'm almost beginning to feel like a detective:
When I was doing general training, I worked out at a local college's gym. The swimmers were definitely built differently than any of the other athletes. Gymnasts, footballers, pretty much everyone looked like they were in shape, but all within the same general mold, the same one as the guys who were just lifting for physique.
The swimmers, on the other hand, were definitely built differently. Don't really need to explain this to any of you here, I'm sure.
But as I've seen and has been mentioned, swimming alone doesn't build you. But then weights alone don't build what I saw either. Is there some sort of magical combination that happens when you do both that results in what I see in today's pro swimmer type of build? In other words, plenty of evidence shows that neither A nor B do it, so I wonder if together they make C? :)
I realize genetics have a role to play, but given I'm so close I'd like to determine whatever I can here to get that much closer. Thanks.
Let me ask this then, as I'm almost beginning to feel like a detective:
When I was doing general training, I worked out at a local college's gym. The swimmers were definitely built differently than any of the other athletes. Gymnasts, footballers, pretty much everyone looked like they were in shape, but all within the same general mold, the same one as the guys who were just lifting for physique.
The swimmers, on the other hand, were definitely built differently. Don't really need to explain this to any of you here, I'm sure.
But as I've seen and has been mentioned, swimming alone doesn't build you. But then weights alone don't build what I saw either. Is there some sort of magical combination that happens when you do both that results in what I see in today's pro swimmer type of build? In other words, plenty of evidence shows that neither A nor B do it, so I wonder if together they make C? :)
I realize genetics have a role to play, but given I'm so close I'd like to determine whatever I can here to get that much closer. Thanks.
Yeah, I think that swimming a lot early in life leads to the general shape, and then taking up lifting later kind of builds it out. Basically it's all about the lats. Most "bodybuilding" lifting routines focus a lot on peripheral muscles, whereas the swimmer look, as I understand it (and which people seem to think is desirable), involves large lats. So, do a lot of chin-ups.
This is all 100% speculative, by the way.
Hah, thanks, I do appreciate it.
I may as well post photos to show what I'm talking about. And while this isn't exactly a bodybuilding forum, I do appreciate your guys' help in this!
So, this is me (from a set of 90 day photos after completing P90X)
i1014.photobucket.com/.../temp.jpg
This would be the goal:
www.rankopedia.com/.../29857.gif
So it's not a huge ways off, I just need to figure out how these guys are bulking without getting the usual meat head look most guys get from lifting too much.
I figured the sprint swimming would help with the back and chest, but again, I'm not sure.
As it stands, I seem to be built a lot more like the Mark Spitz generation of swimmers than this current one. But I have to imagine that somewhere between dryland, sprint swimming, and diet that target is attainable.. (?)
If you are in your 20's then you could certainly lift heavy if you want, but it depends on what you want to do in the pool in terms of events. 100 and under or over 100?
Under 100, or say a one minute effort would benefit from strong fast twich muscles that store anerobic energy. Over a minute effort has a large aerobic component and the extra bulk will start working against you.
When I was running I did alot of plyometrics like bounding, box jumping, jump squats, power cleans and sprint starts which is really like weightlifting. These dynamic compound muscle group power excersizes would translate well to swimming in the areas of starts and turns and general explosiveness. As far as weightlifting, I think you could do some pulling movements in the gym like pull ups for back strength, but be carefull with benching and pushing excersizes as you could hurt a shoulder or tear a pec.
With swimming you want strength through a tremendous range of motion. This range of motion will allow you to maintain streamline and swim powerfully yet loose. If you loose range of motion from just lifting heavy you will swim tight which comes from triggering the antagonistic muscle groups as you try to put your arms where they don't naturally want to be as you try to execute the the ideal entry catch and pull. Loose is fast!
I always wanted to try Yoga. Something else to explore.
Each with his curse :). You say that, but try lifting for years on end with gruelingly slow gains. It wears on you too!
If you lift weights without gains it is either because you aren't eating properly or aren't working out properly. If you think you are cursed to be naturally thin then it sounds like you aren't eating enough.
When I was 20 I was able to go from 165 lbs to 180 lbs in 16 weeks with mostly muscle gains. I had to eat every 3 hours. I only went to the gym three times a week but pushed every exercise to failure.
