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.
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.
