Does swimming "inform" muscle growth? A dryland/weights q.

I guess any masters swimer that lift's weight seriously is probably built like that, underneath a little fat maybe. It just takes diet, body building along with off season training and nutrition to lower body fat to look like that so you can make more money with ads. The thing is, the way you appear is not going to make you any faster.

Well, in case it wasn't blatantly obvious :), I'm using swimming and weights for overall build and fitness, not really to compete. All respect due of course to those of you who do, but for me it's more of a fitness approach than anything else. Thanks though and keep it coming!

I second what Jazz said.:) Regarding that picture of Spitz, I bet if he spent an honest 30 min in the weight room, 3 times a week, while increasing protein consumption he would have the same build within a half year. Without juice of course (if that's the underlying question in this thread, I recall a former one?) An interesting question would be how it would have effected his swimming. Improvement in shorter races for sure.

Do not underestimate the influence of genes on ability to pack on muscle. People will tend to participate in a sport where their innate body type is not holding them back. Swimming is a technique-limited sport. You can only get so far on sheer muscle power. Back in the 60's/70's I believe the 50m free was not an Olympic event.

Two people, same relative build and metabolism. One does a standard weight routine as discussed above. The other does the exact same routine, but alternates workout days with sprinting in each of the strokes (say 2 per workout). Will both build in the same way? That's it. To get back to you question, no. They won't be the same because of genetics. There are uber fast guys in my swim team (age group). Some look a bit like a marshmallow. The others are built like Lochte. All are equally fast but genetics changes the way they look.

You started a thread less than a year ago to ask this exact question, and I answered you in some depth. I told you to quit over-analyzing everything and go do some freaking chin-ups. I'm going to make a wild guess here and presume that you continued to freak out and over-analyze without actually doing any work. So go away now. A few years ago I personally designed a program for a guy who was originally shaped like a twig and is now shaped like an Olympic swimmer. Here's the program: Weighted chin-up, 5-8 reps Barbell bench press, 5-8 reps Trap bar deadlift, 5-8 reps Three days a week. Do it and stop thinking for a while. You'll feel better.

You started a thread less than a year ago to ask this exact question, and I answered you in some depth. I told you to quit over-analyzing everything and go do some freaking chin-ups. I'm going to make a wild guess here and presume that you continued to freak out and over-analyze without actually doing any work. So go away now. A few years ago I personally designed a program for a guy who was originally shaped like a twig and is now shaped like an Olympic swimmer. Here's the program: Weighted chin-up, 5-8 reps Barbell bench press, 5-8 reps Trap bar deadlift, 5-8 reps Three days a week. Do it and stop thinking for a while. You'll feel better. No, you didn't answer me in depth at all, and did not sufficiently answer my question. Had I been content with what I had heard, I wouldn't be asking again. All you recommended was "weights" and then "chinups". Go look up our own posts. Lats are not the part I'm concerned with and neither of the pictures I posted show enormous lats. You want enormous lats, this is it: image.exercisesfacts.info/.../img_793_big-back-workout-and-lat-workout-training-back-lat-pulldown-train-lats.jpg And is exactly the sort of build I said I'm not going for. What the target pics above show are a large chest and upper back, but relatively modest traps, bis, tris, lats, etc. Was there some wisdom in the previous thread? Yes. Did I get the answer I was looking for? No. And certainly not from you. So I posted again thinking some new blood might have joined and might chime in. If your goal is to help, you've already told me what you know. If it's to be right, congrats. I've already absorbed what you have to say and frankly, I'm not impressed, nor did it answer my question. All the routines you mentioned are already in my workouts. It's time for you to go away now.

:blah: :blah: :blah: I read this as "No, I haven't been lifting at all." I just told you how to do exactly what you want, based on the fact that I've seen it work for a non-swimmer. You think there's some other magic involved? Also, back up. This is not a bodybuilding forum. This is a swimming forum. People here care and know about swimming fast. "Looking like a swimmer" isn't the point, and if you pulled your head out of your ass you'd realize that there's a lot of diversity in how fast swimmers actually look.

I read this as "No, I haven't been lifting at all." You can read it as the New Testament for all I care. I lifted like a mad man in the intervening time, including chinups. Guess what? I still have my question. I never asked how to add mass. This isn't a bodybuilding forum. I asked if swimming (perhaps in a certain way) has an influence on the results that weights provide. Honestly, why are you still answering? I got your knowledge already. Go away. To anyone else still reading. This is the question, distilled to its most basic form: Two people, same relative build and metabolism. One does a standard weight routine as discussed above. The other does the exact same routine, but alternates workout days with sprinting in each of the strokes (say 2 per workout). Will both build in the same way? That's it.

You can read it as the New Testament for all I care. I lifted like a mad man in the intervening time, including chinups. Guess what? I still have my question. Because you still hate your body?