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

Show me, with resultant pics, a routine that increases one's upper back, shoulders, and chest without simultaneously building oversized tris, bis, neck, and traps. That is the goal. pwolf, you want measurable action? 2-4" more on the chest, similar amount on shoulders (circumference), without serious gain to arm or neck measurements Kind of a curious thread. My :2cents:: Don't want to be discouraging, but if you don't have the genetics to achieve the "shape" you're after, you're probably not going to achieve it, no matter what type of routine you do or what muscles you focus on or neglect. Peoples body types will respond to stimulus, but outside of increasing the size of the muscle (and sometimes this doesn't even occur), you will not change the shape of that muscle. Some bodybuilders have quads that are connected very low on the upper leg, it looks like their thighs hang over their knees, some have really peaked biceps that are the envy of others, and some have super-thick traps that almost look like a second pair of shoulders. Whether you're blessed (or cursed) with these genes, you get what you get, and you can possibly modify the size, but not the shape. I spent roughly 20yrs trying to get the ideal bodybuilder look but found that I did not have all the right genetic cards in my favor. I had/have very large upper/lower legs, fairly wide lats, and decent pec/shoulders. The main thing I felt I was missing was overall thickness in the back, very little trap and forearm development, and a frustrating lack of bicep peak. I'd train my traps with shrugs (750lbs for reps at my peak) and could get my upper arms to almost 19", but never had the sizable traps I wanted or the bicep peak. This was good enough for many 2nd place trophies, but I'd always get beat in competitions by the person who had more of the "right genes." The thing about elite swimmers is that most of these people started out with the right genetics, and though years of focused training their bodies have responded to adapt in a particular way. I'm pretty sure that even if I could follow the same swimming/weight/diet routine that these elite swimmers follow, I would still not wind up looking like them because my genetics are not the same (not tall enough, slender enough, proportions are different, etc…) You will probably find that you can achieve part of the look you're going for, but maybe not all of it. Regardless, good luck in your quest. :banana:

Show me, with resultant pics, a routine that increases one's upper back, shoulders, and chest without simultaneously building oversized tris, bis, neck, and traps. That is the goal. pwolf, you want measurable action? 2-4" more on the chest, similar amount on shoulders (circumference), without serious gain to arm or neck measurements Kind of a curious thread. My :2cents:: Don't want to be discouraging, but if you don't have the genetics to achieve the "shape" you're after, you're probably not going to achieve it, no matter what type of routine you do or what muscles you focus on or neglect. Peoples body types will respond to stimulus, but outside of increasing the size of the muscle (and sometimes this doesn't even occur), you will not change the shape of that muscle. Some bodybuilders have quads that are connected very low on the upper leg, it looks like their thighs hang over their knees, some have really peaked biceps that are the envy of others, and some have super-thick traps that almost look like a second pair of shoulders. Whether you're blessed (or cursed) with these genes, you get what you get, and you can possibly modify the size, but not the shape. I spent roughly 20yrs trying to get the ideal bodybuilder look but found that I did not have all the right genetic cards in my favor. I had/have very large upper/lower legs, fairly wide lats, and decent pec/shoulders. The main thing I felt I was missing was overall thickness in the back, very little trap and forearm development, and a frustrating lack of bicep peak. I'd train my traps with shrugs (750lbs for reps at my peak) and could get my upper arms to almost 19", but never had the sizable traps I wanted or the bicep peak. This was good enough for many 2nd place trophies, but I'd always get beat in competitions by the person who had more of the "right genes." The thing about elite swimmers is that most of these people started out with the right genetics, and though years of focused training their bodies have responded to adapt in a particular way. I'm pretty sure that even if I could follow the same swimming/weight/diet routine that these elite swimmers follow, I would still not wind up looking like them because my genetics are not the same (not tall enough, slender enough, proportions are different, etc…) You will probably find that you can achieve part of the look you're going for, but maybe not all of it. Regardless, good luck in your quest. :banana: