Using Swimming to Get Buff?

StephenInsane

I was at a party recently and there was a swimmer guy there. He was about 5'10 and EXTREMELY buff around the chest and shoulders, and had huge size around his biceps. What I couldn't get over was that he looked meaty, like I'd expect a backrow forward rugby player to look. Looked like he could kick anybody's ass if they stepped out of line.

I was thinking of using swimming as a supplement to my bodybuilding program. Does anyone here have experience with this? I'm guessing I use power strokes like the front crawl and the butterfly, and really go hell for leather, powerful sprint swimming rather than swimming casually like a regular Joe Soap. All my swimming should, intensive and hard, 45 minutes of hell 3 times a week. It won't be long till I make huge gains to my overall physique, aswell as picking up a fun hobby.

tribulus

Can't see swimming giving you extra muscle really tbh, where's the heavy resistance coming from? Though it could be good for fat loss/conditioning.

arybvtcw0eolkf

The swimmer guy probably compliments his swimming with a weights training programme!..

Khannie

Mairt wrote: »

The swimmer guy probably compliments his swimming with a weights training programme!..

That's what I was thinking. Especially if he has big biceps.

BossArky

I doubt swimming alone will get you ripped. That is similar to thinking that sprinting 100m constantly will beef your physique up to Olympic sprinter standards.

I swim, run, cycle and gym. The three cardio bits obviously help to burn off extra cals, whilst the gym will give you a bit of muscle. Swimming is good as a recovery session the day after heavy weights --> stretching, cardio and no impact work-out all in one.

Reyman

StephenInsane wrote: »

I was thinking of using swimming as a supplement to my bodybuilding program. Does anyone here have experience with this? I'm guessing I use power strokes like the front crawl and the butterfly, and really go hell for leather, powerful sprint swimming rather than swimming casually like a regular Joe Soap. All my swimming should, intensive and hard, 45 minutes of hell 3 times a week. It won't be long till I make huge gains to my overall physique, aswell as picking up a fun hobby.

Swimming is good exercise but it won't make you strong or do a huge amount for your physique. If you analyse the main swimming strokes you'll find that they mainly affect the Lats and to a lesser extent the Pecs. There's no way you're going to develop your biceps or shoulders swimming.

I'm guessing your friend spends a lot of time in the gym as do most competitive swimmers

iregk

Swimming will not get you buff on its own. Most swimmers compliment it with a high rep medium weight program. Many dedicated swimmers would be doing a session every morning in the pool and in the gym 4 times a week on top of that.

StephenInsane

I have another mate who is extremely buff with huge manly chest and arms. The other night he was was wearing a tight-fitting t-shirt and his arms were like the hulks, easily 15.5 inches on the forearm and forearms that were like popeyes. Aswell as that when he wears regular jeans you can see his massive muscular thighs buldging through his jeans.

He's no skinny Calvin Klein ab boy either, he's built like a professional wrestler, he could kick anybodys ass and could make love like a stallion. With his shaved head and rugged good looks he kind of reminds me of a marine.

The funny thing is this guys no gym head! Just swims about 2 times a week, doesn't even follow any kind of a good diet (his diet mostly consists of beer from what I can see). I asked him how he achieved his extremely masculine physique, and he told me to stay away from the weights, they'll make me overly "musclebound" just do running and swimming and eat your dinner and I can be a trojan like him. This guy doesn't even lift weights!

Also I remember another guy I used to work with and he was built like Dorian Yates!! This guy looked like a bodybuilding roid monkey! On casual Friday his muscular back would be ripping through his t-shirt, and if I was to guess he was 17' around the upper arm. I met him out one night and quizzed him about how he's so buff. Told me he didn't lift weights, all he did was kickboxing at the weekend!!!

Edited for spelling

tribulus

Honestly I think it's either:

You know some genetic freaks

You're vastly overestimating your friends physiques, (Though maybe it's just my own perception of a decent physique is distorted)

They're lying! There's plenty of guys will say they don't do anything as if being naturally that big/ripped is etc. is even more impressive than having to work hard for it.

rubadub

I like the "swimmers body look",I have no doubt it is made in the weights room, not from swimming. Just like sprinters do not get that physique from running for 10 second bursts all day!

You're vastly overestimating your friends physiques, (Though maybe it's just my own perception of a decent physique is distorted)

Well no offence, but it might not be distorted but just different. Many here are serious lifters and will call guys "skinny" whom others would like to look like.

They're lying! There's plenty of guys will say they don't do anything as if being naturally that big/ripped is etc. is even more impressive than having to work hard for it.

I think some would do this possibly so they do not appear vain or something. Some would like a slight muscular look where people might look and wonder if they do weights or not. Some would prefer to look huge and look like they do spend hours at it. I think this is somewhat similar to some women actually wanting massive fake boobs, so people know they are fake, while others will get a discrete increase that will be barely noticed. To bring up the cliche "fight club" look, on many BBer type sites many would say he did no training and just starved himself. I do not believe that for a second! if you want to see what starving yourself does look at the machinist! I think many here are in gyms and see other lifters and consider them the norm. I go swimming a bit and see lots of untrained skinny lads, and they look a lot more like the machinist than tyler durden

Told me he didn't lift weights, all he did was kickboxing at the weekend

hmm, I wonder if these guys do resistance training in practice. I would bet they do. If you are lifting you own body then your are effectively lifting wieghts, simple as. Just look at gymnasts, some would just do bodyweight training on rings etc, and are very muscular.

BraziliaNZ

StephenInsane wrote: »

I have another mate who is extremely buff with huge manly chest and arms. The other night he was was wearing a tight-fitting t-shirt and his arms were like the hulks, easily 15.5 inches on the forearm and forearms that were like popeyes. Aswell as that when he wears regular jeans you can see his massive muscular thighs buldging through his jeans.

He's no skinny Calvin Klein ab boy either, he's built like a professional wrestler, he could kick anybodys ass and could make love like a stallion. With his shaved head and rugged good looks he kind of reminds me of a marine.

errr... maybe you should ask this fellow if you can train with him? Maybe you'll get a better look at his gorgeous physique in the showers?

Vegeta

second post is surely meant as joke no? Or am I just crap at reading posts

Roper

Either:
a) You're ripping the mickey
or
b) You're chasing the mickey

Either way is fine, this is the 21st century you know. Talk to someone. I'm sure you'll feel better and it would explain why you keep listening to all those Elton John records.

Hanley

Roper wrote: »

Either:
a) You're ripping the mickey
or
b) You're chasing the mickey

Either way is fine, this is the 21st century you know. Talk to someone. I'm sure you'll feel better and it would explain why you keep listening to all those Elton John records.

BAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA hilarious.

On a more serious note, 17 inch arms do not Dorian Yates make. And I sincerly doubt your friend has 15.5 inch arms. It would appear you are friends with two of the biggest genetic freaks every if they do.

I haven't ever seen anyone with truly big legs who can fit into a normal pair of jeans either. I know I have to get larger waist sizes that I need so my legs and glutes fit in.

It seems to me you've already decided swimming is gonna get you "buff", just like your friends and you're not really looking for advice. Just a pat on the back... So here it is...

*Pat* Kickboxing in the pool is the number one way to put on muscle. You're a step ahead of us anyway!! :D:D

JJ6000

Hanley wrote: »

BAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA hilarious.

On a more serious note, 17 inch arms do not Dorian Yates make. And I sincerly doubt your friend has 15.5 inch arms. It would appear you are friends with two of the biggest genetic freaks every if they do.

I haven't ever seen anyone with truly big legs who can fit into a normal pair of jeans either. I know I have to get larger waist sizes that I need so my legs and glutes fit in.

It seems to me you've already decided swimming is gonna get you "buff", just like your friends and you're not really looking for advice. Just a pat on the back... So here it is...

*Pat* Kickboxing in the pool is the number one way to put on muscle. You're a step ahead of us anyway!! :D:D

hahaha, I was just thinking that.

17 inches arms are hardly Dorian Yates standard now are they? It's light years away from Dorian Yates standard.

And not fitting into jeans that are designed for regular people is not overly impressive. I often have to go over the 40 inch waist jeans. Not because I have a big waist, but because my ass and quads wont squeeze into anything smaller.....and I dont consider myself to have impressive legs at all.

Also, there's a serious homo-erotic tone to the post....which makes me think it's a joke. (not that I care if someone swings that way though)

Money Shot

StephenInsane wrote: »

He's no skinny Calvin Klein ab boy either, he's built like a professional wrestler, he could kick anybodys ass and could make love like a stallion. With his shaved head and rugged good looks he kind of reminds me of a marine.
QUOTE]

I haven't heard the word 'Buff' used anywhere other than on really tacky american teen tv - I must try and use it more myself.

With the good weather, you could go swimming on the beach, then a bit of wrestling just like Rocky and Appollo creed in Rocky III. Great workout.

iregk

Maybe instead of swimming you should encorporate some of the lesser known sports into your general workout.

Sports such as 'hot oil wrestling' and 'foxy boxing'

Eyepoke

Look at waterpolo players their all big but they do a different type of training.

StephenInsane

Literally LMAO at some of the replies. Yes my posts were tongue and cheeck, but the general points were serious. I know two guys that claim they don't do any gym work (and one of the guys I know well, all he's definentely not trying to pull the wool over my eyes, all he does is swim and drink beer.) They're just massive buff dudes who got their muscles from activites other than bodybuilding (both are 14stone +).

And going back to that guy I worked with, I'm getting a lot of flack for comparing him with Dorian Yates. Rethinking it, he's not really like Yates at all, he looked more like Nassar El Sonbaty in his jeans and tshirt on casual day.

rubadub

Ask them if they do any resistance work. As I said before some gymnasts are huge and might never lift an iron weight, but they lift their own bodies. If these guys are doing chins, dips, pushups etc, then they ARE doing resistance training, and that will build muscle.

cowzerp

Mairt wrote: »

The swimmer guy probably compliments his swimming with a weights training programme!..

What mairt said plus good genetics too, these cant be changed.

Roper

rubadub wrote: »

Ask them if they do any resistance work. As I said before some gymnasts are huge and might never lift an iron weight

Any gymnast I've ever heard of lifts to supplement their training.

If your mate looks like that lad in the picture, and says he doesn't lift, he's talking sh1te. He's most likely not that big anyway. Maybe you're letting the clearly homoerotic tinted glasses you view him with cloud your vision?:D

Seriously though, what's your point?

Breezzzzze

I'm just guessing here but maybe the guy didn't want to admit he weight trained. I'm not that big but I've used swimming as an excuse before when asked if I do weights. It's nice for your results to be noticed but nobody wants to be thought of as vain.

celestial

Breezzzzze wrote: »

I'm just guessing here but maybe the guy didn't want to admit he weight trained. I'm not that big but I've used swimming as an excuse before when asked if I do weights. It's nice for your results to be noticed but nobody wants to be thought of as vain.

Hmm I wouldn't be so self-conscious!? Tell em you do weights and tell em all the great reasons you do so, imo! Maybe you could inspire the people who ask. If more people lifted then this nation might not be so fat, soft, flabby and unfit:)

iregk

celestial wrote: »

Hmm I wouldn't be so self-conscious!? Tell em you do weights and tell em all the great reasons you do so, imo! Maybe you could inspire the people who ask. If more people lifted then this nation might not be so fat, soft, flabby and unfit:)

Absolutely. Was at a party saturday night and two guys who were on the large side were ribbing me, calling me vain, thinks he's gorgeous etc... all because I exercise a lot and go the gym quite often. We got talking about exercise and all that. I told them I gave up football, I'm a cyclist and go to the gym a few nights during the week, I've done a lot of swimming in the past and so do the odd triathlon. They took it round the block 4 times. After tollerating it for a while I just said to them maybe if you did some of it it you wouldn't be overweight. Obviously this didn't go down too well. The ironic thing is the person who's party they were at is one of my best mates who happens to be my workout partner!

Personally I think the whole he goes to the gym and lifts so he is vain and quite obviously gay is a big cover up for their own laziness. They are too bloody lazy to go to the gym and start getting into shape so they make their excuses and lable those that actually take an interest in their health. God forbid you should do you know.

mloc

Looks like Nasser with no weight training? Hmm, considering the guy was one of the most massive bodybuilders of the 90s, I very much doubt the guy looked like him unless he was seriously juicing never mind lifting.

I know a guy with 16+ inch arms and that kind of defination, but yes, he does use steroids and he has been lifting seriously for years.