How do swimmers get so buff? And not just toned, they're big too?

Question

Isn't swimming a cardio/ more like a high rep, low weight workout?

*might've put this question in the wrong category before.

Answer 1

swimmers need to be lean not "buff" they have slight muscle tone but not quite body builder status as that would create more weight to pull.  The water is a lot of resistance and builds shoulder muscles when you are constantly pulling against all that weight.

Answer 2

If all you do is swim then you're probably not buff.  The buff ones you see are probably because they do weightlifting for water polo.

Answer 3

thet work out swimming is like a work out and thats not the only way they get buff as you  put it if you are a life guard its not to easy because you see life guards on beaches sitting down in there life guard area but to be a life guard you have to work out a lot to be able to swim quickly through the water

Answer 4

Swimming is considered a cardio workout and it does have a regular resistance (the water).  Most swimmers also do a dry land workout as well to improve strength which is needed in the pool to increase speed (along with proper technique).  Not many competitive swimmers look like body builders - the bulk gets in the way and the mass makes the body heavier thus requiring more energy to move it in the water.

Answer 5

A lot of swimmers also do weight lifting on the side of swimming to tone out their muscles even more. They are also constantly working out, two practices a day and lifting on top of that. The muscles will continue to grow bigger and bigger as the repetitions are done over and over again, a reguar swimmer might swim 3 miles in one practice. That's about 16 strokes per lap, and over 3000 repetitions.

Answer 6

I don't know what swimmers you are looking at. A lot of swimmers are decently strong and are toned due to the water resistance during workouts and dry land training, but I wouldn't really call many of them buff. Although I do know a few who are also football players that are pretty buff and are fast swimmers.

Answer 7

Your probablly talking about the smimmers who retire and eat a lot of junk. any athlete runners, swimmers etc who retire gain weight.

Answer 8

tons of swimmers weightlift, run, and do dryland plus swim 4hrs a day. thats probably why some of us are big.  Not all are big though at swim meets you have a wide range of body types from stick skinny yet muscular, to average, to a good body, to heavy, to very large.  swimmers dont just have one body type they vary.

Answer 9

swimmers aren't buff, if you actually look at them they are quite lean but toned and cut, not buff, if they were buff it would be hard for them to swim.