Muscles and swimming?

Question

Ive been going to the gym with certain discipline since 2005.

I began training in the pool last july. i had a 2 month hiatus and got back on track. I now train harder in the pool than in the gym.

Physically i dont look like your average bodybuilder but im a wee buffer than the regular swimmer.

I know that slim makes faster and its not about strenght but about physical stamina. thats why ive been training sooo hard.

next week ive got a tournament and id like to not be last if you know what i mean. in november i won a few races and ended up third in one hard one.

But i wonder, how can i use my muscles (the strenght i mean) to be faster. is it only a matter of push water harder? could muscles be an advantage or a weakness? ive been training shoulders, legs, triceps and abs mostly. a lil bit of chest but no back since that i do in the pool.

Answer 1

First off, size of muscles does not always correlate exactly to muscle strength and endurance.  There are forms of lifting that will cause you to gain tons of muscle mass, but little muscular endurance.  This is because there are two kinds of muscle fiber, slow and fast twitch.  Fast twich fiber is used for short bursts, slow twitch muscle fiber correlates to endurance.  As a swimmer, you want slow twitch  muscle fiber, even if you're a sprinter.  Alter your training regiment to emphasize endurance over pure strength.  For example, instead of doing 5 reps of 100 lbs, do 10 reps of 80lbs.

Answer 2

It's basically how good your stroke is, but not always.  A lot of really amazing swimmers that I have seen are very skinny while others are pretty muscular.  So, it's basically comes down to your stroke and how bad you want it.

Answer 3

i don't think it really matters unless you've been lifting for strength. with swimming you should train for endurance by toning. then you get more musclar without bulking up and you have the endurance.

Answer 4

Muscle can help in some areas. For example, when doing flip turns, you may have a more powerfull push because of strong legs, and a powerful push equals a greater stream line which means less swimming you have to do, and the more energy you save. Abs help you stay balanced, and help you shift from side to side with each arm stroke. If you have big hands you may have a better pull also. If you are realtively slim you should be fine.