Swimmer's body vs Runner's ?

Question

I see Phelps dominate in the swimming portion, and as someone who swam a bit before, I know that one would need a lot of endurance to do what he does. However, compare with Usain Bolt, record holder in the 100 m and 200 m. Muscles flexing in all directions, in different positions, running can seem to be quite a complicated thing. When swimming, all of your muscles are moving. So who would theoretically work more, an olympic 100 m runner, or an Olympic swimmer?

Bonus Question: Interestingly, many swimmers seem to have apparently flabby bodies (at least on tv). Why?

Answer 1

swimming i believe.. swimming uses more muscles and we were not made to move in the water

Answer 2

I would personally say swimming, but im in cross country and you do need a lot of muscle for that.

I dont know why lol. Mabye their swimsuits are tight. When on tv you see the flab, thats cuz i think most of them are like, not physically exercising, and when like phelps and his 3 guys won he was screaming and like his muscles were showing.

Answer 3

swimmers use more muscles.

do this test. swim for 2 min

run for 2 min

then see ur results afterwards

but on diff days or rest inbetween

and the 'flab' just shows how relaxed the swimmers get their muscles to be. swimming is ALL about relaxing. when ur muscles get tense u lose.

Answer 4

Theoretically, an Olympic swimmer would work more. In swimming, an individual uses a larger number of muscles in order to complete their objective. Work could also vary from stroke to stroke for a swimmer.

Also, water creates a larger drag then air for a swimmer or runner, respectively. So, even while both members might be using the same muscles, the swimmer must push harder because water creates more restriction then air would.

Bonus: When a swimmer gets ready for a race, they are trying to relax their muscles in preperation. If the swimmer was tense and flexing, the muscles would not appear flabby, but it would increase the chance of a pulled or strained muscle. Flabby= relaxation