Swim Bike Run
Slowtwitch.com
  • Login >
Slowtwitch.com
Search menu
Hot Forum Topics

Poll

Best Recent Tech for Tri
What is the most beneficial recent bike tech used in tri bikes
View Results


Home > Forum > Triathlon Forum > Do bike/runners bulk up much when they swim more?

Triathlon Forum

Back To ForumPrint Thread

Login required to started new threads

Login required to post replies

Prev Next
Tri
Classifieds
Lavender
Jobs
Notices
Re: Do bike/runners bulk up much when they swim more? [Tomato] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
JasoninHalifax
Aug 28, 15 6:09
Post #26 of 32 (1131 views)
He'd be smaller if he didn't swim.
Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly
Quote Reply
Re: Do bike/runners bulk up much when they swim more? [JasoninHalifax] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Tomato
Aug 28, 15 6:11
Post #27 of 32 (1130 views)
Only marginally!
Quote Reply
Re: Do bike/runners bulk up much when they swim more? [Thomas Gerlach] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Ga Dawgs
Aug 28, 15 6:57
Post #28 of 32 (1118 views)
Thomas Gerlach wrote:
I didn't swim for about month this year - I lost 6-8 lbs in the process. The muscle came back. As for you, the question really comes down to what your goal is. If you really want to be the best triathlete you can be I encourage people to always keep working on your swim. If you want to be the best biathlete you can be then don't swim and focus on your bike/run.

Probably better to focus on skiing and shooting a rifle for this
Quote Reply
Re: Do bike/runners bulk up much when they swim more? [Thomas Gerlach] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Khilgendorf
Aug 28, 15 11:01
Post #29 of 32 (1087 views)
Thomas Gerlach wrote:
I didn't swim for about month this year - I lost 6-8 lbs in the process. The muscle came back. As for you, the question really comes down to what your goal is. If you really want to be the best triathlete you can be I encourage people to always keep working on your swim. If you want to be the best biathlete you can be then don't swim and focus on your bike/run.

Did you happen to add more running/cycling in place of the swimming? I found similar results when I was competing in each track/xc and swimming individually. Due to the seasonality of the sports, I would drop running mileage to allow 30k/week in the pool and put on about 4-5 lbs over the winters during swim season. Once that ended and I ramped back up to 70-80 mpw from ~30-40, I would lose the weight, but still retain most of the strength. Made for some ripping indoor track performances (I was a middle distance guy, so less affected than 5k/10k runners). I found I actually ran worse in college than H.S., on the whole, due to this loss of early season strength/aerobic training. Though a lot of that could have been due to burnout, too. Honestly, most people don't understand just how much of a benefit on the other 2 disciplines swimming has.
Quote Reply
Re: Do bike/runners bulk up much when they swim more? [xc800runner] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Thomas Gerlach
Aug 28, 15 11:07
Post #30 of 32 (1076 views)
Can pretty much echo everything you said including have a ripper on the run for quite a while, but I attribute that aspect to just generally being fresh from lack of racing and lots of aerobic base.
Save: $50 on Speed Hound Recovery Boots | $20 on Air Relax| $100 on Normatec| 15% on Most Absorbable Magnesium

Blogs: Best CHEAP Zwift / Bike Trainer Desk | Theragun G3 vs $140 Bivi Percussive Massager | Normatec Pulse 2.0 vs Normatec Pulse | Speed Hound vs Normatec | Air Relax vs Normatec | Q1 2018 Blood Test Results | | Why HED JET+ Is The BEST value wheelset
Quote Reply
Re: Do bike/runners bulk up much when they swim more? [zamm0] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Willrc91
Aug 28, 15 11:16
Post #31 of 32 (1068 views)
zamm0 wrote:
Do "typical" (ectomorph type) bike/runners bulk up much in the shoulder/arm/back area when they start swimming more? I'm right around 35-36mins for 1.9K swim (off of very little swimming but OK-ish technique) but just wondered whether it's even worth trying to get that time down substantially if it's going to make me less aero on the bike?

Firstly don't worry about changes in body...worry about getting fast!

Yes there will be changes in your body, especially upper, mainly because you will be using those muscles more. Looking at some of the pure runners who try and switch to ITY, you can definitely see some muscle gain.

BUT!

If you become a better swimmer, you will A) be out of the water faster, B) around (generally) better athletes on the bike C) should be fresher coming out of the water
__________________________________________________
http://twitter.com/willrc91 --- instragram.com/willrc91
Quote Reply
Re: Do bike/runners bulk up much when they swim more? [Tomato] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
ericmulk
Aug 28, 15 11:30
Post #32 of 32 (1059 views)
Tomato wrote:
Have you ever seen the twiggy arms and shoulders of Ali Brownlee?
My point being that people like him who have grown up swimming don't need the bulk, there muscles are strong and efficient without needing to be big.
In the case of most adult learning triathletes bulk is a consequence of poor/inefficient technique, requiring a bulking of the muscle to do the same job.
It's not necessarily a bad thing, just a consequence
In Reply To:

To a fairly large degree, muscularity is dependent on genetics: look at Gomez, he's consid more muscular than AB. Also, looking at just the swimming world, Mike O'Brien was 6'6" and 151 when he won the 1500 LCM at the '84 oly games in 15:05. Vladimir Salnikov was 5'11" and 163 when he became the first person ever to go under 15:00 for the 1500 LCM, eventually lowering the WR to 14:51. Grant Hackett was 6'6' and 215 when he set the 1500 LCM WR at 14:34, but then Sun Yang was 6'8" and 180 when lowering the WR to 14:31. So, it really depends a lot just on the person's genetic potential for muscle gain.

"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."
Quote Reply
Prev Next
Back To ForumPrint Thread

Our Partners

transition-DOT-area-AT-slowtwitch-DOT-com

Advertise with us

©1999-2024 Slowtwitch, Inc., and Slowtwitch.com
Reproduction of material from any Slowtwitch.com page
without written permission is strictly prohibited.