A doctor already said that I'm way out of shape at 6'2 and 138 pounds, and I've figured that I just need to play a sport to get into shape and that a weight gain isn't necessary. Well, after observing a bunch of athletes, swimmers appear to be muscular (maybe because of the fact that they have no body fat? I don't know) with six packs. How effective is swimming for building six packs and muscle? I have a puny blank chest, and I would die to change it since skinny packs are almost as unattractive as the fat packs. Could I gain weight from swimming?
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06-06-2013, 05:30 AM #1
How effective is swimming for building muscle and gaining six pack abs?
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06-06-2013, 05:33 AM #2
A weight gain isn't necessary? Weight gain pertaining to what... fat or muscle? Because you need both anyway.
Swimming is a great cardiovascular-based thing to get into, but for muscle mass? Don't count on it.
Get under a barbell."We are only living in the memory of our future self." ~ Reggie Watts
"Micros Matter Dont Eat Like A Dumba**" (hydrogenated oils, shortening, mono and di-glycerides don't fit in my macros)
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06-06-2013, 05:33 AM #3
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06-06-2013, 05:35 AM #4
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06-06-2013, 05:38 AM #5
- Join Date: Mar 2013
- Location: State / Province, Australia
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Coming from a ex swimmer, I used to train from the ages of 6 through too 16, I always stayed ripped when swimming.
But when I started weight training I noticed my abs got more of a 3D look too them (even though I am still a novice in the gym).
Here is my honest opinion, if your eating the calories you burn from swimming, I think it would be one of the best cardio excercises too compliment your gym, it works your whole body but I would not count on it too get amazing gains on its own.
hope this helps.
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06-06-2013, 05:41 AM #6
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06-06-2013, 05:44 AM #7
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06-06-2013, 05:48 AM #8
- Join Date: Mar 2013
- Location: State / Province, Australia
- Age: 32
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What this guy said, its that sad truth, 95% or more of every person will have to gain some fat to gain muscle, there are certain exeptions like noob gains / being overweight / and people using enhancement drugs can gain muscle and lose fat too a certain degree.
When I first learnt this I was shattered xD
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06-06-2013, 05:49 AM #9
- Join Date: Apr 2012
- Location: Shropshire, West Midlands, United Kingdom (Great Britain)
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Swimming can build muscle depending on the way you go around it... If you do high intensity followed by a small rest so like 2 lengths as fast as you can and 1 length slower to recover that will help. Swimmers appear more muscular because like you said their body fat is low but they do train for muscle too not just swimming all the time so hit the gym too and do resistance stuff
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06-06-2013, 06:07 AM #10
- Join Date: Apr 2013
- Location: United Kingdom (Great Britain)
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I swam for 14 years and swam competitively for about 11 - gave up and hit the weights
I was a good swimmer but truly believe if I went back now after almost a year of no swimming I would be just as fast in the short distance swims because I am much more powerful.
check out the attached picture: the left side (before) is when I was still swimming competitively, I had low body fat and great abs but no muscle mass. the right side (few weeks ago) is after 7 months or so of weightlifting and gaining lean mass.
swimmers have great physiques but they do train in the gym as well as in the pool to gain strength in order to give them power.
If you want mass I recommend weightlifting and once you've got the mass swim to uncover them abs. I did it the opposite way round and swam swam swam which gave me the low body fat and shredded abs and then I've built on top of them by lean bulking
Hope this helpslean bulking
ultimate goal; 200lbs 9% body fat
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