You must be wondering why a professional swimmer’s body appears that way, or you probably feel attracted and desire such. Michael Phelps, for instance, has such a unique physique, and you can tell how it aids his performance.
Judging by this physique, you can identify a professional swimmer from a distance. Swimming engages all the muscles and requires you to be as hydrodynamic as possible. You’ll be at your best with a well-toned body.
As a beginner or aspiring professional, there’s nothing wrong with developing the “swimmer’s body” appearance as long as it improves your swimming. This article discusses all you need to know about the swimmer’s body and how to develop yours.
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4 Ways to Identify Someone With a Swimmer’s Body
A professional swimmer’s body is different from another, but there are some common characteristics between them. Besides building strong mental health, competitive swimmers performing at top levels develop their bodies to suit and influence their swimming style.
Notwithstanding, some of these characteristics may be natural and advantageous to those who have them. You can identify someone with a swimmer’s body with some of the characters below, but there may be a few exceptions.
1. Height
Most professional swimmers are known for their tall heights, and some can be as tall as six feet. For instance, Michael Phelps, the famous Olympic Gold medalist, has a height of 6 feet 3 inches (1.93 meters).
Micheal Andrew measures 6 foot 5 inches (1.96 meters) in height. Some top female professional swimmers are also tall as well. Katie Ledeckey and Sarah Sjostrom (famous world record-holders) measure six feet (1.83m). So, what difference does one’s height make?
Swimming strokes require the limbs (arms and legs), both forming the primary source of propulsion. However, the human arms and legs are almost proportionate to the height.
In normal circumstances, the longer the limbs, the higher the propulsion. Therefore, taller swimmers are at an advantage. If you see a tall, leaner individual near a pool, you can easily predict their experience level.
2. Hyperextension
Most swimmers with many years under their belt display some form of hyperextension. This phenomenon happens in their joints, particularly the elbow and knees, naturally as they continue swimming over time.
Hyperextended joints allow the limbs to extend more than usual. For instance, the arms can outspread beyond a straight angle. The same scenario applies to the knees and ankles as well. This allows the swimmer to enjoy a larger grip of the water.
With this unusual ability, such swimmers are capable of maximizing their strokes with a massive kicking power to complement. They also have a wider range of motion, i.e., higher flexibility.
3. Posture
For swimmers with the swimmer’s body, their postures are often more prominent. It’s not uncommon to see their curved backs and rounded shoulders.
They have a familiar posture owing to the regular use of their body muscles. Sometimes, it may result in a more curved spine in addition to a larger muscular mass in the upper body.
4. Bigger Quadriceps
Besides developing a muscular upper body, a typical swimmer’s body features bulky quadriceps. Generally, it is influenced by the accumulated effect of kicking from the hips and pushing against the wall over time.
See also: 8 Health Benefits of Swimming – Why You Should Start Swimming Today
3 Tips on How to Get a Swimmer’s Body
Having a swimmer’s body looks really appealing and can be used to show off. However, it is how your swimming is positively influenced that matters. While some aspects can be worked on, your height and limbs’ length cannot be changed.
Also, you won’t become a superstar or an Olympic medalist just by having an attractive swimmer’s body. You need the right mental and physical fitness to do that. Nevertheless, you achieve a well-toned body by doing all the following tips.
1. Swim and Train Regularly
The more you swim, the better you’ll become as a swimmer. Most professional swimmers are known for their hard work, dedicating several hours to swimming (training). This allows you to rehearse before swimming in front of the crowd.
You should attempt to integrate this into your daily schedule. It takes a lot to be a top-rated swimmer. Therefore, swimming regularly will help you master your strokes, kick properly and perfect your body movement.
As you improve your technique, you also maintain a healthy body and keep your physical conditions optimum. You develop the swimmer’s body as you continually engage the core muscles in swimming.
2. Exercise Often and Correctly
Keeping your muscles toned for action is essential for swimmers, regardless of their experience level. Exercises are important to help you increase your fitness and endurance. As you perform wet exercises, you should take adequate dry exercises as well.
You do not have to be in the pool all the time. Interestingly, some swimmers may prefer to hit the gym rather than using light accessories at home. There are many dry and wet exercises to include in your routine.
Start with warmups in your exercise sessions and even before swimming at all. Sit-ups, push-ups, and stretches are also beneficial in increasing your flexibility for better body movement. This will help you avoid cramps when you get in the action.
Weightlifting is very common and useful, but you should combine it with planks to tone your upper body. You must attempt exercises that target your core muscles to increase your stability, particularly V-sits and leg lifts.
Do not forget breathing exercises and drills that will improve your ankle flexibility. Furthermore, rowing, pulldowns, and crunch presses are nice options.
For wet exercises, you can make use of many swimming accessories. The common ones are swim cords, swim parachutes, water dumbbells, jogging belts, etc.
3. Ensure Good Nutrition
Have you ever heard about the controversial Michael Phelps diet? Indeed, no one can consume as much as it was rumored, but swimmers eat a lot. The reasons are not far-fetched – swimming burns many calories.
Food is life, and you need plenty of it to maintain your swimmer’s body’s demands in competitions and training. Well-toned muscles require more food. You must ensure that your diet is well-balanced and nutritious.
Carbohydrates should be about 50 percent of your diet since they are the primary food source for energy. Take enough fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Proteins are important for healthy muscles, tissues, and organs.
It is best to consider protein sources like nuts, eggs, fish, milk, etc. In addition, healthy fats should be your top priority alongside a good meal plan.
FAQs
Do you have some unanswered questions regarding the swimmer’s body? Did you miss some key details? I’ve compiled some frequently asked questions below to provide additional information. Let’s proceed.
Can I Get a Swimmer’s Body Without Even Swimming?
While regular gym attendance and workouts may keep you fit, you may not absolutely get a swimmer’s body. Of course, you can have a similar appearance depending on the type and quality of your workouts/exercises.
You need to consider your diet to maintain such a body. Furthermore, achieving the best swimmer’s body appearance requires some sessions in the pool. But, why build a swimmer’s body if you won’t swim.
How Long Does It Take To Get a Swimmer’s Body?
It is the truth that you cannot achieve a swimmer’s body in a day as a beginner. Therefore, you have to take it slowly to avoid exhausting yourself. You can plan a proper swimming routine, fitness sessions, and a good meal plan.
Although genes have a role to play when you do the things expected of you, you should start showing off your swimmer’s body in more than three months. Your broad shoulders will be the first thing you’ll notice.
Are They Born With a Swimmer’s Body?
It is a known fact that human genes play a huge part in an individual’s physique. An individual’s height and limbs’ length are dependent on their genes. Nevertheless, you can still get a swimmer’s body, following the tips discussed in the article.
Conclusion
The swimmer’s body is a well-fancied physique common among professional swimmers. Often, these swimmers possess broad shoulders, long limbs, and high body flexibility. Besides the genes, some factors influence this unique body physique.
To have a swimmer’s body, it will be best to focus on your swimming training, perfecting your techniques. You need to focus on more of the right fitness exercises. You should consider improving your diet to catch up.
We recommend that you shouldn’t read alone but share with other swimmers. Help other swimmers gain enough knowledge about the swimmer’s body by clicking on the social media buttons on the page. Do you have questions unaddressed in the article and FAQs?
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