Swimming makes you skinny!?

dxdmma06 · 02-Feb-06, 03:48 AM

Aight I stopped wrestling and started swimming. WTF?! All my wrestling muscle is gone!! I mean literally. I just took a good hard look in the mirror today for the first time in a while and realized i have gotten SOOO SCRAWNY!! And I've been swimming pretty hard too, I thought since you're using alot of upper body for swimming, it would get you very strong. But all its really done is made my arms super lean like rubber bands, my chest has lost its lines (I did have a few believe it or not), and pretty much everything seems to be "smoothing out!" I look long and lean instead of strong. And its not like swimming is any easier than wrestling, my team swims for freaking two hours a day!! I worked hard for that muscle, and now its just melting off!! What gives!?!?!?!?!

nate · 02-Feb-06, 05:35 AM

id say it might be your diet, are you getting enougth Calories?

**threenorns** · 02-Feb-06, 08:12 AM

diet, for sure, plus your muscles aren't being given the same stimulation - ie, they're not working as hard as they were when you were wrestling. two hours a day swimming is like two hours a day jogging or running or biking - none of those will build you big muscles. to maintain muscle mass, you have to keep at the weights or the wrestling.

dxdmma06 · 02-Feb-06, 11:31 AM

my diet has never been what it should be. I've always had a problem with getting enough to eat. I dunno, I just barely noticed that my body isn't what it used to be a month ago. I thought swimming would get me really strong because its not like we're swimming laps for 2 hours, we're doing stuff like 50 and 100 meter sprints and hard sets of kicks and pulls and all that other fun stuff that any swimmer on this board knows what I'm talking about. I mean I'm sore afterwards, but I'm getting skinnier. I don't get it.

**threenorns** · 02-Feb-06, 12:14 PM

you answered your own question.

eat more. if you're not eating enough, your body will start sloughing off muscle tissue until it's at the size your intake can maintain.

ajarvis · 02-Feb-06, 02:32 PM

I concur. Eat more. Cross train with a weight program. Not the same program you would use wrestling though.

02-Feb-06, 02:38 PM

If you are returning to wrestling, I recommend you buy and use the training ideas outlined in Ross Enamait's "The Underground Guide to Warrior Fitness". Here is a website link: www.rossboxing.com

Swimming is fun on a hot day, but, in my opinion, it's not effective cross-training for a wrestler.

Cort · 02-Feb-06, 03:56 PM

Go for some resistance training with weights. If you're just doing intense cardio and sprints it isn't surprising that you are losing muscle.

**MostMuscle** · 03-Feb-06, 09:12 AM

Try this link

http://www.nsca-lift.org/Perform/issues/0107.pdf

and up your food intake.

Rats! · 01-Mar-06, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dxdmma06

I thought swimming would get me really strong because its not like we're swimming laps for 2 hours, we're doing stuff like 50 and 100 meter sprints and hard sets of kicks and pulls and all that other fun stuff that any swimmer on this board knows what I'm talking about. I mean I'm sore afterwards, but I'm getting skinnier. I don't get it.

On the contrary! Prolonged intense workouts like sprints are more likely to use muscle as energy rather than fat if your glycogen stores are empty.

Dins_PR · 01-Mar-06, 05:36 PM

Here, I'm a swimmer, I'll explain this to you. It isn't just an "eat more" or "lift weights" problem. The muscle you built with wrestling is not the same muscle that you need for swimming. Your body is going to lean up with the prolonged swimming but keep going and you'll notice your upper body will start bulking up again. Especially with sprints, those are killer on muscles.

Now, in addition to that, you're going to want to eat alot. Add in some calisthenics like pushups and pullups, both excellent exercises to benefit swimming.

Not everything can be reduced to eating and lifting, but they do help, just stick with it, you'll start hardening up again.