Can You Build Muscle Just By Swimming?

Most athletes combine their regular training sessions with gym sessions in order to build not just form, but also strength. But do you need to use the gym to build muscle? Some research has shown that you can build muscle through swimming alone! Heather & Mark investigate, & show you some strength-building exercises you can use in the pool!
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[@HallieEva]

Of course it does. When I was in the best shape of my life I swam a mile 4x a week. My back and abs were ripped. I didn't really have to weight train to engage those muscles. Now I lift a lot and my back still hasn't looked as good since I no longer have access to a pool.

[@glitterghost834]

that’s good to know thank u!!

[@Ordell-L-Jackson]

Do you by any chance know if you can also get toned by swimming on ketogenic or carnivore diets?

[@mr.snipersheku3656]

​@@Ordell-L-Jacksongo keto run your body on fats to keep it healthy and not on carbs keep carbs lower then fats

[@steveco1800]

Swimming the day after weightlifting works well for me! I think it helps getting the sore muscles moving again and builds muscular endurance. Also a low risk recovery exercise, being that it's not weight bearing.

[@SurferKroky]

I definitely get a massive "pump " in my shoulders and chest after doing a 1km freestyle . Similar to a gym workout

[@milanchojankoski282]

The sweamer's body type looks much much better than pumped bodybuilding muscles.

[@user-zg3bh6oy3j]

Yeah, wide shoulders and wide lats

[@dylanhunt5368]

Speaking of strictly swimming, I can't imagine anything more muscle building than max effort intervals. 30-60 seconds all out explosivity. Could do some fartlek-style swimming each length of the pool by alternating between maximum effort one way and cruising and recovering on the way back.

[@steveco1800]

5:40 - I'd also add make sure your swimming trunks are securely tied around the waist before doing many of those!

[@carole8312]

Love this! Thank you!! The vertical kicks ( which I do with flutter and dolphin kicks while holding my arms above head) as well as the L shape kicks are my personal favorites. 🙂

[@pathayes7528]

Love all this information! Will be trying these moves in my future swims. Just not all at once. Will try to master each of them, one at a time!

[@handsomerob7068]

Thanks! Gonna do these drills at the lake. I’m excited

[@JayJay-sq6rv]

Initially u will build muscles yes but that is how far you can go.. remember muscles adapts hence you need constant loading the muscle fibres with more resistance so hit the gym and also swim .. aweseome combo 💪

[@messii648]

I have seen people get huge shoulders the most from swimming and it’s insane

[@TrevorBingley]

Of course you do. I swam with Ennis Swimming Club all my life and we were all absolutely shredded.

[@Karxar1as]

Some very good tips here.Thank you.

[@bensrunningandfitness3124]

I’ve found doing pull sets at the end of your swim sessions really forces you to work your upper body muscle under fatigue

[@kawh8719]

The answer is yes, but it will take a lot of workouts haha. I do remember this worked really well for me in HS

[@georgeboahene3254]

Shoutouts to all the triathletes.

[@donatina1987]

If you do fitness swimming, yes, you can. Especially the core muscles. did abs workouts but had a six packs at the age of 13 ahah... I was doing particular “drills”, isolating low and upper body... I only swam about 1km-1,5km. I won’t advice doing too long sessions.

[@newpageinmylife]

Why not

[@Jsnipes98]

Why not

[@potsdam521]

Breast and butterfly certainly do

[@linx8617]

Found swimming after heavy weights session help with midigating muscle soreness. Along with calories deficit diet to lower fat ratio.

[@robohippy]

It is quite noticeable when both of you are doing the vertical kicking, that both of you pronate/go pigeon toed. This is one point that isn't stressed much in teaching how to flutter kick, or dolphin kick. I consider it a big point to make, especially with runners, which I am not, or people with poor ankle flexibility. For years, I tried my kicks with a gymnastic toe point. I was the slowest in the pool. Then I saw a clip from the Race Club that changed all that. When you go pigeon toed, you get an extra 20 or so degrees of dorsi flexion, and you are using the entire side of your foot rather than just your toes,. I do like paddles and fins. Don't see how you can use those huge hand paddles though, I guess I could get used to them. For sure when using paddles, stroke rate goes down. One thing I have wondered is if swimming helps increase lung capacity? Mine is double normal, and I started swimming at about age 5. 72 now.

[@nocturnus009]

🎾(also know as anti-paddals), but that’s a post-scull (vectored scull wheee your arms are either in Superman or Tadasana propulsively) level skill. Y’all had me at deck-ups, 🪂 & drag suits. There is so much utility in going too slow to develop your fast. Muscles are a nice side effect we can converge upon together.

[@normanzielke6108]

When you are swimming with a training buddy, an easy alternative to using a parachute is that the one swimmer grabs the ankles of other swimmer. The swimmer in front goes as hard as possible, while the swimmer in the back just stays a float.

[@MarkoMesic-vz4gk]

What I do. I swim 3 kilometres a day, doing some gym or calisthenics and eat everything in abnormal amounts. I am more than happy how I look. Have muscular body but not much fat.

[@33Jenesis]

Kickboard vertical? Gonna give it a go. I still remember how hard it was using paddles. Now I can warm up my upper back and arms using them without difficulty.

[@gtn]

Give it a try and let us know what you think 🙌

[@user-wr5se3zr9f]

You guys rock!

[@MMyDesign]

Yes! You can.

[@jonathanzappala]

I see track sprinter vs bodybuilder vs swimmer coming ;)

[@kimweidner7351]

Where the heck are you with those palm trees in the background and that gorgeous, shorts wearing weather? 😮❤🎉 Good tips, THANKS!!

[@jenslundberg410]

Somewhere on Teneriffe I think.

[@jenslundberg410]

Looks like Teneriffe Top Training just above La Caleta

[@krisztiankovacs6377]

I am 50yo, I like my river its free, I can swim 30 meters seven times with stops, can I get thicker arms thighs and reduce my beer belly I am quite skinny fat?? And when in the water my legs feel 65 pounds lighter not having to stand.

[@christofit4120]

Weight training is superior! Swimming is great but its better for cardio. There may be some resistance in swimming but soon your body will adapt to this and then it will be hard to progress without using weighted exercises.

[@iama5556]

Swimming will make you gain muscle, swimming will make you lose weight only if you follow a proper diet and muscle-building exercises. swimming is very beneficial, I know people who have been swimming for years and years, and well these people are graceful, friendly and look much younger than their real age, so without a proper diet and muscles building exercices swimming neither builds muscles nor makes you lose weight, but swimming every day makes you look younger!

[@user-zg3bh6oy3j]

What kind of diet, is a good diet eating only at 6 pm a lot of protein,and that's it for the day, combined with swimming, is that a good plan?

[@gusolive]

I swam a few k’s last week and applied the ocean walker technique with my head facing the floor and I hardly used my legs but I must say that I have had such a sore arse and thighs and I think I must have stretched them although didn’t use them - it’s bizaare but goof

[@Dinckelburg]

It's like you can read my mind! Been flexing in the mirror recently and there's definitely some lat development 😆

[@Dinckelburg]

Also, why do my pecs feel the pump after swimming?

[@steveco1800]

Yeah, regularly doing breaststroke at pace did seem to add a bit to my lats. Noticed when a few shirts were a bit tighter than before, and my weightlifting routine was the same. I don't think it builds much, but can add a bit.

[@antonyware9887]

Where is that ?

[@Therradican]

Great exercises. Thank you. Can the swimming pool water affect your health long term because of chemicals?

[@2piecesofwood1pieceofrope]

If the pool is outside you should be fine. Indoor swimming for very long periods can irritate the lungs if the chlorine is high.

[@andytaylor_music]

Which paddles was Heather using as I want some bigger ones and they look perfect

[@heatherfell_oly]

They were from Orca, they are certainly large!

[@pauldickinson7506]

You can 100% build muscle by swimming alone as long as its instense and you push yourself. I swim 4 times a week. I used to life 4 times a week. Im in far better, leaner more defined shape from swimming

[@brandonaikens505]

What’s your swim routine? I have a pretty bad wrist injury and im limited in the gym, but not in the pool. Just looking for a good intense swim workout

[@pauldickinson7506]

@@brandonaikens505 I swim freestyle mainly in 100m bursts. Really high intensity, 45-50 minutes of until complete failure, like you would in weight training. I try to increase the speed every single section and try and increase the amount of laps swam per session. In between the 100m sprints I have around 30 seconds rest and go again.

[@2piecesofwood1pieceofrope]

The problem is that the muscle built through swimming doesn’t translate into functional strength outside the pool. Many swimmers look great but are very weak outside of the pool.

[@EXPLORADVEN]

🙂🙂🙂❤️❤️❤️👍👍👍❤️❤️❤️👌👌👌

[@zolienagy001]

the whole argument about the viscosity of water being higher than air and therefore swimming being harder than eg. running is such a stupid argument! With all that said, I love swimming and I prefer it to running and everything else but come on!!!

[@alcidesfy]

Weird how the accent doesn’t fit the setting somehow.

[@Alessa-sd7fm]

pool jumps are not recommended for pelvic floor health, I advise against it especially if you are a woman

[@user-fk8rb8ue5h]

Not really. 70 years of age I can testify to that if you want to build muscles lift weights

[@boymcfacto5832]

You’re wrong it will build muscle but definitely not gonna see the hypertrophic results like from lifting

[@eleanorhenderson9896]

You absolutely can! It’s lots of kms, etc. I was an extremely muscly child because of swimming

[@boymcfacto5832]

@@eleanorhenderson9896 exactly resistance is resistance, your body doesn’t know if it swimming or weights

[@bp19870]

I think it work’s differently per person. Some people’s metabolism etc work differently - for example, I’ve been swimming 7 months and do 2.8km in 60min a session 3x a week, with a slight diet change and I’ve toned up and lost 2 stone.

[@boymcfacto5832]

@@bp19870 dude is talking out of his ass, swimming obviously builds muscle. It’s not gonna be as effective at building mucle mass as specifically training for hypertrophy with weights but it definitely will build muscle. To the body resistance is resistance, it doesn’t know if it’s weights or swimming

[@radamante3231]

Looking at you 2 no