Why do swimmers have broad shoulders?
If you love swimming, you might have noticed that people who swim regularly develop broad shoulders. This makes sense too because the arms do most of the work. And the legs too!
There is more to a swimmer’s body than just the broad, rounded shoulders. But today, we are going to look at the shoulders.
So, does swimming broaden the shoulders? Regular swimming has many benefits. It works out the shoulder muscles and the latissimus dorsi, which results in rounded shoulders.
Another thing that makes the swimmers seem to have broader shoulders is that they have a slim waist, so the shoulders stand out prominently.
However, swimming alone is not enough to give broad shoulders. You need to do weight training.
The latissimus dorsi muscles are at the back of the chest. They enhance the V-shape of the body.
This means that as you give your upper body a regular workout by swimming, it seems to taper down towards the waist.
This eventually gives you a slimmer waist (also thanks to a low body fat percentage) and broad, muscular shoulders.
What is a swimmer’s body?
Because swimming is a very repetitive exercise, always targeting the same muscles, swimmers are bound to develop a unique kind of body.
It is called a swimmer’s body because it affects even the way they walk on land.
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Having a swimmer’s body has many advantages and disadvantages. On land, it can cause a bit of trouble.
However, in water, a swimmer’s body will help you to move faster. That is why competitive swimmers have a unique-looking type of body.
Here are a few outstanding characteristics of a swimmer’s body:
Broad, round shoulders and a curved back
Because the upper body muscles get a serious, repetitive workout all the time, they increase in mass. Thus, the body seems to carry more weight in the upper region than in the lower region.
This affects the spine because the lower body strains to carry the weight. If this posture is not corrected in good time, the spine develops a curvature.
A swimmer also develops a slouched posture. If you do not correct this in good time, your spine discs could become strained.
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This can bring about chronic back pain, breathing problems, and other issues. It can also lead to serious spinal injury, with time.
Weak ankles
The ankles are used a lot in kicking in the water. As a result, they become too flexible, something that really helps when you are kicking in the water.
However, these ankles are not too good when walking on land. They can cause problems when you are walking on uneven surfaces. Jumping on hard surfaces can sprain your ankles.
Hyperextended knees and elbows
Propulsion in the water when swimming requires you to rotate your knees and elbows wider than you would when doing other workouts.
This results in something that we call hyperextension, and while it gives a bigger range of motion in the water, it is not too good when walking or training on land. When training on land, you have to be extra cautious.
That just about sums up the swimmer’s body.
What causes broad shoulders for swimmers?
Before we find out why swimmers get broad shoulders, we need to know just how broad they are, that is, compared to the shoulders of people who do not swim.
A person who does not swim has shoulders that are about 18 inches wide. A swimmer can have shoulders as wide as 22 inches. Women swimmer’s shoulders can be as broad as 20 inches.
The reason why swimmers develop broad shoulders is adaptation. The shoulders do not literally become broad, well, at least the bone structure does not broaden. Rather, the shoulder muscles grow. This is not strange though because muscles grow when they are used too often.
When you swim, you will vary your swimming techniques from freestyle, butterfly, breaststroke, and backstroke.
These swimming styles compel you to move your shoulders, arms, and legs in different ways. With these regular workouts, the shoulder muscles get a proper workout, and they keep on growing.
Eventually, the more you swim, the bulkier the shoulders become. This gives you a disproportional body.
If you have been asking: does swimming broaden shoulders, hopefully, the information here answers that question for you.
Swimming works out the shoulders repetitively, increasing the muscle mass on the shoulders and arms.
Female swimmer shoulders
If you are a competitive swimmer, developing a swimmer’s body should be one of your goals. This kind of body gives you great motion and propulsion in the water.
Females also develop a swimmer’s body. However, do not expect to bulk up as broadly as the men.
Naturally, men have a bigger frame and wider shoulders, so they seem to develop a swimmer’s body fast.
There is also something to note. One of them is that the skeleton type matters a lot. Your bone frame is not going to change at all.
It is going to remain the same. However, with harder, faster, and longer distance swimming, your shoulder muscles will bulk up.
If you have narrow shoulders, do not sweat it too much. Rather, it is helpful because you face less resistance when you are moving in the water.
For women, swimming alone might not give them broad shoulders. There is a reason for this!
When you start swimming consistently, you will see some change in the width of your shoulders. However, with time, the muscles will hit a plateau stage where they will not grow anymore.
To make the muscles grow some more, consider throwing in some weight training. This will force the muscles to grow bigger.
Even competitive swimmers have to take weight-training exercises because pool time alone is not enough to grow their muscles.
Will swimming make your shoulders broad?
Swimming is going to make your shoulders broad, but not “swimmer’s broad.” The competitive swimmers that you see with large shoulders did not get them from pool time alone. You should see the kind of workout they put in at the gym.
When you begin swimming, you will see some increase in the width of your shoulders, but after some time, there will be no further development. This is because swimming can only grow the shoulder muscles to a certain degree, and then they will stop growing.
To get the muscles to bulk up some more, you will need to keep working out. When you lift weights, the tissue tears, and the cells divide up in a process called mitosis to fill up the tears. When you lift weights consistently, you develop broad shoulders.
If you really need a swimmer’s body, get into the pool. But even more important, get in the gym and start working out.
Why do swimmers have broad shoulders? FAQ
Swimmers do have broad shoulders, but as you have seen here, there is more to this than just swimming. If you would like to know more about a swimmer’s body, see the frequently asked questions and their answers:
Why does swimming give you broad shoulders?
Shoulders are involved in every swimming style that you use to swim. Also, in the gym, you will take many exercises that work out the shoulder muscles.
This is why swimmers have buffed up muscles. When you swim more often, you are going to build more muscle around the shoulders because you get a consistent workout.
Do shoulders get broader with age?
Actually, the opposite happens because the shoulders become narrower with age as more muscle mass goes to the hips and the waist.
Boys will realize more shoulder width as they get into teenage and young adulthood, but it will most likely not grow wider than 18 inches without swimming and/or related workouts.
How long does it take to get a swimmer’s body?
This depends on your body fat percentage as well as how hard you swim and train in the gym. The fastest time it can take you to get a swimmer’s body is 12 weeks of consistent swimming and training in the gym.
Can you get a swimmer’s body just by swimming?
It can happen, but you should not bank on it too much. Even the competitive Olympic swimmers have to hit the gym daily.
To get those rounded shoulders faster, hit the gym and swim harder, faster, and longer in the pool.
How do you get a swimmer’s body fast?
By combining pool time with other workouts such as rowing, stand-up paddleboarding, and weight training.
Using a rowing machine works out your upper body, and it can hasten the process of building a swimmer’s body. Give yourself at least 12 weeks of regular swimming and workouts.
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Conclusion
Why do swimmers have broad shoulders? You have seen the answer here. You have also seen the importance of combining pool time with gym exercises to build the tall, lanky swimmer’s body.
The key is to swim regularly, take weight training, and other exercises. These will help you bulk up around the shoulders, and you will enjoy better and faster propulsion in water.