Viewing 34 posts - 1 through 34 (of 34 total)
  • Swimming has broken my hands… but will it bulk me up to beefcake?
  • bananaworld
    Free Member

    The pain! THE PAAAAAAAIN!!!!

    After being described as “skinny” one-too-many times I’ve decided to try swimming as a means of getting some upper-body, erm, tone, or whatever.

    So off I went today, for the first time in ages and it was great fun… for a while.

    I noticed a bit of stiffness in my hands, but thought nothing of it until, at the end of a length, I found I couldn’t move my fingers very much due to the pain across the fronts and backs of my hands. I tried a few more lengths, but had to cut it short as I ended up swimming with clenched fists in order to not cause pain in my hands. (This is probably not a recommended style for efficient hydropropulsion…) Out of the pool I could barely get my locker open, and riding home was tricky as I couldn’t grip the bars properly, nevermind use gripshift.

    I’m hoping to put this pain down to simply not being used to having to maintain a hand position that’s rather different from the bike-riding grip my hands are normally accustomed to.

    So, long-windedly, I would very much appreciate some kind imparting of knowledge:

    1. Will this pain disappear as I get back into swimming?

    2. Will swimming get me ripped?

    iDave
    Free Member

    swimming won’t bulk you up, ever

    sucklingmatt
    Free Member

    i used to be a swimmer, and it won’t bulk you up….but it will improve your cardio!

    All those “ripped” swimmers you see on the tele, spend an insane amount of time in the gym

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    bananaworld
    Free Member

    Curses, I thought I was on a gym-avoiding winner there

    Might have to try some press-ups next…

    poppa
    Free Member

    Go to the gym, drink protein shakes, grunt a lot. Check to make sure people are looking at you when you do your curls. You don’t want to waste them.

    bananaworld
    Free Member

    Yikes, that’s a scary proposition. Thanks, but that regime is kinda what I wanted to avoid, and the dietary suggestions are a very long way away from anything I could achieve (or would want to acheive…)

    I think I may need to rethink this bulking up thing; maybe do a few press-ups; reassess how I see myself in light of skinny comments; and perhaps realise tha tmy body is already fit-for-purpose.

    Swimming is good fun though!

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Go to an XC mountain bike race and then decide if you want to bulk up…

    Keva
    Free Member

    keep swimming it’s good for upper body strength, the hand pain will go away. – I used to get it when I first started years ago.

    I doubt you’ll get ripped from swimming but a variety of body weight exercises like press ups, chin ups, sit-ups, v-sits, squats, lunges etc done the correct way will strenthen and tone muscles.

    just google it, there’s loads out there.

    Kev

    bananaworld
    Free Member

    Ho ho, I’ve done my share of XC mountain bike races (low-level stuff, of course) and watched even more, and I’d still like to be not as skinny as I am.

    Anyway, looks like it’s gym or skinny!

    Cougar
    Full Member

    Rock-climbing?

    _tom_
    Free Member

    5×5 seems to build up your strength pretty quick, I’ve just started and aleady using weights I could barely lift a few weeks ago! Looks-wise not much has changed though.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    If you’re congenitally skinny you might be SOL with regards bulk.

    Most rock climbers are skinny wiry types afaik cougar – I can bulk up doing it but then that’s my body type.

    coffeeking
    Free Member

    How the hell was swimming hurting your hands?! You are moving your arms too, not just your hands/fingers, yes?

    And no, swimming is never going to gain you mass. To gain mass you need to do high resistance activity. But swimming is bloody good for cardio.

    poppa
    Free Member

    Stint down t’mine?

    McHamish
    Free Member

    Do some shrugs while looking at yourself in the mirror – 10 a day. You’ll look like this guy in 3 weeks.

    And you’ll be dating one of these in no time…

    chojin
    Free Member

    Protein is key.

    http://www.myprotein.com and get some protein shake down you boy.

    You need about 1.7g of protein per KG (of your weight) per day – Then hit the weights!

    bananaworld
    Free Member

    coffeeking

    How the hell was swimming hurting your hands?

    Calm down, calm down. I thought I explained it at least somewhat well when suggesting it might be to do with being used to holding handlebars.

    Talking to a triathaloning housemate has revealed that I shouldn’t be tensely cupping my hand to swim but rather have the hand rather relaxed and even have little gaps between the fingers. Something to try for next time.

    Protein is key.

    A good point. I eat plenty of protein, just as part of my normal diet. I totted it up a few times, in order to demonstrate to doubters that my diet is fine for protein content, and can easily be made more protein-rich. (Should I bait the trolls by mentioning it’s vegan…?)

    If you’re congenitally skinny you might be SOL with regards bulk.

    An excellent excuse and one I shall use in conversation. “Congenitally skinny”: like it, like it.

    mudmonster
    Free Member

    The guy who put on 34lbs of muscle in 4 weeks also looks like he gained a few inches in height.

    iainc
    Full Member

    if you can do crawl, have a look online at Art of Swimming and Total Immersion – all about efficiency in the strokes – relaxed is the key – if you are tense you will get achy.

    KINGTUT
    Free Member

    Re the cramp I had the same problem, my hands were too tense / cupped, I also used to get cramp in my feet, relax and it will sort itself out.

    Plus you will never bulk out swimming, quite the opposite in fact.

    Jamie
    Free Member

    The guy who put on 34lbs of muscle in 4 weeks also looks like he gained a few inches in height.

    While losing a few on the length of his shorts.

    tadpole
    Free Member

    if i swim half a length, i get shocking cramp in my fingers, flipping nacks, so i wrap a band of sticky plaster round fingers, then im good for kilometer. dont think it’ll ever bulk ya up, i go swimming to thin down…

    mrblobby
    Free Member

    Had similar thoughts a while back and tried scrawny to brawny. Sounds similar to the fourhourworkweek. Low reps, big weights, two or three sessions a week, minimal cardio, and a truck load of food each day.

    I did get some results, I put on about a stone but still a long way to go to look brawny. Gave up in the end as the lack of cardio troubled me and I got sick of the amount of food required. I think if I’d stuck with it then it would have worked for me.

    Cougar
    Full Member

    Most rock climbers are skinny wiry types afaik cougar

    Ah, yeah, I can’t argue there. (Personally, at least. I’ve seen many climbers of all shapes)

    (Should I bait the trolls by mentioning it’s vegan…?)

    Genuine question (as a veggie), where are you getting your protein-rich diet from?

    coffeeking
    Free Member

    Calm down, calm down. I thought I explained it at least somewhat well when suggesting it might be to do with being used to holding handlebars.

    Entirely calm already thanks 🙂 Im not sure why your bike technique would suggest what your swimming technique might be and I couldn’t really gather than from your description to be fair!

    hels
    Free Member

    A friend of mine, many years ago, started going to the gym (OK partly to cruise, but anyway) he was naturally skinny and wanted to bulk up. Ended up looking VERY ODD kind of had thick shoulders and neck but still skinny face and legs.

    I am sure I read somewhere that propensity to gain muscle is genetic – you either can or you can’t.

    P.S and why are those women such an odd color ??

    Jamie
    Free Member

    I am sure I read somewhere that propensity to gain muscle is genetic – you either can or you can’t.

    I think the rate you can gain is genetic, but everyone eventually should gain given the right diet/exercises.

    Sounds like he was just doing lateral raises 3 times a week 😉

    Rich
    Free Member

    McHamish – Member
    Do some shrugs while looking at yourself in the mirror – 10 a day. You’ll look like this guy in 3 weeks.

    😆

    KINGTUT
    Free Member

    P.S and why are those women such an odd color ??

    Paint on (literally) fake tan.

    Jamie
    Free Member

    ….anyways. Who needs weights when you can do this with mostly bodyweight exercises:

    [video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvYNE5cgBkA[/video]

    bananaworld
    Free Member

    Genuine question (as a veggie), where are you getting your protein-rich diet from?

    Good question. I wouldn’t call my diet protein-rich, merely sufficient in protein, i.e. it’s not lacking in protein. If I wanted more protein, I’d just eat more beans or tofu or whatever else it is we vegans consume prodigiously. Should I need even more protein for bulking up I’d simply get me some Weight Gain 4000 soya protein isolate and hit the pull-ups.

    Enough protein is really not a problem in any but the most weird of diets (of course, I have to regard a vegan diet as not weird 😉 ).

    EDIT: with the sound off, that’s a jolly inspiring video there, Jamie!

    iDave
    Free Member

    Jamie, je ne savais pas que vous français? Chapeau

    yunki
    Free Member

    anyways. Who needs weights when you can do this with mostly bodyweight exercises:

    my wee brother used to be into all that.. he’s never lifted a weight in his life..

    believe it or not it’s hard to prise the fat little knacker away from the darts and the fags these days.. 🙁

Viewing 34 posts - 1 through 34 (of 34 total)

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