how does swimming affect ... [Archive]

Ivan

25-07-2003, 10:10 AM

ruthcp

25-07-2003, 10:36 AM

Originally posted by Ivan
The real thing I'm concerned about is will I get shorter if I do a lot of swimming

What makes you think you'll get shorter?
As you are 18, it is quite probable that you have stopped growing, so you may not get any taller, but bones don't tend to shrink, unless you are a lot older (like me!!).
Keep on swimming!

nsswimmer

25-07-2003, 01:31 PM

not sure if it does affect your growth.. almost all of the top swimmers are huge! but there are small swimmers who are very good.. i highly doubt you'll shrink from swimming

Shamu

25-07-2003, 02:28 PM

hello Ivan, welcome to Swimclub! Lol!

Ivan

25-07-2003, 04:54 PM

Thanks guys :)

GettingFaster

25-07-2003, 06:06 PM

Now all you have to do is fill in your profile. Welcome, by the way.

ktcute

26-07-2003, 04:58 PM

Actually, you do shrink as you get older. Your spine compresses over time, under the weight of gravity. You would be more likely to get shorter standing up, than lying flat! Swimming will probably help you spine to stay longer for longer.

Also, training seems to promote the production of growth hormone, so quitting in your teens if you have been training really hard prior to that point may be a bad idea.

swimmer

26-07-2003, 06:10 PM

the production of the growth hormone seems to have byepassed me :( im only 5'5 :(:(:(

chlorine_babe

26-07-2003, 06:40 PM

you're half an inich better than me swimmer

nsswimmer

27-07-2003, 12:37 PM

yea im only 5'4!! and im turning 15 in two months!

Mozla

09-01-2004, 10:33 PM

:wave:
I think in this day and age, more and more is expected from swimmers at an earlier age. Coaches love nothing better than having brilliant, young swimmers and will push them to the limit. You always seem to recognise them, especially around 12, they are painfully thin with huge shoulders and look positively ill. You can't tell me that this is having no effect on their growth. As a child develops they always go out before up, so by using this spare energy there must be some effect somewhere.

Pete

09-01-2004, 11:08 PM

This thread sounds like an "Old Wives Tale"
Please come up with something with reality on the forum.

lane4

09-01-2004, 11:56 PM

You always seem to recognise them, especially around 12, they are painfully thin with huge shoulders and look positively ill.

There must be 100's of these types around then, I'm sure many will be at National Age Groups in July. I've never seen such a swimmer before though so please can you point them out to me?

swimbuoy

10-01-2004, 11:01 AM

Hi all!

I'm wondering how does regular swimming affect human body growth. Especially the growth of bones.
I'm 18 yr old and my favourite style is front crawl. The real thing I'm concerned about is will I get shorter if I do a lot of swimming (something like every day or 4-5 days a week)? Ant help's appreciated.

I feel you have nothing to worry about on this score. Actually individuals often keep growing into their early 20's, though most of the biggest gains are in our teenage years. Swimming or any regular aerobic exercise has never been linked with stunted growth and 4-5 days a week would certainly only be of benefit to a healthy body.

Interestingly, it is the internal strength of bones which would not benefit from swimming. In order to build tensile strength in our bones, we require weight bearing exercise (and a healthy diet). In other words, the cells which build bone respond to the stress of weight bearing by laying down more bone. Our bone mineral density, as it is called, is set around 30 years of age and then begins to decline as we reach old age.

Mozla

10-01-2004, 12:39 PM

There must be 100's of these types around then, I'm sure many will be at National Age Groups in July. I've never seen such a swimmer before though so please can you point them out to me?
:wave:
4-5 times a week is not that bad but I know some kids training 6 days a week, mornings too. I agree, most will be fine but it it is the odd one or two.
Does everyone agree that during a growth spurt, your times go down and you have more illnesses that are difficult to get over? I still reckon it is a big equation and you have to keep a balance.

Bogbloke

10-01-2004, 12:48 PM

Im 19, i think i have stopped growing. Im 6"1 and a half. Quite tall but swimming helps to keep you supple. Us as swimmers have hyper-extension i think that is what it is called so this means we can bend further and stretch further then most normal people and other people that do other sports.

Please tell me if im wrong lol

:music:

Linny

10-01-2004, 12:52 PM

I don't know about the illness bit but I remember a programme in UK with professor Winston talking about growth through puberty. He reckons that growth starts from the ends of limbs and works its way in (a bit like puppies with big paws). It is because of this that many teenagers are very clumsy - because they haven't yet got used to the weight of their hands and the and the sudden change of length in their limbs.
After watching the programme I looked out for any swimmers in our club who were perhaps at this stage just to see if it was true and I didn't see any but not long after, one of our 12 year old boys took a sudden growth spurt and it was really wierd, his strokes went all to pot and when you watched him he just seemed to have lost control of his arms when racing. It took a good 2 or 3 months before he was fully back in control and then when he was he took stacks off his times.
Convinced??? - I was.

Katie

10-01-2004, 03:24 PM

At 5' 11'' ish, I feel swimming has severly stunted my growth :D

lane4

10-01-2004, 04:31 PM

Does everyone agree that during a growth spurt, your times go down and you have more illnesses that are difficult to get over?

Of course I do not agree, that's an absurd thing to say. With my own swimmers I have found that growth spurt = big PB's.

chris_lamb

10-01-2004, 09:42 PM

Of course I do not agree, that's an absurd thing to say. With my own swimmers I have found that growth spurt = big PB's.

Er... anything that you disagree with is absurd?

I think it is quite reasonable to suggest that swimmers times do plateau.

lane4

10-01-2004, 11:22 PM

I think it is quite reasonable to suggest that swimmers times do plateau.

Indeed it is very reasonable to suggest that.
However, that was not the issue. I was disputing the assertion that people who have growth spurts suffer performance deterioration.

GettingFaster

10-01-2004, 11:53 PM

It is sometimes the case that while they are going through a rapid growth spurt it takes them a while to get the feel for their new size, but once that's happened they usually do have improved times. So you're both right in a round-about way, it's just a question of interpretation.

chris_lamb

11-01-2004, 08:11 AM

Indeed it is very reasonable to suggest that.
However, that was not the issue. I was disputing the assertion that people who have growth spurts suffer performance deterioration.

Yes, it is the issue. If you read what you were replying to you will see the word "during".

Dreama

11-01-2004, 01:43 PM

don't think swimming stunted my growth at 5'9, was quite small until I was 14/15 then shot up to almost past my dad, I think sport has a positive effect on growth because it generally promotes a much healthier lifestyle, especially if you avoid smoking and laying on the soaf all day!

superfreak

20-01-2004, 01:44 AM

swimming cant stunt your growth. i am 15 and training 8 times a week plus gym sessions and i am still about 175cm (sorry i dont know what that is in feet and inches i am an aussie). the japanese are pretty small and they swim very fast as 13 year olds but they tend to stop improving cos they naturally stop growing at around 14/15. just a piece of trivia for the swimming freaks (a bit like me) who want to know where all the good japanese kids go. plus it is still sort of on the topic...

Bazza

20-01-2004, 12:04 PM

Dunno, I've seen a few good Japanese swimmers on the radar recently!

175cm = 5ft 9in roughly.

superfreak

21-01-2004, 08:20 AM

thanks for the info i appriciate that! yes yes the japanese are very fast as teens, and there are so many of them... but where do they go? thats really what i meant! :king:

londoner62

23-01-2004, 01:37 PM

I cannot see how swimming stunted my growth even though I peaked at 'only' 5'8'' even though I was doing 12 sessions a week.

Paul

Chris

23-01-2004, 02:56 PM

I'm 6 foot and half an inch (very important that half!!!) and I hate to think how many kilometres I might have swum over the past 18 years!!!

Bazza

23-01-2004, 07:01 PM

Not as many as the rest of us! :p

londoner62

23-01-2004, 07:07 PM

Not as many as the rest of us! :p

How many is that?

Bazza

23-01-2004, 07:14 PM

Quick guesstimate: 10,000.

ewlm79_8

17-02-2004, 04:05 AM

HI,

I started swimming since I was 22 years old. I felt so healthy and slimmer when i go for my exercise in swimming. I am very concerned of my body shape. I take swimming almost 3 times a week. I felt that my muscles and bones are slighty getting bigger, and it makes my body looks very big and muscular compared to last time. Can I still maintain back my original body shape after swimming? I want to know how does it affects human's body, muscles and bones after swimming. I am a girl actually and I didnt want my body to become so muscular. :rolleyes:

suzibaby

15-03-2004, 09:42 AM

i just think all swimmers are small!!! im only 5,5 x

WaterBaby

15-03-2004, 10:31 AM

i just think all swimmers are small!!! im only 5,5 x

Not all swimmers are small, im 178cm which is about 5"11 and im a 16yr old girl so thats quite tall

:wave:

Top10ranking

15-03-2004, 03:57 PM

i am definatly still growing and i am doing 18hours a week. lol im 15 and 6ft 3

swimmer

15-03-2004, 04:50 PM

i vary between 5"4 1/2 to 5"5 1/2 depending on the time of day lol! it sux being short :(

Top10ranking

15-03-2004, 08:09 PM

i vary between 5"4 1/2 to 5"5 1/2 depending on the time of day lol! it sux being short :(

the average height of women is alot smaller then men and alot of men are not very big so don't worry. :clear:

GettingFaster

15-03-2004, 08:24 PM

the average height of women is alot smaller then men and alot of men are not very big so don't worry. :clear:
Another gem of wisdom...

Top10ranking

15-03-2004, 08:28 PM

it is not going to work g/f

matt

15-03-2004, 09:06 PM

it is not going to work g/f

pourqoi?

Top10ranking

16-03-2004, 10:53 AM

pourqoi?

him trying to provoke me

Katie

16-03-2004, 03:23 PM

him trying to provoke me
That doesn't answer the question... you may want to look it up?

Top10ranking

16-03-2004, 03:33 PM

because i dont want to get myself banned so i will not be provoked

matt

16-03-2004, 06:09 PM

him trying to provoke me

I'm sure there is a slight insult there if GF were to pick up on it.

Top10ranking

16-03-2004, 08:13 PM

I'm sure there is a slight insult there if GF were to pick up on it.

g/f probably will as she has nothing better to do with her time

Kaci

16-03-2004, 08:17 PM

Ok this has been going a while now and with all the hints have you not yet twigged GF is not a 'he'!!

GettingFaster

16-03-2004, 10:18 PM

It would be far too obvious to suggest that a certain person might want to look at other people's profiles before making statements (as here) or asking silly questions (as all over the place).

No insult taken, most insults require a bit of thought for them to be insulting and there's precious little evidence of THAT happening.
;)