Swimmers' physique

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by Sand&Salt

We just watched "Nyad" on Netflix, about Diana Nyad and her finally-successful crossing from Cuba to Florida. Riveting and engaging show!

I have not been able to see what her body looked like at the time. She was 64 when she finally achieved this life-long goal. At this age, she wore loose clothing appropriate to her age, so you can't tell.

I'm wondering, because Annette Bening played Nyad in the movie. Bening states she was in great shape, but she looks overweight to me, for a professional athlete. Quite wide around the middle, some flab on her back, like most of us older women. Nor did she look very muscular.

But perhaps the physical requirements for "open-water" long-distance swimmers is different. Would a thicker torso help in those conditions? More heat retention? Bening says she trained for a year, swimming like 8 hours a day. I would think she'd be quite thin---more like her co-star Jodie Foster.

This is in no way a criticism. I'm just curious. I looked up "Swimmers' physique" and it said "Tall, Thin, Muscular, but not overly so".

I'm assuming you're referring to Nyad, not Bening?

Nyad has a lot of arm and leg muscle strength but no, she does not appear to be lean.

As others have pointed out, competitive swimmers are primarily sprinters rather than endurance athletes, so the description you found in your search doesn't match with Nyad's. She was listed as 5'6" and 128 lbs, a fairly "normal" size for a woman.

I read that on some days she'd consume 9000 calories! Can you imagine...

[ZacharyRaymond23]

Originally Posted by Sand&Salt

We just watched "Nyad" on Netflix, about Diana Nyad and her finally-successful crossing from Cuba to Florida. Riveting and engaging show!

I have not been able to see what her body looked like at the time. She was 64 when she finally achieved this life-long goal. At this age, she wore loose clothing appropriate to her age, so you can't tell.

I'm wondering, because Annette Bening played Nyad in the movie. Bening states she was in great shape, but she looks overweight to me, for a professional athlete. Quite wide around the middle, some flab on her back, like most of us older women. Nor did she look very muscular.

But perhaps the physical requirements for "open-water" long-distance swimmers is different. Would a thicker torso help in those conditions? More heat retention? Bening says she trained for a year, swimming like 8 hours a day. I would think she'd be quite thin---more like her co-star Jodie Foster.

This is in no way a criticism. I'm just curious. I looked up "Swimmers' physique" and it said "Tall, Thin, Muscular, but not overly so".

It's definitely interesting to think about the physical demands of open-water swimming, especially for long distances like Diana Nyad's incredible feat. While the typical image of a swimmer might be lean and muscular, the requirements for open-water endurance swimming can be a bit different.

In Nyad's case, her accomplishment was a testament to her incredible mental and physical strength, regardless of her specific body type. Swimming for hours on end in open water requires a unique combination of endurance, resilience, and the ability to handle the challenging conditions.

So, while the "tall, thin, muscular" description might be a common image of swimmers, it's important to recognize that open-water endurance swimming can present different physical demands, and success can be achieved with a variety of physiques, as Nyad's remarkable feat so clearly demonstrates.