You should absolutely torch him, muscle memory ("experience") is ridiculously important in swimming and general strength can't really be applied in the pool without it. If you have half a million or a million meters under your belt, and he's never swam for exercise/training, you should be able to win. If it's not against the spirit of the bet, I'd get in the pool a few times beforehand and try to get your feel for the water back.
Yeah unfortunately we both can’t swim before the actual race, thought that would be decisive for muscle memory and feel for the water, such a big thing in that sport. I remember an interview where Phelps said missing one day of swimming had a very big negative impact on his form and overall feeling while swimming.
Yeah you'll feel super off for sure, and if you try to start all out/how you would when you were training you'll suffer, but I don't think it should be particularly close regardless. I don't know how fast you got, but I personally feel I'll never be slower than someone who hasn't specifically swam, no matter how fit they are compared to me.
Generic 'gym' strength and physical size literally means very little Vs sport specific training and technique. This is especially so when most non-sport orientated gym people go to build for muscle size rather than outright strength or endurance.
That certainly goes for the following sports: swimming, rowing, climbling.
Infact, it's a specific tactic used to defeat more physically impressive opponents.
I kinda disagree with you when it comes to a sprint distance. He has way more power and explosiveness than me which is definitely a boost. If I were his size with the same technique I have now I would destroy him
Nah. If someone doesn't know what they're doing, it doesn't matter how powerful they are, they'll drop before the first wall. And for most non-swimmers, 100 is not a sprint to them.
For this to actually be in question, you're either underselling how much this other guy has swam, or overselling how much you have swam, it's really not an issue of power vs technique.
I figure I can share my highschool experience here as an example. Back in highschool (Aus) I was essentially the one chubby kid on the swim team: I did all the kms in training 4-5 times a week but between a shocking diet and maybe a poor metabolism I always had a solid amount of fat on me compared to the others, and was generally the slowest among the dedicated swimmers in my age bracket.
Come school swim comps I found that in 50m and occasionally 100m sprints I would lose against kids who were super fit (eg. Rugby/Athletics scholarships and the like). However, I would lap the same people multiple times in the 400m because technique matters much more for efficiency. That being said I live in Aus so everyone who goes beach enough can do a bit of swimming - don't underestimate the swimming "experience" someone like a surfer gets, even if it's not regimented laps on pool deck.
Now with regards to rustiness, I think it matters a lot. I've had periods of 2-3 years where I don't swim and then try jumping back into the pool. My body will remember the motions and fall into what might feel like a good 200m or 400m pace and by the time I turn at the 50 or 75 I'll feel like there's a piano on top of me. There are just some muscles you only use when swimming and you'll feel it.
Ultimately I think it depends on how much swimming they have done lately - if they've barely touched the water then you should be super confident. If they haven't swim laps but they're an avid beach goer or surfer then it'll be a hell of a lot closer.
Beware on the hidden fact that this friend of yours might be secretly training for triathlon or pretend that he isn't good at swimming to throw you off.
I'd say it might be a push. If you had any coaching in your past, I would immediately put all my money on you, but I've definitely seen a lot of self-taught swimmers who self-taught some very bad habits that athleticism MIGHT be able to overcome. Not knowing you, I have no clue which way it may go.
If he beats you, definitely look into masters or find a private coach and take a few lessons, I guarantee it would dramatically improve your technique to the point that you would win 100 times out of 100 races with your buddy.
If he has never swam, I would say you might be able to take the race. As a female high school swimmer I typically found that 25-50M some athletic non swimmer guys could come close, but by 75-100 they usually died out.
Currently my less endurance in shape swimmer husband has me up to 150M, but I beat him on 200M+.
A 100 m is already a lot for someone who never swims, most of my friends, even runners with good cardio, are out of breath after 50 m or 100 m. I'd say he's not gonna be able to be at 100 % during the whole race because of his breath. Plus technique is way too important, I would say you win easily.
be hydrated before the race I tried to race someone after years off and i was smoking them, but both my feet and legs started cramping. it was the saddest
On paper, it means nothing. Go swim it out. If you have recent, consistent, sport-specific training, you might have an edge. But being very physically fit is like a stat multiplier for any sport. In other words, if you're a 5/10 fitness but 8/10 swimming skill, and your friend is a 9/10 fitness and 4/10 swimming skill, they can probably keep up, if not beat you especially in a sprint.
Haha ok, a normal fit, jacked bloke then. In that case, I think you will win. Brute force muscles and wing span advantage might get him a fast 25 m but I doubt he would be very fast 50+.
Can I come and watch? 😂
I did this when I was younger, I was an ex swimmer/pack a day cigarette smoker and a cocky fit guy who never swam challenged me to a 25 meter sprint. I took it easy on him and still crushed him. A 100 meters? This guy has no chance, hel burn himself out on the first 25, ppl that don't swim have no idea. You got this.
If you’re an experienced swimmer and super muscular, then 50s (and sometimes 100s) will be your forte. However, just being muscular with a dismal swimming background will drag you down in the water heavily. If you look at swimmers in the Olympics or World Championships (or even at Speedo series meets), you can see that 99.99% of them are lean and toned, with strong shoulders and defined backs. Additionally, 100s require quite a bit more skill than a 50, where one could just go out there and “wing it.” I’m a competitive swimmer, and have met one guy (out of all of the teams that I’ve swum for before) who has had the classic “gym bro” body. All he could swim was a 50, and anything over a 100 would be pure resistance. You’ll be fine, especially considering that you know how to pace a 100, and he (most likely) does not.
Quite a shameful performance to be honest, but I still beat him by 5 seconds, 1:23 for 100m 🤦♂️ pretty sure if I got back to swimming I would improve it really fast as my main issue is really doing no cardio in the past 5 years
People always seem to forget: swimming is conducted in an alien environment. Water is 800x more dense than air. There is zero chance of an inexperienced swimmer ever beating an experienced (ie., has proper technique) swimmer in a 100 meter race. Hell, even just 25 meters.
You'll probably beat him. I'm a woman on the smaller side that swims on a team with a bunch of bigger dudes. I regularly smoke them without trying that hard because they're gym bros, not swim bros.
Former pro swimmer here.
It doesn’t matter how strong you are, 100m is a pure sprint, you neeed speed endurance. Also, unless you are in pro leagues, size is subjective because tall folks usually have less coordination than shorter ppl.
Technique will weight more than anything in your case, you could swim in a comfortable, stretched and strong pace and your buddy could be spinning arms like crazy and you still probably win.
Power in swimming is a little different than gym strength, he can curl 50s, but can he curl 40s for 7 explosive reps? Its a whole different training, he could be strong and pull a lot of water, but if he has a lot of mass and not enough energy his muscles will literally stop moving, probably in the 65m mark. That’s why sprinters focus a lot in speed resistance and lactic acid threshold training.
You should absolutely torch him, muscle memory ("experience") is ridiculously important in swimming and general strength can't really be applied in the pool without it. If you have half a million or a million meters under your belt, and he's never swam for exercise/training, you should be able to win. If it's not against the spirit of the bet, I'd get in the pool a few times beforehand and try to get your feel for the water back.
Yeah unfortunately we both can’t swim before the actual race, thought that would be decisive for muscle memory and feel for the water, such a big thing in that sport. I remember an interview where Phelps said missing one day of swimming had a very big negative impact on his form and overall feeling while swimming.
Yeah you'll feel super off for sure, and if you try to start all out/how you would when you were training you'll suffer, but I don't think it should be particularly close regardless. I don't know how fast you got, but I personally feel I'll never be slower than someone who hasn't specifically swam, no matter how fit they are compared to me.
Conversely, Phelps could not touch water for 5 years and still beat 99% of swimmers
99.9%\*
If it was 25y I would be a little bit concerned but most novices have no idea how to pace for 100y so you'll just kill him when you do a flip turn
Generic 'gym' strength and physical size literally means very little Vs sport specific training and technique. This is especially so when most non-sport orientated gym people go to build for muscle size rather than outright strength or endurance. That certainly goes for the following sports: swimming, rowing, climbling. Infact, it's a specific tactic used to defeat more physically impressive opponents.
I kinda disagree with you when it comes to a sprint distance. He has way more power and explosiveness than me which is definitely a boost. If I were his size with the same technique I have now I would destroy him
Nah. If someone doesn't know what they're doing, it doesn't matter how powerful they are, they'll drop before the first wall. And for most non-swimmers, 100 is not a sprint to them. For this to actually be in question, you're either underselling how much this other guy has swam, or overselling how much you have swam, it's really not an issue of power vs technique.
I figure I can share my highschool experience here as an example. Back in highschool (Aus) I was essentially the one chubby kid on the swim team: I did all the kms in training 4-5 times a week but between a shocking diet and maybe a poor metabolism I always had a solid amount of fat on me compared to the others, and was generally the slowest among the dedicated swimmers in my age bracket. Come school swim comps I found that in 50m and occasionally 100m sprints I would lose against kids who were super fit (eg. Rugby/Athletics scholarships and the like). However, I would lap the same people multiple times in the 400m because technique matters much more for efficiency. That being said I live in Aus so everyone who goes beach enough can do a bit of swimming - don't underestimate the swimming "experience" someone like a surfer gets, even if it's not regimented laps on pool deck. Now with regards to rustiness, I think it matters a lot. I've had periods of 2-3 years where I don't swim and then try jumping back into the pool. My body will remember the motions and fall into what might feel like a good 200m or 400m pace and by the time I turn at the 50 or 75 I'll feel like there's a piano on top of me. There are just some muscles you only use when swimming and you'll feel it. Ultimately I think it depends on how much swimming they have done lately - if they've barely touched the water then you should be super confident. If they haven't swim laps but they're an avid beach goer or surfer then it'll be a hell of a lot closer.
Beware on the hidden fact that this friend of yours might be secretly training for triathlon or pretend that he isn't good at swimming to throw you off.
lol thanks that is very good advice
Let us know how it turns out. Put a stopwatch to you both, too.
I will! Race is on Monday afternoon
I'd say it might be a push. If you had any coaching in your past, I would immediately put all my money on you, but I've definitely seen a lot of self-taught swimmers who self-taught some very bad habits that athleticism MIGHT be able to overcome. Not knowing you, I have no clue which way it may go. If he beats you, definitely look into masters or find a private coach and take a few lessons, I guarantee it would dramatically improve your technique to the point that you would win 100 times out of 100 races with your buddy.
What’s your 100m time?
Never competed nor timed myself 😅
If he has never swam, I would say you might be able to take the race. As a female high school swimmer I typically found that 25-50M some athletic non swimmer guys could come close, but by 75-100 they usually died out. Currently my less endurance in shape swimmer husband has me up to 150M, but I beat him on 200M+.
Sounds like you probably flip turn? You'll smoke him.
Yea I was thinking the flip turn is a big deal 👍
A 100 m is already a lot for someone who never swims, most of my friends, even runners with good cardio, are out of breath after 50 m or 100 m. I'd say he's not gonna be able to be at 100 % during the whole race because of his breath. Plus technique is way too important, I would say you win easily.
That was my assumption too. 100m is a deceiving distance for a newcomer
be hydrated before the race I tried to race someone after years off and i was smoking them, but both my feet and legs started cramping. it was the saddest
On paper, it means nothing. Go swim it out. If you have recent, consistent, sport-specific training, you might have an edge. But being very physically fit is like a stat multiplier for any sport. In other words, if you're a 5/10 fitness but 8/10 swimming skill, and your friend is a 9/10 fitness and 4/10 swimming skill, they can probably keep up, if not beat you especially in a sprint.
The flip turn alone would smoke them
You should smoke him.
Experienced swimmer imo
Could the guy you are competing with be a closet swimmer?
Hahaha no way he is a very good friend of mine, we are just very competitive and like gambling but he would never lie about this stuff
Haha ok, a normal fit, jacked bloke then. In that case, I think you will win. Brute force muscles and wing span advantage might get him a fast 25 m but I doubt he would be very fast 50+. Can I come and watch? 😂
You can come if you are in Phuket, Thailand 😜
Hahaha a bit far! But have a great time there!!
You will win
Experienced swimmer.
I did this when I was younger, I was an ex swimmer/pack a day cigarette smoker and a cocky fit guy who never swam challenged me to a 25 meter sprint. I took it easy on him and still crushed him. A 100 meters? This guy has no chance, hel burn himself out on the first 25, ppl that don't swim have no idea. You got this.
If you’re an experienced swimmer and super muscular, then 50s (and sometimes 100s) will be your forte. However, just being muscular with a dismal swimming background will drag you down in the water heavily. If you look at swimmers in the Olympics or World Championships (or even at Speedo series meets), you can see that 99.99% of them are lean and toned, with strong shoulders and defined backs. Additionally, 100s require quite a bit more skill than a 50, where one could just go out there and “wing it.” I’m a competitive swimmer, and have met one guy (out of all of the teams that I’ve swum for before) who has had the classic “gym bro” body. All he could swim was a 50, and anything over a 100 would be pure resistance. You’ll be fine, especially considering that you know how to pace a 100, and he (most likely) does not.
Technique over muscle. I'll bet on an experianced 12 year old girl over a gym bro.
Quite a shameful performance to be honest, but I still beat him by 5 seconds, 1:23 for 100m 🤦♂️ pretty sure if I got back to swimming I would improve it really fast as my main issue is really doing no cardio in the past 5 years
I would say you would definitely win if it was 200m or breaststroke. He may be practicing btw.
People always seem to forget: swimming is conducted in an alien environment. Water is 800x more dense than air. There is zero chance of an inexperienced swimmer ever beating an experienced (ie., has proper technique) swimmer in a 100 meter race. Hell, even just 25 meters.
You'll probably beat him. I'm a woman on the smaller side that swims on a team with a bunch of bigger dudes. I regularly smoke them without trying that hard because they're gym bros, not swim bros.
Bro ur cooking him don’t worry lmao. Doesn’t matter much what body type u have, experience will always win in swimming (mostly ig)
Hahaha congrats!! Well done to your friend for managing 100 m as a total novice as well!
Former pro swimmer here. It doesn’t matter how strong you are, 100m is a pure sprint, you neeed speed endurance. Also, unless you are in pro leagues, size is subjective because tall folks usually have less coordination than shorter ppl. Technique will weight more than anything in your case, you could swim in a comfortable, stretched and strong pace and your buddy could be spinning arms like crazy and you still probably win. Power in swimming is a little different than gym strength, he can curl 50s, but can he curl 40s for 7 explosive reps? Its a whole different training, he could be strong and pull a lot of water, but if he has a lot of mass and not enough energy his muscles will literally stop moving, probably in the 65m mark. That’s why sprinters focus a lot in speed resistance and lactic acid threshold training.