When someone thinks of their dream body type, they often use popular sports physique types to describe it. It’s not uncommon to hear someone compare a man’s build to a linebacker’s, or a woman’s to a dancer’s. I am going to discuss four types of athletic physiques in detail.
Swimmers’ Body: Look no further than Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps for the perfect description of a swimmer’s body (for a man, of course). His torso is lean and toned, with well defined (but not bulky) muscles. For men, the swimmer body type has broad shoulders, a medium to long torso, and a flat, board-like abdomen. What differentiates the body of swimmers from other athletic types is the remarkable leanness of their physique and the breadth of their shoulders. Their long bodies combined with a great posture create a majestic effect. Ironically, the body type of a female swimmer is a bit different. They, too, have well-defined muscles, but because they show up mostly in the shoulders, triceps, and biceps, they can appear too broad or bulky. But trust there’s nothing bulky about swimmers’ bodies: Like most athletes, a swimmer’s training leads to muscle development that the average woman never experiences.
The Gymnast’s Body: It’s usually easy to identify the trained gymnast, just look for the person who is usually short in stature, with long, muscular legs and a short torso. Although male gymnasts are taller than female gymnasts (of course), generally speaking, gymnasts tend to be shorter than average. Their strength is in their legs and upper body, so muscular and bulky thighs, calves, biceps, and triceps are not uncommon. This becomes even more noticeable in gymnasts. Most gymnasts also have square hips and shoulders.
The Dancer’s Body: The dancer’s body type can be identified by defined calves and thighs, a long or straight torso (often emphasized by great posture), and lean, muscular arms. In men, the waistline tends to be slimmer and in women, the back is noticeably toned. Now this is just an overview – there are so many types of dance that bring strength and definition to different muscles in the body. For example, someone trained in ballet will have a taller, slimmer physique, while someone trained in tap will have more definition in their lower legs.
The Track Runner’s Body: The sprinter track athlete’s body type is arguably the most muscular of all and this applies to both men and women. This changes for long distance runners. Track athletes who run in cross country events have leaner and longer muscles. The sprinter body type is what comes to mind for most people when they think of a track athlete. His leg muscles are extremely well defined, from his calves to his quads and even his glutes. His is a body type built for speed.