Body Mass and Acceleration.

[WarHeel]

Happy Friday eve, all!

 

Yesterday a thread went on lock down due to some lackluster comments with some harsh responses. The heated debate was whether adding “mass” would make an athlete less agile/speedy.

 

I am here to argue that when the “right” mass is added to the frame of an athlete that is extra mass is neglible.

 

The game of football is a game of short, explosive plays, lasting only a few seconds at a time. Therefore, ideally we would like our atheletes to be able to perform as such. There is no need for these gentleman to perform for hours at a time without rest in between plays. Players should be able to produce quick, explosive movements, in a relatively short amount of time. We are talking seconds, people!

 

“Because the sprinter only has to perform a couple of seconds, the added weight is trivial. “

 

 

The video above has a wonderful breakdown of body types of different styled athletes of similar sports. Whilst NFL athletes are not “sprinters” (not all at least) the same anatomical and physiological rules apply. 

 

Obviously everyone has their optimal body mass to quickness ratio but my argument is that the amount of mass added with the return “loss” in quickness is indeed trivial. These athletes perform sport-specific exercises and lifting to improve every aspect of their game including quickness and adding a few pounds of pure type 2b fibers are not going to get in the way of a few seconds of on the field performance.

 

Thoughts? I welcome a good clean debate.

 

Signed,

A Doctor of Physical Therapy. Expert in human movement. YouTube extraordinare. 

[top dawg]

I believe you Warheel. It just makes sense, but...from a purely logical standpoint, I could see where adding 20 pounds on a wide receiver going 50 yards could make a difference that is seemingly negligible, but remember that other athletes are trying to optimize their bodies also. It seems to me that it all depends on the individual. Some can handle more, or less, and be affected positively, negatively or not at all by varying degrees. So I don't think it's a cookie cutter approach, and it would seem like there has to be a certain amount of guess work just like in medical practice in general. That's why they call it "practice." 

[Asurfaholic]

What abou endurance? How does that extra mass weigh down a player over the entire course of a game? 

[toldozer]

This will end the same as the other.... you'll have to wait till 3:30 though,  or maybe whenever nap time at school is suppose to be

[Cyberjag]

I appreciate the video, and watched it because it was short.  I don't understand why you feel the need to engage on this topic though.  I really doubt that anyone who's interested in training or an honest discussion on the impacts of bulking up is going to pay attention to what that other person had to say.  Hell, in some cases bulking up can make you faster.  But what do I know, I'm an endurance guy.

[WarHeel]

46 minutes ago, Asurfaholic said:

What abou endurance? How does that extra mass weigh down a player over the entire course of a game? 

Two types of Type II fibers. A and B. A are built for more endurance and B and quick and explosive fibers that fatigue quickly. Football atheletes would do well to have a combination of both.

[Peppers90 NC]

Adding 20 pounds of mass over a two or three year span would impact much less than trying to add it in one offseason.

[MHS831]

I think it was WOW who showed his ass and made it personal--but he has a point.  When the microwave  bell rings, the bigger he gets the longer it takes him to get up the stairs and reach the Hot Pocket his mom made for him from his cozy lair in her basement. 

[WarHeel]

1 hour ago, Cyberjag said:

I appreciate the video, and watched it because it was short.  I don't understand why you feel the need to engage on this topic though.  I really doubt that anyone who's interested in training or an honest discussion on the impacts of bulking up is going to pay attention to what that other person had to say.  Hell, in some cases bulking up can make you faster.  But what do I know, I'm an endurance guy.

No harm in throwing a little education the public’s way. Some people enjoy insight into these things and there’s nothing wrong with a friendly debate. 

[WarHeel]

1 hour ago, top dawg said:

I believe you Warheel. It just makes sense, but...from a purely logical standpoint, I could see where adding 20 pounds on a wide receiver going 50 yards could make a difference that is seemingly negligible, but remember that other athletes are trying to optimize their bodies also. It seems to me that it all depends on the individual. Some can handle more, or less, and be affected positively, negatively or not at all by varying degrees. So I don't think it's a cookie cutter approach, and it would seem like there has to be a certain amount of guess work just like in medical practice in general. That's why they call it "practice." 

As stated above, there will always be an optimal mass to agility ratio. No one in their right mind is saying adding 50 lbs to a guy and expecting him to move faster is rational. But it is indeed possible to add mass and actually improve ones speed and agility.

[kungfoodude]

That was kind of what I was trying to get at yesterday. It's a lot more complex than just making a broad and absolute statement. The kind of muscle that is being added matters, body mass conversion matters, etc, etc. Thanks WarHeel for steering this in a more reasoned and fact based debate(which I was trying to do with the locked thread).

[XClown1986]

[Cyberjag]

This guy bulked up his legs and got faster...

 

[Salescall]

As an interesting side note to the topic... My son was invited to Western Carolina's football prospect Junior day a couple of weeks ago. They have software built into their weight stations that measures power, strength and quickness, and tracks all the stations simultaneously. The athletes compete against each other while lifting to see who has the best combination of speed, strength, and power. The weight coach described what they do to maximize each athletes speed, strength and power. Said that it wasn't just about one - they had to be great in all areas. Certainly a lot different than when I was in school. Here's a pic. Hope it works. My 1st time trying to upload a pic.