Fat and strength. Curious?

[Backa53]

How does fat help you be stronger. I assume it does because fat lineman can lift more weight and are generally stronger than a skinny DB or something. What is the deal?

[Jhawk Fitness]

Bodyweight has an influence on abosolute strength, however, normally, a DB will be relatively stronger than a D-lineman.

Example: A 280 pound DE will bench 400 -vs- a 190 pound DB who benches 300. Which is "stronger" depends on how you look at it. The DE puts up more weight, but is lifting ~1.43 lbs per pound of bodyweight. Whereas the DB is lifting ~1.58 lbs per pound of bodyweight.

So really it depends on what you consider "stronger".

[ku2u]

ya, my line benches not much more than i do because they are still benching their weight while i am benching like 50lbs more than my weight. the best bench my line has is 210 and he weighs 230

[cnosaj]

acualy if u look at stats of DBs a lot of them are stronger than lineman.. not only weight but by far in pound for pound ..go check it out

[SpreeWheels24]

back on topic,


i heard some guy in the waiting room of a hospital (he claims he's a personal dietician/trainer or something) said that fat people who start to lift, lift better because the fat turns into muscle. That's what HE said.

[Jhawk Fitness]

Originally Posted by SpreeWheels24

back on topic,


i heard some guy in the waiting room of a hospital (he claims he's a personal dietician/trainer or something) said that fat people who start to lift, lift better because the fat turns into muscle. That's what HE said.

he's wrong. a fat cell will not turn into anything, it will always be a fat cell.

that's the problem with the sports training & fitness world today, any jackass can go to a degree factory like P.F.I or hop online and print off a certification and really not know **** about what they're talking about.

[DBjohn24]

i was the about the 5th strongest on my team last year. the others stronger in overall totals were a DE, FB, DT, G and i think thats it. o and a TE. but thats cause they could squat more. i benched more than all except 1. i only weighed 185 about and all the other guys were at least 215.

[epote]

fat has one direct influance on absolute strength and several indirect (thats perhaps a wrong statement, but you'll see what i mean)

a fat person is fat because he is on a calorie surplus, that means his muscles are constantly full of glycogen.

secondly with all that food and excercise he simply has alot more muscle mass than someone who is actively trying to be lean point being that in order to have as much mass as posible you have to eat alot of food, inevetably some fat will accumulate.

lastly, fat and mainly water inside cells gives a beter mechanical leverage.

and obviously fat does not turn into muscle. Where these people get these ideas i'll never know

[Backa53]

Originally Posted by Jhawk Fitness

Bodyweight has an influence on abosolute strength, however, normally, a DB will be relatively stronger than a D-lineman.

Example: A 280 pound DE will bench 400 -vs- a 190 pound DB who benches 300. Which is "stronger" depends on how you look at it. The DE puts up more weight, but is lifting ~1.43 lbs per pound of bodyweight. Whereas the DB is lifting ~1.58 lbs per pound of bodyweight.

So really it depends on what you consider "stronger".

I know that in relative strength to weight ratio, a smaller person would usually be stronger. But why do lineman always bench more? (I'm sure that's not the case in high school, but I'll use the NFL as an example because they all train to a huge degree)
A smaller player might train harder, and have better genetics, and have shorter arms, but you will never find an NFL defensive back outbench a lineman.

[Crossballer]

Maybe it has something to do with body types?

Linemen are usually endomorphs, and defensive backs are usually mesomorphs.

Endomorphs have more natural strength, but they carry fat more easily.

Mesomorphs are not as strong as endomorphs, but they are ripped and as a result, they are quick.

That's why coaches tell receivers, "You may not be as big as the linemen, and might not be as strong, but you have to be quick!"

[Jhawk Fitness]

Originally Posted by Backa53

I know that in relative strength to weight ratio, a smaller person would usually be stronger. But why do lineman always bench more? (I'm sure that's not the case in high school, but I'll use the NFL as an example because they all train to a huge degree)
A smaller player might train harder, and have better genetics, and have shorter arms, but you will never find an NFL defensive back outbench a lineman.

That is due to cross-sectional size of the muscle. The more cross-sectional fiber size you have the greater your potential for strength.

[HUGE GUY]

A lot of NFL lineman are not fat, if you see Scott Young (who benched 225 43x) you will not think he is fat at all. Richie Incognito is a stud too, to bad he got hurt. Also, lineman are always at a caloric surplus like already stated which is an obvious prerequisite to muscle growth, unlike little lean dudes who are more worried about abs than athletic performance a lot of times at lower levels.

[Person]

You can have the shortest arms and best levers for benching, but if you are small you will not be benching much. Does anyone have the stats on the biggest benchers? I am almost positive most of the bests are over 6', just so they have enough room to hold all the damn mass. On top of that, after a certain point, fat and extra size make for more favorable leverages (think of squatting).

[ku2u]

world record bench was 1005. he was 6'1 385. gene rychlak jr. he takes macrobolic nutrition.

[runjumpthrow]

Originally Posted by Jhawk Fitness

he's wrong. a fat cell will not turn into anything, it will always be a fat cell.

yep. Fat and muscle are different types of cellular tissue. One cannot change into the other.

I think this fallacy started because when people stop lifting/training, they often get fat, sloppy, and out of shape.

(Not that I would know about such things....)

[runjumpthrow]

Originally Posted by Backa53

A smaller player might train harder, and have better genetics, and have shorter arms, but you will never find an NFL defensive back outbench a lineman.

So what?

When was the last time that an NFL game was decided by which team had the guy with the heaviest bench press?

NFL players (at least the knowledgeable ones) don't train for absolute strength. They train to get stronger and leaner. The reason? Strength+Lean body mass=power, speed, and vertical jumping ability.

And I disagree with you. LOTS of DBs outbench linemen, relatively speaking. Nobody cares about absolute strength. It is really a pretty meaningless.

[Person]

Again, the best levers for bench are not the best for football. Long arms are a good out to ever being a elite bencher, but definitely do not hurt for football, olympic lifting, and many other sports.