Body Builders vs. Athletes

[hb]

We all know about body building and I have come to notice that body building for the sake of looks is very veign and stupid. This is what I have been doing for the past year. Now I need tips on how to be an "Athlete" I want total body power. I want that raw power of dunking on someone. Think about it - when you dunk on someone you are using just about every part of your body. You have to get up higher and faster then someone else and if you are not strong enough to dunk it on them, you will fall and break your neck. Now I need tips on how to gain total body power, the type that basketball player football players and in some cases boxers have. I have noticed in some cases that kids that are very athletic and dont lift weights seriously are sometimes stronger or equally as strong as I.
What am I missing? is it just the leg power? the fact that Ive been focusing on my upper body alot more then my lower?
Another thing ive noticed is that in some cases, for instances boxing or anything where quickness is required(and we all know that sometimes the more velocity something carrys the harder/heavier it is), the abdominal area is key.But how important is the mid-section?
How can someone gain super endurance, how can one turn himself into a true athlete?

 

[ceekay]

Originally posted by hb
how can one turn himself into a true athlete?

genetics...
athletes are born, not made

 

[Shiftkey]

Genetics, yes. Nutrition while growing up can also make a huge difference in adult size and fitness level. But if you're built like a bodybuilder you probably have the ability to be more athletic.

hb, if you want to dunk on someone you need more skill than muscle power. Your brain controls how you use your muscles. The best way to condition your brain to use your muscles in a way that lets you dunk on someone, is to practise.

Obviously you also need to focus on your lower body to help your jumping elevation - particularly your calves.

 

[2xp]

Genetics, yes. Nutrition while growing up can also make a huge difference in adult size and fitness level

i'd also say this is also a question of lifestyle. these kids were playing basketball everyday when all of us were playing with the playstation or reading comic books. they were outdoors when we would prefer going to a bar or staying home. their parents encouraged them to eat properly and go outside while ours let us watch TV instead. afterwards, they maybe have a physical job, using their hands & legs while we would sit all day exercising our fingers with the keyboards. then on weekends they would compete to see who would jump higher when we would go to the local mall to buy another piece of cloth.


i believe being a athlete is a question of YEARS. ever studied the champion' biographies?. i know one gold medal runner here in france says when he was a child, he always missed the school bus in the morning and used to run everyday downhill to catch the bus. then after school, they'd compete to see who would run faster to the beach, then play soccer till dinner . he says he was always exhausted and couldn't watch TV because he was weared out. he's sleep like a baby after dinner.

another example : if you ever go to any remote countryside, the usual farmer are healthier&fit than the average sportsman in cities. they have natural big hands to handle their machines. they have huge manly chests and big forearms to take care of all of these animals. because they have been doing all of these since they were teenagers.





the body takes years to build up. it's a matter of genetics (big YES), of lifestyle also. lifestyle then influences your nutrition and fitness.

that's maybe where the average joe living in the city lack. that's maybe where you should focus and dedicate every little bit of your life to being fit.

 

[DJBen]

Bodybuilders are just as strong and powerful as these "Atheletes" of which you speak. The difference is, to be a good bodybuilder you work a lot more on slow-twitch muscles than fast twitch ones. When you jump, it's a fast twitch motion. The faster the twich, the higher the jump, as a general rule.

It's about being as strong as you can be POUND FOR POUND. I'm 162lbs. My friend is 148lbs. He jumps higher, he runs faster, he pushes almost as hard as me, and is almost equal to me in every way. Despite the fact that I can bench 80 more lbs than him etc. The only reason he probably doesnt strike as hard as me is cause I've done MA and muay thai. Otherwise all that extra muscle/fat of mine is pure waste.

Bodybuilding is selfish. Bodybuilding isnt pointless and stupid though. As Arnie put it in Pumping Iron, for some people bodybuilding seems weird or stupid. But to him, he feels the same way about people that want to travel 1/4 mile in 4-5 seconds.

Get into HIIT, do a lot of bag work, road work etc. You need to concentrate more on a military style workout regimen by the sounds of it.

Ben

 

[flava]

first of all true bodybuilders are athletes as a matter in fact its is the only sport i know of where you train 24/7. that takes a hell of a lot of determination.

 

[#1 P.I.M.P.]

Originally posted by DJBen


Bodybuilding is selfish.

Having a passion and a drive or a hobby for somthing in life other than girls, games, and other sports(which people don't deep as selfish cause they like watching them and idolize these athlets, when really they go throught the same thypes of training as bodybuilders just slightly diffrenty). If u find that selfish then you'd consider all these other things selfish. Bodybuilding is about a drive and a passion for the sport, withoth it anyone just fails. Its give that most people would get into it odd of some chick or self improvement or whatever, but that will only get them so far. Those guys you see on the olynpia ,who thing millions of girls rush them whereever they go, ofcourse not, chicks are intimidated by big figured men, give tho that they still have wives, who learn to appriciate them for who they are. No it takes alot more than that, they have heart and the desire to be the best in somthing they re great at despite persucution.

On a side not alot of people would consider this site selfish and sexist.

Come Good..........

 

[DJBen]

By selfish I mean you do it for yourself, not for anyone else. It shouldnt be for any other reason, and if it is, you wont get far. I'm getting heavily into bodybuilding, I've got great respect for those guys also.

I was just trying to use as little words as possible, looks like I worded it wrong

 

[S0LID]

I lift cause its good for energy, health and gives me a feeling of accomplishment when I make gains.

 

[Nightwing]

Have you ever heard of plyometrics?? Search on the subject on the internet.

 

[Levex]

bodybuilding alone will not help you get better in any sport. yes, your muscles get bigger, but to play active, competitive sports you also need good hand-to-eye coordination, good reflexes and actually know what the **** you're doing.
best way to get better in any sport is to play it. i played basketball for 3 years during high school, and i was getting better and better each month.

 

[MetalFortress]

Re: Re: Body Builders vs. Athletes

Originally posted by ceekay
genetics...
athletes are born, not made

^Do the opposite of what this guy says, and there you have it.

 

[elvis aint dead yet]

Whatever hobby or athletic endever you choose to partake in, it takes drive and determination.


otherwise you'll just be another one of those guys or girls who does something once every other month and considers yourself a true "ball player, body builder, fitness guru, martial arts expert and so on."

When in fact, your just like mostly everybody else.

For a long time people had no real admiration for bodybuilders because they were considered "cheaters."

yes, they worked harder then most, but they used and extra something to help them get bigger, help them lose weight, help them recover and so on.

Well, the problem nowis , many of these true "athletes" everybody has always admired also were "cheaters" or still claim they aren't cheating.

Many people do not admire that, even though you still have to work ur butt off while on that extra something.

That is the reason bodybuilding has always been more like wrestling then other athletes. People just thought they were cheaters.

And it's hard to lose that stigma.

And its very hard when a guy like Ronnie Coleman, probably one of the most well known bodybuilders these days and for the past ten years, was also a guy who worked as a cop and some of his buddies busted those who tried to be like him.

No matter what, it takes hard work, drive, and determiniation, it's just a matter of fact why people never considered them athletes.

Be it wrong or not.

You can talk about the "natural bodybuilders" all you want, but the casual observer only knows the Ronnie Colemans and Jay Cutlers of the world.

The other issue is the fact that, it's judged.

People complain about boxing judges and decisions when there isn't an obvious winner.

People complain about skating, and the olympics had the whole scandal a few years back.

When there is no real one on one or team on team activity, there is the bigger issue.

Judges aren't always "fair" as people would like to believe.

But thats besides the point.

Back to the whole BOdybuilding vs athletic. It depends on what you want.

You can be athletic and huge, but there are different things you are going to do.

if you are into martial arts and quickness, you won't spend hours and hours a day lifting heavy weights.

if you want to look like ronnie coleman, you 're gonna do more heavy lifting then running and jumping and so on.

It's all a matter of what you want to do.

But the one guy is right.

If your 30 years old and have never done much your whole life, dont' expect to be this super athlete or super bodybuilder in one week.

 

[RussianRocket]

Wow. A lot of ignorant people here.

I was both at a semi-professional level for 5-6 years (am BBing now).

It depends on what you want in life, you can gear your body towards athletic elitism or esthetic elitism. Sometimes both.

Now without flaming anyone here, a lot of you should get your heads out of your asses, for your own good.

Athetes = Power (Strength x Speed + Technique)
BodyBuilders = Strength (Hypertrophy)

 

[Empera]

Re: Re: Body Builders vs. Athletes

Originally posted by ceekay
genetics...
athletes are born, not made

get the **** outta here.

100m sprinters...MAYBE, but overall athletes FVCK NO.

body builders in my oppinion have no where near the same explosiveness as athletes, especially strength and power athletes, e.g. 100m sprinters. this is because their training is based around slower movement of weights, whereas a 100m sprinter's workout would include a lot of explosive, compound exercises specially designed for the legs and core muscles.

body builders mainly focus on isolation exercises and that is why they cannot compete with an olympic lifter. their CNS cannot coordinate muscle strength and call on muscle fibres as efficiently as that of a power lifter or an olympic lifter.

now you say you want power and you pointed out that abdominal strength is the key and let me tell you that is is CRUCIAL for brute strength. your abdominals and lower back muscles stabalise your structure. they are big, powerful muscles and if trained well can be used to generate a lot of force.

as for the kids that you say do not lift seriousely but are either as strong or stronger than you then that could be for many reasons:
1) they play a lot of sport which gives them functional strenth
2) they actually are seriouse lifters and you dont know
3) they out weigh you
4) they have good genetics
5) they're just using better body mechanics to do the same thing as you

you see body builders dont train for the purpose of strength, they're training is based around increasing muscle hypertrophy. that's all they are concerned with because that's the aim of their sport. they don't care if they can bench 6 lbs or 600 lbs so long as they get those muscle fibres to grow. and along with that they use roids to help them and they get a nice tan to both make them look better and enhance their muscle tone appearance.

BBs and athlete's train for very different things. athletes want and NEED power. power is speed strength. therefore explosiveness. look into plyometrics.

 

[mikel]

Athletes ARE born. Are you saying that going out and kicking the soccerball when you are a kid is going to make you a NATURALLY gifted athlete like Lebron, MJ, Kobe etc.

There is a reason that athletic ability is a gift, it is something that you can't obtain unless your born with it.

For istance my best friend who I grew up with, played basketball or football in the street just like every other kid on my street. But you know what? My vertical is about 20 inchs over his.

Athletic ability is genetic, Being in shape isn't.

 

[hb]

thanx for the info guy. I personally feel that plyometrics are alot harder than lifting....
I see that there is a debate here about whether athletes are born or made........

Michael Jordan once said in an interview that "Athletes are born, but they need to discover a way to bring out there talent"

Wayne Gretzky once said in an interview that "Athletes are DEFINITELY MADE"

Funny thing is, lets take a look at this scenario..... Jordan made it to the NBA, his brother didnt.... They both played basketball too. Same for Sean Elliot if you guys rememmber him, from the San Antonio Spurs. He and his brother were both on their HighSchool
team.

Also I've noticed and I'm guessing alot of you have also noticed that African Americans can usually jump higher than everyone else.

Now I dont wanna get into trouble here, but if any of you have watched Chris Rock's special, in it he says that the reason that sports are mostly dominated by black athletes travels all the way back to slavery and how only the strongest survived........

Kinda looks like this is headed in the genetics point.

 

[bogman2121]

to be a true athlete you must have drive, determination, competitiveness, and genetics.

 

[RussianRocket]

Originally posted by bogman2121
to be a true athlete you must have drive, determination, competitiveness, and genetics.

What are you, a gatorade commercial or something?

Geez...