Came a question from an anonymous reader:
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“I don’t know if you’re into boxing but can you do some kind of review / breakdown of Fury’s physique – I know you are a follower of the ‘Grecian ideal’ – which Tyson looks almost the opposite of – how can this kind of strength & power come in such a giant, flabby, chicken-legged package?
Genuinely fascinated as to how this can happen.”
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As I enjoy nothing more talking about the unclothed male form, here is my response:
Oftentimes, mixed martial artists actually look very good.
This is largely due to the fact that they need to keep their weight within the bounds of their weight class.
Consequently, they tend to keep a slightly higher bodyweight than the maximum allowed by their chosen category then cut down for the fight (usually aiming to come in fractions of a kilo under the limit). The net result of this approach means they maintain a handsome, lean physique pretty much year round.
However.
Not all fighters abide by this general rule – particularly those who compete in heavier weight classes.
Tyson Fury being one of them.
His is not an attractive physique by any coherent definition of the word.
Why is this?
No idea because I am not privy to (nor particularly interested in) his training methods, diet, and lifestyle.
We can be sure that all of the above are as close to optimal as can be for him, otherwise he wouldn’t have had such a wildly successful career.
But I know nothing more than that.
What I do know is that training for strength and power does not necessarily produce an aesthetically pleasing physique.
For example, many powerlifters have terrible leg development despite being able to squat and deadlift many multiples of their bodyweight.
There are exceptions like Dan Green, but most tend to have middling to poor legs because – contrary to what people who spend more time talking about powerlifting on the internet than they do actually training think – shooting for a monster squat in terms of raw poundage is not the most efficient and effective way to slap muscle on the legs in a balanced fashion.
You should still aim to get strong if you (like me) are interested in looking great.
That said, there is certainly a tradeoff between performance and aesthetics once you reach a certain point.
This point is much further away than most people think (indeed, most who train will never come close to meeting it), but it does exist, and it is the reason that lots of athletes in strength and power sports don’t remotely resemble the universally desirable “Grecian Ideal”.
None of this has anything whatsoever to do with the theme of Rest and Recovery that I’ve hitherto been covering this week, but it was a great question deserving of a prompt and detailed response.
Speaking of prompt and detailed responses to your training related questions…
This is one of the benefits you will enjoy as a subscriber of “The Phil Tyreman Letter”.
Specifically, you can ask me anything I am qualified to answer about training and I will get back to you – usually within 12 hours but never more than 24 hours in any case.
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Phil Tyreman