The Athletic Physique

As evidenced by some of my past posts (not many), I am very interested in the physiques of athletes, football players in general. Somebody that really amazes me is Vernon Gholston. Although bodybuilders definetly have different methods of achieving size, and powerlifters definetly have their own ways of achieving strength, I think it is amazing how some of these athletes have absolutely awesome physiques with the strength to back it. These guys are what I strive to look like.

Although it definetly has to do with genetics and the access they have to different tools/coaches/nutritionists, I think it really boils down to the hard work done on a day-to-day basis.

Gholston Benching 225 37x

genetics and drugs play a major role in sports.

A lot of those guys train like bodybuilders in the weightroom.

he made 225 look like a feather… gota love when spotter actually lets vernon lift the weight and he just yells LOCK THAT !!! LOCK THAT !!! LOCK IT!!!

I wish i could find a spotter to encourage instead of grabing the weight the second i struggle a bit.

Another athletic FREAK:Vernon Davis

Combine stats from 2006 draft:
6’3 253 Maryland
40-yard dash - 4.38, 225 bench press - 33 reps, vertical jump - 42"

[quote]jdarkraget wrote:
he made 225 look like a feather… gota love when spotter actually lets vernon lift the weight and he just yells LOCK THAT !!! LOCK THAT !!! LOCK IT!!!

I wish i could find a spotter to encourage instead of grabing the weight the second i struggle a bit.[/quote]

I think that has something to do with the fact that the last rep wouldn’t count for the combine, if the spotter helped him to lift the weight.

Those dudes look really powerful.

[quote]Nole wrote:

As evidenced by some of my past posts (not many), I am very interested in the physiques of athletes, football players in general. Somebody that really amazes me is Vernon Gholston.

Although bodybuilders definetly have different methods of achieving size, and powerlifters definetly have their own ways of achieving strength, I think it is amazing how some of these athletes have absolutely awesome physiques with the strength to back it. These guys are what I strive to look like.

Although it definetly has to do with genetics and the access they have to different tools/coaches/nutritionists, I think it really boils down to the hard work done on a day-to-day basis.

Gholston Benching 225 37x

Yeah, a lot of them train similarly to bodybuilders, except usually with some olympic lifting sprinkled in. There are some people that I think would have an honest shot as an IFBB competitor… Thomas Jones, Michael Pittman, David Boston (ex-NFL), hell maybe even someone lie Joey Portey if he cut down.

Concerning the video, the best part was at the end when he talked about only lifting in the 5-6 range.

Let’s face it. They’re pros and made it to be pros because they first and foremost have the superior genetics. I went to an all black high school and remember seeing some amazing physiques on 15 year old black guys.

Some of the fellas on the football team could bench 275 for 6-10 reps completely cold. As in just playing around. All with a couple of months of training. Their strength would just skyrocket on every movement. It was truly impressive.

That combined with the work ethic that some possessed made the sky their limit.

I would also like to add that when i asked alot of those guys about raining tips and stuff i was surprised that alot of them said they’ve been working out since they were little kids. It, was just what they did for fun. Pushups and pullups were their mainstay. Dips too.

So in the end, like gymnasts, they’ve been at it since childhood.

[quote]Gregus wrote:
Let’s face it. They’re pros and made it to be pros because they first and foremost have the superior genetics. I went to an all black high school and remember seeing some amazing physiques on 15 year old black guys.

Some of the fellas on the football team could bench 275 for 6-10 reps completely cold. As in just playing around. All with a couple of months of training. Their strength would just skyrocket on every movement. It was truly impressive.

That combined with the work ethic that some possessed made the sky their limit. [/quote]

Does this argument really have to come up again? I’ve worked with several schools in DC and met many young black men and kids through Children’s Hospital, and I didn’t see a bunch of mini-arnold’s walking around.

7 to 8 out of every 10 boys (ages 14-18) I worked with wanted to play professional sports for a living and participated in sports year round. That means during school at lunch, after school for a sports team, and at night at the local track/court whatever.

When you have so many devoted athletes concentrated in small areas, the level of competition is much more intense and the talent pool you are drawing from becomes much larger than national census stats would make it appear.

This whole “mandingo theory” bullshit gets spread by idiots like you and it gets tiring after hearing it for the millionth time.

I don’t see why you are so hostile about it. Why is it hard for you to believe that certain talents will be more concentrated in certain ethnic groups? There are higher concentrations of athletically gifted men among black men. To deny that is to be in denial. All you have to do is look at the dominance in most professional sports and Olympic track and field. or for that matter look at Body Building. Anyway Why does it bother you so much? Maybe you have issues in why you disbelieve it with such hostility.

Im a white European and it does not bother me. I admire it and see it for what it is. A race of people who have a higher concentration of superior athletic genetics. Get over it.

I think a lot of it is when you are poor, athletics are a way out, so you train your ass off.

Winter sports and swimming are dominated by Caucasians. So white people are genetically gifted in the cold and in the water?

Why does the US suck at soccer? The population doesn’t care about it. All of our athletes go into other things. If you took a country of predominantly one race and channel all their talent into a specific sport, then, yes, there are a lot of people of one race good at a specific sport.

There was a discussion about ripped olympic gymnasts having big arms and shoulders, plus small legs, bigger torso, and a favorable bone structure. People debated about whether it was their training or whatever, but one person said this:

The reason why Olympic level gymnasts all have these traits is because of their genetics and their training. But sometimes, only the gymnasts with FAVORABLE genetics will be able to make it to the top tier.

That is why in the top tier you see the ripped arms, good bone structure, etc. because only those with great genetics can take their sport to the next level.

I think a similar concept applies to the NFL.

[quote]Gregus wrote:
I don’t see why you are so hostile about it. Why is it hard for you to believe that certain talents will be more concentrated in certain ethnic groups? There are higher concentrations of athletically gifted men among black men. To deny that is to be in denial. All you have to do is look at the dominance in most professional sports and Olympic track and field. or for that matter look at Body Building. Anyway Why does it bother you so much? Maybe you have issues in why you disbelieve it with such hostility.

Im a white European and it does not bother me. I admire it and see it for what it is. A race of people who have a higher concentration of superior athletic genetics. Get over it. [/quote]

That’s right.

Like Florida Blacks are faster, stronger and better football players then Northern Blacks. I think they come from the Zamunda tribe.

As someone said earlier most of these guys start out at 5 years old working out. When others are chilling, or looking for a job in the summer, or even in an academic overachievers program, they are doing two a days for football practice in August Heat. Combine that with summer football camps, plus spring ball in college, as well as private workouts many of these guys rack in more training time than most bodybuilders. but THEY GET PAID FOR IT. If your working now and want to look good your much better off focusing in a particular goal and trying to obtain that ONE or TWO. You won’t have the time to develop all the athletecism plus body type as these guys.

I’ve seen amazing athletes in college that look like they can’t get any better, go to training camp come back in a month and look super human. Something about having every meal planned out, a curfew, no contact with outsiders, while being out on the field pushing other guys around, plus lifting weights while competing for a job every day that makes you bigger and stronger.

Africans have great genetics for physical activities. Seriously. I mean just look around. They ar ethe best in bodybuilding, football, sprinting, marathons, basketball. Etc. Gifted.

[quote]Gregus wrote:
I don’t see why you are so hostile about it. Why is it hard for you to believe that certain talents will be more concentrated in certain ethnic groups? There are higher concentrations of athletically gifted men among black men. To deny that is to be in denial. All you have to do is look at the dominance in most professional sports and Olympic track and field. or for that matter look at Body Building. Anyway Why does it bother you so much? Maybe you have issues in why you disbelieve it with such hostility.

Im a white European and it does not bother me. I admire it and see it for what it is. A race of people who have a higher concentration of superior athletic genetics. Get over it. [/quote]

There is more in-group variance than between-group variance when it comes to ethnicity. It’s even hard to classify ethnicity, because two individuals that share the same physical features and skin color could have completely different lineages.

Your argument bothers me because it belongs to that of a world-view in which everything is based mainly on genetics. Why are Jews over-represented in law and finance? Why do Asian families have the highest household income in the U.S.? Why are sports that require great amounts of strength like wrestling and weightlifting dominated by “white” athletes. Of course genetics play a role, but on a micro, not macro, level. They don’t explain why entire countries or people have similar ethnic backgrounds perform better at certain tasks. Let’s take your argument and apply it to academics.

If two intelligent, white parents have an intelligent child, it must because of genetics, right? But this is neglecting the vast impact that family pressures and culture play. For starters, the parents are more equipped to speed up the development of their child because they are highly educated. They may instill a passion for reading or solving math problems, and make sure their child spends x amount of hours every day studying. They will also pressure their child to get a graduate and post-graduate degree because they did. So when their child is more likely to go on and earn their PHD and score a 140 on an IQ test, is it because of genetics or other factors?

Every year, you see talented college athletes enter the NFL or NBA. They almost all have the athleticism. They have the credentials from college. They have the ability to play ball at the pro level. Why does one have a successful career and the other end up in the D-League? They are both black, and if they were both equally skilled by college genetics will not explain why one suddenly becomes better in the pros. It’s because of hard freaking work. But enough of my rambling.

You guys know what ALWAYS happens in threads like this?

People get pissed, nobody changes their mind, and the original intention of the OP hasn’t even been touched on in a dozen responses.

Gifted athletes are also more likely to respond well to weight training… black or white.

Have fun guys, it’ll be a massive waste of time as usual.

[quote]Scott M wrote:
You guys know what ALWAYS happens in threads like this?

People get pissed, nobody changes their mind, and the original intention of the OP hasn’t even been touched on in a dozen responses.

Gifted athletes are also more likely to respond well to weight training… black or white.

Have fun guys, it’ll be a massive waste of time as usual. [/quote]

I agree. Then again, we could apply that to 9 out of 10 discussions on here (at least).

Guess people need to talk about… something…

[quote]Der Candy wrote:
Africans have great genetics for physical activities. Seriously. I mean just look around. They ar ethe best in bodybuilding, football, sprinting, marathons, basketball. Etc. Gifted.[/quote]

Take a look at strongman comps, olympic weightlifting, soccor, wrestling, hockey, and tennis. What did they teach you in school besides Mein Kampf?

I think there have been a series of genetic mutations in the region of current-day Bulgaria over the last 3,000 years related to the development of increased fast-twitch muscle fibers and these mutations spread to Greece, Russia, and other parts of Europe. That’s why they excell at weightlifting. Yeah…