how come footballers are never ripped

EdenHazard

do they not touch weights? its pretty standard for the average player to run 10km a game and most of them are in excellent shape but you dont really see everyone looking like cristiano ronaldo. sometimes they dont even have that visible of a 6 pack

Quazzie

Muscle is heavy, so its a fine line about what muscle content is required, and what muscle content will slow you down. For a lot of footballers, speed and agility is more important than strength.

MyKeyG

I often wondered about that too but I suppose compared to rugby players and boxers there's only a certain level of upper body muscle condition required.

Pea 9

Last season Gabby agbonlahor put on a load of muscle and he was shocking. He lost the only thing thats keeping him in the premiership, his pace. Ronaldo on the other hand is built but it doesnt seem to effect his pace. Its about finding the right balance IMO

Doug Cartel

Quazzie wrote: »

Muscle is heavy, so its a fine line about what muscle content is required, and what muscle content will slow you down. For a lot of footballers, speed and agility is more important than strength.

Muscles make you go fast. They are actually the things that make your body move.

Quazzie

Doug Cartel wrote: »

Muscles make you go fast. They are actually the things that make your body move.

But too much will slow you down. Thats why I said its a fine line.

seamus

Being "ripped" is all down to diet, it has little to do with actual fitness. People who are "ripped" just happen to be fitness people, hence why it's assumed that you need to work out a lot to get a six-pack. Ronaldo probably just has a low body fat percentage. He's not necessarily fitter or stronger than footballers who are less "ripped".

If you saw Graham Norton last week, Zach Braff was recalling when Schwarzenegger met him in a gym and asked him why he was working out. Braff said that he wanted a six-pack and Arnie's response was; "That's all diet. You need to eat lots of carrots".

copacetic

EdenHazard wrote: »

do they not touch weights? its pretty standard for the average player to run 10km a game and most of them are in excellent shape but you dont really see everyone looking like cristiano ronaldo. sometimes they dont even have that visible of a 6 pack

Ade akinbiyi says what?

MyKeyG

Doug Cartel wrote: »

Muscles make you go fast. They are actually the things that make your body move.

Yes but they don't have to be built up to the max to perform to the max. The other poster is correct. Muscle is heavy and cumbersome. A footballer will have muscles conditioned for speed not built for strength.

EdenHazard

They obviously exist, Sergio Ramos is another one with a top physique imo

MyKeyG

I think the truth is that being 'ripped' is a matter of preference and not necessity.

professore

You don't see many goals scored by someone flexing their 6 pack.

Brian?

Because they have to run around 10km a game, so they have to strike a balance between speed, agility and endurance.

jive

Easy answer is that football is more physical than soccer so it can be beneficial to carry more weight (as a natural athlete it is hard to maintain muscle and be ripped, especially for the duration of the football season). Also factor in the fact that football is an amateur sport and as a result soccer and it's players are far more advanced in terms of nutrition, training etc. Also factor in the fact that a lot of inter county players haven't a bulls notion what they are doing in the gym, it's actually laughable that they aren't more 'programmed' at that level but there ya go it is an amateur sport. Also people like Ronaldo, Ramos etc. are just genetically predisposed to be wirey athletic little bastards. There's not many black lads playing GAA, so it might be another while until you see physiques like yakubu, richards, akinbiyi etc. Irish soccer players aren't exactly ripped either though. These are just my observations. Different sports and different positions require different things so it's hard to say.

A lot of the Dublin team looked in great nick last year though, it appears they are gearing their physiques towards a more muscular/ripped appearance.

a lot of rambling and a pointless post but im posting it anyway !

MyKeyG

Sure any excuse to talk about the Dublin team. God knows they don't get enough exposure:rolleyes:

MagicMarker

In fairness, you don't see under many footballers shirts so it's hard to see who's really ripped or not, some physiques may be surprising.

RMD

Footballers are already so fit, well paid and well known that a 6 pack will make little difference to their life. Most people go for a 6 pack simply for the satisfaction of having a 6 pack and that "looking good" feeling, these lads already have fame and money. They could look like Leo Cullen and still ride their way through most birds we could dream of.

Simples.

MyKeyG

RMD wrote: »

Footballers are already so fit, well paid and well known that a 6 pack will make little difference to their life. Most people go for a 6 pack simply for the satisfaction of having a 6 pack and that "looking good" feeling, these lads already have fame and money. They could look like Leo Cullen and still ride their way through most birds we could dream of.

Simples.

Speak for yourself. I have no desire to sleep with any woman who prostitutes herself to fame and money!

Mellor

Quazzie wrote: »

Muscle is heavy, so its a fine line about what muscle content is required, and what muscle content will slow you down. For a lot of footballers, speed and agility is more important than strength.

Quazzie wrote: »

But too much will slow you down. Thats why I said its a fine line.

But what has amount of muscle got to do with visible muscle.
Visible abs, etc are determined by low body fat. It would make sense that lower body fat would help you move about.

Nobody asked why aren't footballers massive and bulging with muscles. It was about having visible muscles. And there is no reason why they can't at the muscle mass of a typical player.

EdenHazard

I guess it comes down to genetics, since footballers tend to eat pasta as part of their diet they are never in the shredded category, obviously the lucky ones do

Mellor

It's nothing to do with genetics or the fact that they eat pasta.

You don't need to be geneticly gifted to have visible abs. Anybody can, some just find it easier to achieve.

And blaming pasta is ridiculous. They are training full time, burning huge energy, they need carbs.