SlavikHavik said:
seriously, i mean no offense.
But its nothing new that pro athletes have great genetics.
What we were talking about is the fact that the amateurs in these sports seem to stay lean even though there not in a caloric deficit. And frequently eat like garbage. Genetics maybe.
Actually, if you eat like garbage and are lean, most of it is due to genetics. No matter how much exercise you do, your body has a set bodyfat, and if you go below it, your performance will suffer, so those people who are lean, are good at sports and eat like garbage are genetical wonders. Yeah, exercise will allow you to stay relatively lean, but the extremely lean physics displayed by gymnasts that you talk about is very genetically predisposed.
SlavikHavik said:
But the fact that close to 100% of the people who participate in gymnastics, at any level are in great condition tells you that the training must be having an effect on them.
Not really, read what Ive said above. As it has been mentioned before, fat is a cost in gymnasts. Thus this tells you that those that have chosen this sport are naturally very lean. Its like saying that basketball players are tall because of the training they do.
SlavikHavik said:
Of course its going to build up muscle. But bodyfat is a different issue.
if Body composition is all about calories in vs out. And hormone levels,
And these guys are building muscle and staying around or below 8%. There must be something in there training thats impacting this.
Again, I doubt it. At 8% or below, you have to be a very genetically gifted individual to maintain long-term performace. Training could have some impact, but would still be low compared to the individual make up of the sports person.
SlavikHavik said:
Or does is it just that we only understand body composition based on hormone levels and calories in/out. Because there happens to be alot of knowledge on those two topics on the board.
Is there another factor that allows these guys to do what they do.
You know within sports, the ammount of knowledge someone has about a particular issue changes, even though they can be applied to different ahtletics.
For example.
Powerlifters know alot about training
Wrestlers know alot about recovery
Bodybuilders know alot about nutrition
Track athletes know alot about flexibility training.
You are very wrong in this, mainly because you are making generalizations. Powerlifters better know a lot about recovery if they intend to keep maxing out every week (ala westside), and so do track athletes and so do bodybuilders, the list goes on. You are making a very wrong assertion.
SlavikHavik said:
My guess is theres a body of knowledge that would answer this question, that people in the bodybuilding/powerlifting community havent learned about yet.
What? Not at all.
I think you are taking the gymnast example way too extreme. I tell you what, if I started doing gymnast there is no way Ill end up like them, even if I train as an amateur. On the other hand, my body is naturally biased for strength. Its all about landing on the sports at which you are going to be good at, and whilst other factors are relatively important in sports (such as the individual's psychology), body make up is the most important for allowing a person to channel to the right sport.
When you go to this gymnast club, you may see 27 gymnasts, all amateurs and all that look good, but then think, how many gymnasts wannabes have been rejected. How many guys that went there, gave it a go and then dropped, have passed through? If you actually think about this, and could get real stats, you'd be surprised.
As a last point, you mention they are kids, well, kids on top of this, will naturally favour being lean, than say, if they were 30. So, objectively, I think your assumptions are wrong.
Dont take it the wrong way, just stating what I think.
Edit: had to edit because I cant get this quoting to work properly.
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