Unlike bodybuilders caring about appearance, these guys only care about strength, so they don't go on cuts, its just about building muscle, so they are in a constant 'bulk' phase, which adds fat.
(that's an oversimplification, they do do some cut, particularly for weigh ins, like with boxing and wrestling you wanna be in under a certain weight to be in a particular category. But as a general rule I meant, there's more 'bulking' as compared to bodybuilding)
Fat protects muscle. Thick core muscle also makes your waist thicker, too. When bodybuilders are at their most "shredded" they are at their weakest - their muscles are very defined because they've shed bodyfat, but in that process shed necessary support and muscle mass as well. Look up cutting and bulking for more detail. Bulking is gaining mass, cutting is gaining muscle definition by reducing mass.
A valid question, but weightlifting has always had its top stars looking fat, especially the men.
Serious question: Why is that? Strength I get, obviously, but why do the best ones have all that extra fat? I've always wondered.
Unlike bodybuilders caring about appearance, these guys only care about strength, so they don't go on cuts, its just about building muscle, so they are in a constant 'bulk' phase, which adds fat.
(that's an oversimplification, they do do some cut, particularly for weigh ins, like with boxing and wrestling you wanna be in under a certain weight to be in a particular category. But as a general rule I meant, there's more 'bulking' as compared to bodybuilding)
That makes a lot of sense. Thank you.
Fat protects muscle. Thick core muscle also makes your waist thicker, too. When bodybuilders are at their most "shredded" they are at their weakest - their muscles are very defined because they've shed bodyfat, but in that process shed necessary support and muscle mass as well. Look up cutting and bulking for more detail. Bulking is gaining mass, cutting is gaining muscle definition by reducing mass.
This is how hernias happen for anyone wondering what a weakness might be.
I think it partly has to do with caloric output (and therefore necessary input) and building up muscle mass.