William J Ambruz :
"Body fat. The age-old adage is bigger equals stronger. While this is not
unequivocally the case (e.g., relative-strength of Olympic Athletes, sub-200
lb powerlfiters that can bench press in the high 400’s, etc.), there is
something to be said about the influence of body size on one’s apparent
levels of strength. In contact sports like football and rugby the relationship
is obvious. Mathematically, a big mass of stuff at any speed equals
momentum. In any tongue, this can translate to a punishing tackle on
another human being, or some very effective blocking. That is why in these
sports, body composition is largely unimportant for certain positions. It’s
the bodyweight that counts.
In the weight room, one also notices the effects of body fat increases on his
strength (though he may be blind to it, thinking his burgeoning bulk is pure
muscle). And perhaps there may be a difference in value between the effects
of intramuscular fat and all other body fat on performance. Regardless, the
accretion of any body fat can possibly change leverages, shorten a range of
motion, or provide greater stabilization to a lift (as discussed above). All of
these can affect strength, though many a trainee would likely not consider
them.
International Association of Resistance Trainers 58
Think about a lean, muscular arm bench pressing. The motion is fluid,
pleasant to watch, full range of motion, etc. Now, bulk that sucker up with a
few buckets of Weider’s Mega Mass 4000. Maybe throw in a coupla raw
eggs too. Get that guy nice and flabby. Now visualize the same arm
working. Aside from it not being eye candy, the bulkier limb seems to have
a few obvious advantages. For one thing, as the arm collapses into the
bottom of the press, there is so much more arm volume that it is obstructing
the forearm in its descent. In fact, the forearm is collapsing into a glut of
skin and biceps as the bar drops to chest level. This changes the leverage on
the turnaround as the forearm extensors have greater mechanical advantage
in a base against which it can thrust; less overall force is dissipated, and is
instead changed to more drive. Again, overhead pressing on an air mattress
vs. concrete.
Another difference is that the bulkier limb has arguably decreased the range
of arm motion. This may be especially true since the arm did not likely bulk
up in isolation. The pectorals are probably fatter as well, and therefore
extend further off the chest – even if only slightly. Therefore, unless you’re
caving your chest in with a bench press (which you shouldn’t be for obvious
reasons), the bar would have less overall distance to travel from chest height
to full extension. The shorter range of motion would likely increase your
apparent strength since you have reduced what is arguably the most difficult
area of the repetition.
Another popular example in powerlifting is the effect of a bit o’ belly on
one’s maximum squat. Called ‘dunlop’ by some (as in, when “your belly
done lops over your belt”) these lifters find that they need less overall lower
back stabilization and power for torso extension out of the bottom of a squat.
In the full squat position, their stomach gets pinched tightly between their
upper torso and thighs. This relieves much of the load off of the lower back
and hamstrings, and is like having a boulder as a medium for transferring
force between the legs and the torso. While by no means in the Dunlop
realm, I believe it was Fred Hatfield Sr. that publicly commented on the
value of having some paunch when squatting his mind-boggling 1012lbs
record. Grab yourself a Powermag or Powerlifting USA rag; many
competitors say the same thing.
International Association of Resistance Trainers 59
In the normal weightlifting Joe, these side effects due to weight gain would
be subtle at each increment, though they would be progressive over time.
The strength effects of a so-called 20 pound mass gains in a few weeks or
months are therefore suspect. Ask any powerlifter trying to maximize his
weight in a weight class. He’s the first to tell you that he’ll be stronger at
242lbs than he will at 232lbs, even if that 10lb difference is fat. Of course, it
doesn’t compare to the strength effects of 10lbs of muscle, but then again –
10 lbs of muscle in an elite lifter takes much, much longer than a few weeks
or months to develop. Depending on how elite, it might even take a few
cc’s. Be honest with yourself about your strength progress. Nobody wants
their lower back looking like somebody’s waterbed when they strut down
Park Avenue, I don’t care how much it adds to your cable-crossovers."
c'est pour ca que Fab s'est laissé pousser le BIDE