[cdub]

cdub on April 28, 2007 at 5:12 pm #13015

I have seen sprinters like Shawn Crawford who has a strong upperbody and huge thigh/hamstring muscle but skinny calves.  What if the guy is top heavy with skinny calves, thigh/hamstring muscle and a skinny waist, will he ever compete with other fast sprinters?  And should he avoid doing upperbody workout and just do lowerbody stuff in the gym?   

[cerebro]

cerebro on April 28, 2007 at 8:04 pm #64434

You want a skinny waist. Skinny calves are okay if you have the achilles to go with it (ie Tyson Gay, Crawford, etc.).

[cdub]

cdub on April 29, 2007 at 12:37 am #64435

Is the waist the same as your hip area.  If not, then is narrow hips with a regular size waist and up(the upperbody) any good for sprinters?

[cerebro]

cerebro on April 29, 2007 at 2:05 am #64436

You want narrow hips… a skinny waist will generally go with an athlete that is lean. Upper body isn't really significant from a muscular development perspective. There are a lot of built guys and a lot of puny guys–it doesn't really matter.

[cdub]

cdub on April 29, 2007 at 2:26 am #64437

Ok, getting lean is the main key.. Trying to get the sides(love handles) lean is difficult.  Alright I understand now.  thanks

[utfootball4]

utfootball4 on April 29, 2007 at 2:56 am #64438

Ok, getting lean is the main key.. Trying to get the sides(love handles) lean is difficult.  Alright I understand now.  thanks

don't worry about getting the perfect sprinters physique, its overrated, i have seen guys with 4-6% bodyfat running slow as shit, focus on your training instead.

[flow]

flow on April 29, 2007 at 8:28 am #64439

yeah,  get your training straight,  eat healthy and the rest will follow naturally ; )

[RunnerMan]

RunnerMan on April 29, 2007 at 2:26 pm #64440

big buts (serious) are common among world-class sprinters, i guess partly because of the the ethnic groups that dominate the sport on the world stage and their genetic makeup, and also I imagine it helps having brutally powerful glutes for leg drive and the entire sprinting leg action.

Are wide hips bad?

[Mike Young]

Mike Young on April 29, 2007 at 6:10 pm #64441

As stated, workout with function rather than form as the primary focus.

ELITETRACK Founder

[coldshot]

coldshot on May 9, 2007 at 1:29 am #64442

Training with sprints and weights over time, while remaining functional and recovering properly always being the major priority, one will easily attain a sprinter physique the likes of Mo Greene, Ben Johnson, Asafa Powell, Darrel Brown, Shawn Crawford, or whomever u desire.  This physique will always be manifested in whomever takes to these methods over time. At first, the lifts do not seem like enough but over time the build-up is very great and less and less becomes more and more as one nears that 22-30 primetime age.

If you've heard about the MVP sprint camps training or you've seen them train you will see them doing only a select few weight exercises such as the bench, deadlift, and one legged squat.  But it's the cumulative build-up of the weights and the sprints over time that make these elite look like monsters, since it is all high intensity stimulus.

An interview of Powell and MVP camp training in the background:
https://svt.se/svt/road/Classic/shared/mediacenter/index.jsp?&d=22040&a=816849&lid=puff_816860&lpos=extra_0

Believe Ato Boldon said when u combine people/athletes training with some of the best coaches, some of the best training programs, and some of the best nutrition, what u get is some of the most incredible physiques through-out all of sport ever.

Also what of some of these poor countries without the proper nutrition such as cuba and their malnourished athletes.  They've had alot of malnourished athletes all throughout different sports and once the nutrition is there they become monsters if they aren't already monsters.  Look at the Young Dayron Robles, cuban 110m hurdle monster.  The kid is still young but he's already a monster still training in cuba and primed ready to take on Liu.