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Do bodybuilders have functional strength?
Why would you ask that?
It is the difference between a sprinter and a marathon runner. They may be able to lift
200 pounds for show, but can they carry a heavy load a long distance?
What’s the practical use of that?
I want to know if these guys are for show, or can they do something useful like carry
my couch up three flights of stairs.
It’s like wondering if the really pretty girl talking about being a housewife, is just
an aspiring trophy wife, or can she cook too. But think about how body builders build up
their muscles in the first place.
They lift weights.
They have to pick up heavy weights and lift them over and over again, several times a
week. That does build functional strength.
But they aren’t out there carrying heavy loads for miles. Otherwise, many soldiers
who have to carry 90 pound packs would look more like weight lifters.
You’re right, there is a difference. The soldiers have to have cardiovascular endurance,
which is carrying a heavy load long distances.
So body builders are weaker than the average army guy.
A soldier can carry 100 pounds 10 miles. A body builder can lift 200 pounds at least
20 times.
So it’s the sprinting versus marathon.
And a sprinter will go faster than a marathon runner in the short run. Literally.
Then why do body builders work out so much?
We judge a man’s strength and looks on looking like Hercules, not GI Joe.
Which do you think is better?
Both men are fit and healthy. And both men could carry me out of a burning building,
if push came to shove.
I’d hope they don’t need to push you out. I’d rather be carried out.
Even a lug head body builder could pick you up and carry you to safety. That’s the definition
of a hero rescuing a princess.
And there are plenty of body builders, who like literally picking girls up to show off
their strength, in the hope of picking them up metaphorically.