[Sparky-bjj]

Fighters like ken shamrock, mark coleman, phil baroni, kevin randleman, melvin manhoef,...all have a very muscular build. Whereas fighters like kazushi sakuraba, antonio rodrigo noguiera, yuki kondo, masakazu imanari...aren't very muscular at all. It seems that those very muscular guys tend to mostly come from the usa and europe. And the less muscular ones from Japan and Brazil (mostly from Japan). Offcourse there are exceptions. How good are all those muscles for fighting? Are these muscles usefull? Offcourse they lend sheer power, but don't they make you less agile and flexible? I also see that a very muscular build tends to come with a certain fighting style: wrestling, ground'n'pound, brawling. Whereas most submission fighters aren't that muscular. Offcourse again there are exceptions. I personally don't try to have that 'bodybuilder' look as I believe it will make me less flexible. Also lot's of muscles are good for 'exploding' once in a while, but they usually don't last long. What do you guys think: do these very muscular guys have an advantage over the less muscular ones?

[ty100]

being muscular and having good skill will be your best bet. A big guy with good skill could beat a little guy with skill at lease most of the time.

[Sparky-bjj]

A big guy with good skill could beat a little guy with skill at lease most of the time.

There are lots of examples where the opposite happened: randleman got beaten by sakuraba, ken shamrock and kimo got beaten by royce gracie, mark coleman got beaten by nogueira, gregg pittman got beaten by yuki nakai...Also the top heavyweight of the world: Fedor isn't very muscular at all, in fact he's quite fat. I think that all the time you spend at weight training and diet could be better used for other things like sparring.

[Arjun]

Muscle mass slowing you down or decreasing your flexibility is a myth. It all depends on what you train for. If you are a bodybuilder and your chief concern is to look good on the beach and freak everyone out with grotesquely large muscles, then you arent going to worry about speed training, explosive power, and flexibility.

However, if you train hard for combat related traits the muscles that you grow because of it aren't going to hinder your efforts (unless you are doing something dumb, like not stretching often, not doing the complete movements or etc).

Muscle size equals an increase in muscle fibers, which means they are more capable of contracting with more force. There is, however, a difference in Maximum power vs. Absolute power. Maximum power is the maximum force that can be exerted from the muscle by the individual, while absolute force it the maximum force the muscle can exert (stimulated by electric current to achieve absolute force). There is always a gap between maximum and absolute force, which means in every athlete there is always some deficit in power, and this varies widely. For example, a body builder, by the nature of his training and his goals, has a very large deficit between his maximum force and absolute force, whereas a seasoned sprinter has relatively little deficit.

Maybe the differences in muscle mass and tone in these fighters is due to genetics or even nutrition and eating habits. Or maybe it is a difference in training styles. I think the question isn't if muscles are a problem in fighters, but whether (compared to technique, experience, and luck) they are such an important factor.

[Tapout95]

It all depends on your style. Big fighters have done well before, as has small fighters, as has those in the middle ground, etc. etc. etc... I believe you just have to learn how to use what you got.

But it can't hurt to have a bit of muscle on your bones. But damn the process can be a bitch. I just strained a neck muscle and it hurts like hell.

[Arjun]

Originally Posted by Tapout95

But damn the process can be a bitch. I just strained a neck muscle and it hurts like hell.

Are you stretching before and after? I used to sit down and stretch for like five minutes before and after each time i lifted. I have slowly noticed that my reach has gotten shorter, and over time I have gotten less flexible as I strength train! I learned that 5 minutes of stretching aint shit and you have to dedicate more time to it than that. Now I spend 15-20 minutes before and after stretching and I never get injuries and I am getting more and more limber. Plus I cut down on post-workout soreness quite a bit.

[samurai6string]

This is Jack Lalanne and friends dispelling the muscle bound myth.

[Arjun]

Originally Posted by samurai6string

This is Jack Lalanne and friends dispelling the muscle bound myth.

Haha. Dude that is awesome! Jack Lalanne is the man!

[Tapout95]

Originally Posted by Arjun

Are you stretching before and after? I used to sit down and stretch for like five minutes before and after each time i lifted. I have slowly noticed that my reach has gotten shorter, and over time I have gotten less flexible as I strength train! I learned that 5 minutes of stretching aint shit and you have to dedicate more time to it than that. Now I spend 15-20 minutes before and after stretching and I never get injuries and I am getting more and more limber. Plus I cut down on post-workout soreness quite a bit.

Thanks for the advice. I started strength-training last september and i'm still trying to work out all of the kinks. I haven't stretched nearly that much. But now I definitely will.

[Hengest]

Arjun's right. Muscle mass slowing you down or being a disadvantage is a myth. When I worked the door, I was pushing 230lbs of lean mass and I regularly kicked the crap out of guys much smaller than me.