HeavyWeights Weren’t Always Heavy

Keeping with the them from yesterday post here is some interesting information about the heavyweight division in boxing.

The Best Heavyweight ever!

In 1920 the heavyweight division had a minimum weight imposed of 175lbs (that doesn’t sound very heavy to me)

Currently the heavyweight division starts at 200lbs and has no upper limit.

If you look at the fighters in the heavyweight division you’ll see that they’re much taller than the other divisions.

In other words, weight is most closely associated with height. If you’re not at least 6’0 feet tall, it is highly unlikely you can be 200lbs and lean (without drugs).

Muhammad Ali is approx 6’3 and his fighting weight is listed anywhere from 188-236lbs

The reality is that most guys aren’t as tall as Ali and most guys will never be as heavy as Ali, but for some reason when young guys start working out they always set a bodyweight gain goal (I know I did). Many young guys set 200lbs as one of their body weight goals no matter what their height is.

This is the wrong way to go about goal setting because the amount of lean mass you can carry is determined by your height.

This doesn’t mean you can’t look good at your height, it just means you shouldn’t bother using weight gain as a way to measure progress.

Probably better to find a role model physique/body of a person who is the same height as you (and preferably somatotype as well) rather than picking some arbitrary bodyweight you think you should hit.

John

Posted by johnbarban in Muscle Building
Tags: building muscle, heavyweight, how to build muscle |12 Comments

12 Responses to “HeavyWeights Weren’t Always Heavy”

  1. Lachlan Says:
    April 13th, 2010 at 8:37 am

    Cool, I actually never knew where the weight ranges stood for boxing. On another note what is it with guys saying they put on ‘x’ amount of kilo’s of ‘lean muscle’ in 3-4 months. Are you kidding me? Where do people pull these numbers from and how can they actually think they can just suddenly attack 5-10 kilo of muscle in a matter of months?

  2. pierre Says:
    April 13th, 2010 at 8:45 am

    John i used to be in the same boat for a really long time but thanks to you i saw the light.These days i really dont cared how much i weight is all about the measurements and how good i look in front of the mirror and you are also right in looking for a true role model that has the same height and same genetics for me is the cartoon that you guys are using in your pages,that is how i want to look and for some weird reason the cartoon looks like me in real life you will see when i send you pictures.

  3. Jordan Says:
    April 13th, 2010 at 11:50 am

    It’s easy to see which guys are too small for the division. Eddie Chambers is 6′ and a not-so-lean 208-210. He really should be fighting at Cruiser. Toney was very fat. Brian Minto is 5’11″ and Arreola sent him down to Cruiser! Adamek’s moving up in weight from Light-Heavy to Cruiser to Heavy, I’m sure he’s put on plenty of fat, we’ll see how he does against Arreola. Tyson was 5’11″ and Holyfield was a former Cruiser, but… well, we know what was going on there. Marciano and Dempsey would be Light-Heavyweights today.

  4. Jordan Says:
    April 13th, 2010 at 11:52 am

    Oh, and Roy Jones is 5’11″ and moved up to Heavy for one fight, and we could speculate on him, as well….

  5. Nate Says:
    April 13th, 2010 at 1:13 pm

    I remember when boxing was good, those days will never return…the heavyweight champ used to be considered the toughest man in the world and now there are MMA fighters that are far more scary.

  6. D Monk Says:
    April 13th, 2010 at 1:38 pm

    “Keeping with the them from yesterday post” you spelled theme wrong lol.

  7. Jordan Says:
    April 13th, 2010 at 2:27 pm

    Nate, the Klitschko’s are very, very good. With their size, strength, and defensive mindset, they could challenge the great heavyweights of yesteryear. We’ll see how David Haye does against either of them, if that ever happens.

    MMA is great, too. Two different sports. Apples to oranges.

  8. Nate Says:
    April 13th, 2010 at 4:21 pm

    Jordan,

    I’d agree to a point on the Klitscko’s but they fight in such a visually boring way, straight up and down, constant jabs, etc etc…techincally very sound however. The heavyweights of old brought up to the size of the Klitschko’s would be very interesting to see but sadly we could only debate. Vitaly had the Better chin for sure Wvladimir got put down by some power punchers who managed to find their mark.

  9. Andrew Says:
    April 13th, 2010 at 4:57 pm

    Amazing to think that I could have been considered a heavyweight back then, and I think I’m a pretty skinny guy.

    It’s like this picture from the 1953 Mr. Universe contest. Looks like your average guy at the gym now.

    http://www.pathguy.com/lectures/seanconnery1.jpg

  10. Jordan Says:
    April 13th, 2010 at 5:11 pm

    Sanders blew him out, that’s true. Sanders was a talented southpaw with speed and power. He was an underachiever because he had poor work ethic. He wasn’t really passionate about the sport. But he was on his game that night and shocked Wlad. Those punches would’ve hurt just about anybody. His other two losses were due to fatigue, not a weak chin. But under Steward he’s improved dramatically. Hopefully the Haye fight will happen, so we can see how he deals with a smaller fighter with speed and power.

  11. Donatello Says:
    April 14th, 2010 at 8:08 am

    Hey John,
    Do you mind creating a post, based on the last sentence of your current post, of somatotypic models to aspire to? For example, a good model of an ectomorph or endomorph with the AI?

  12. Chris R Says:
    April 14th, 2010 at 10:34 pm

    Donatello, nice call. That’s a great idea.

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