Why are UFC fighters not as muscular as the guys you see on TV? I thought they are in the gym just as much.?

Question

Is it steriods or is it that they run more than body builders do?

Answer 1

a few reasons i havnt seen yet,

pro fighters dont want to much muscle because they want to be in the lowest wieght class possible, so they dont put on useless bulky muscle.

pro fighters focus alot more on cardio

body builders lift to get big and look good, pro fighters train to have effective strength, i.e. they do things like plyometrics (sp?) where they swing sledgehammers or flip tires, which gives them great overall body strength but doesnt bulk up one specific muscle group to look good.

Answer 2

well i wouldnt call the people on t.v body builders but the truth is half the ones on t.v are steroid users but the ufc fighters are all brutal strength

Answer 3

martial arts training is waaaaaaaay different than lifting weights. Many fighters use weight lifting as a training method, but there are many ways to strengthen themselves without weights. Getting ripped has nothing to do with fighting .

Answer 4

The guys you see on TV are toned. Not necessarily more muscular and definitely not as strong. The models and actors do different exercises that tone their muscles while UFC fighters do exercises  that strengthen the muscles so they could be used to the best of their ability.

Answer 5

Yeah those guys really don't have any muscles, check out all these skinny guys.

http://www.ken-shamrock.com/images/ken-s...

http://www.battlecagextreme.com/images/S...

http://www.mmahq.com/wp-content/uploads/...

http://www.blogsoma.net/resources/9581/a...

http://cdn.cagepotato.com/www/wp-content...

http://a481.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/011...

http://www.karatesupply.com/images/95467...

http://www.isteroids.com/blog/wp-content...

http://www.bjjfighter.com/photos/misc/fr...

http://www.ifl.tv/IFL-Images/IFL-News/Sa...

http://www.pridefc.com/pride2005/images/...

Answer 6

MMA Fighters really don't need a lot of muscles. In fact, body fat is very crucial in this sport. First, MMA fighters train for about 2 to 3 times a day and the routine includes cardio(running or jogging),weights, and skills and sparring training. They need fat to sustain the endurance and use it for their bodies to burn it rather than burn muscles(any cardio exercise that runs to 45 minutes up burns not only fat, but muscles too). Second, fat absorbs the most blows and damages delivered by an opponent. So the muscles are way protected in damages, as we all know that the body fat comes first before muscle tissues in terms of layers. And also, MMA fighters or even traditional stylists don't need big muscles or mass to win a fight. Muscles will slow your movements and produce more lactic acid in the body,which in turn, eats muscle endurance in an actual fight. Good examples of average body fighters are: BJ Penn, Lyoto Machida, Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva, Royce Gracie, Stephan Bonnar, Joe "Daddy" Stevenson, Forrest Griffin. These guys aren't that ripped but they sure do have some good puches to throw.

Answer 7

UFC fighters train for functional strength that is long lasting, rather than than simply strength for its own sake, and the symetry and proportions which bodybuilders are looking for.  If they don't look as muscular, is because they need a physique that is conditioned to both be strong and have a lot of endurance.

Answer 8

yeah, weight lifting isnt the main thing with ufc fighters..they do alot of training for cardo..but most of the fighters dont have alot of fat on them..George St.Pierre for example isnt huge but he looks like he hardly any fat, mainly muscle.