Why are female track runners so big?

Question

i mean of course they have big calves and thighs but some of them are BIG... it almost seems counter productive... take hurdling for instance, i was watching a meet the other day and the female hurdlers were huge. i always thought that hurdlers needed to be tall, flexible, and alittle on the small side just for aerodynamic purposes and better range of motion.... but those chicks were big...

i mean shouldn't they be more streamlined? there is only so much muscle you can have on your body before it becomes a hindrance...

actually highjump and pole valut are the only events ive seen where the majority of women actually look like women.

Answer 1

Honey, I am pretty freaking good at track and I weigh 80 pounds. I ran the mile in 6:44 and the two mile in 11:25. (7th grade) Chances are, that's just your school.

Answer 2

Let's throw gender out for a moment and talk about sprinters.  Yes they can be big.  A hundred meter runner is all power and is an anaerobic activity.  Yes it may be helpful if they were smaller (at the world level you will see that), but at the High School level, they are all shapes and sizes.

We used to have the "Fat Man's Relay" where they would take the shot and discus throwers.  Some of them were really really fast!  They were big, but they were also powerful.  Since they were only going 100m, they can rely on their power.  Any more than that and their size becomes a hindrance.

Always have an open mind when watching events.  I actually love watching athletes that don't fit the typical mold.  Like Bolt winning the 100m with a World Record despite being 6'5".  I watched a high schooler in discus who was 6'4" and maybe 165 lbs but he had tremendous form and was one of the finalists.

So basically we have certain body types, but you can never underestimate the will of the individual or proper training.

Answer 3

yeah, i have never seen that to be true. Maybe it is just your school...the only girls that are "larger" seem the be the throwers. The fastest runners on my team are shortish and really thin or tall and really thin. If you look at really big races, like they Olympic trials, it is the same way. the girls are small or average.

Answer 4

thats the exact opposite in my track team....

actually in my track team everyone is actually pretty small.

Answer 5

Sometimes it's simply genetics. Sometimes it's hard work and conditioning. Sometimes it's steroids. But flexibility is all a matter of stretching. If you stay limber, all of that muscle is very powerfull, as well as, usefull. I'm going on 50 and extremely flexible from my Martial Arts, and also well muscled. I'm not grossly over muscled, but my legs are large which also helps me in many maneuvers that I normally would never be able to achieve (like the splits). But, as I stated before, nothing comes free, without hard work and effort. Being tone, helps, but to be "effective" you need strength which can be achieved through weightlifting. Not too much, though, just enough for proper conditioning.

Answer 6

Sometimes at the adult professional level the working out/running/practice builds muscle mass rather than keeping a woman lean.  Plus track athletes tend to be very tall and big for power (sprinters).  It also depends on the woman -- the running either leans them out or puts muscle mass on them.  The taller a hurdler is the better able they are to get over the hurdle.  The upper bodies are also big from running.  Lastly, serious track athletes often begin missing their menstrual periods during training and hormone disturbance may play a role in muscle mass.

Answer 7

wow.... that's weird. i do not have a good answer for that because most of the kids that are fat at my school were nerds and unathletic.

Answer 8

It's just how their body develops with lots of training.  Some pack on muscle easily some can't.  They can't help it.  It's not their fault.  It's just how they are.  If they train hard enough, it doesn't matter if their less "aerodynamic".  Those big muscles probably helps them with the explosive movements (such as hurdling).  That's why sprinters are usually bigger than long distance runners.  They use another muscle fiber that increases muscle size more.  

And no matter what they look like..They're still women.  That's that.

Answer 9

well if they want to be big they can. who cares...

atleast they're healthy