big/small for weight class

[xPharaoh]

did you ever notice how some people look big or small for a given weight class? you look at the dude and you just wonder how he is in the weight class when he looks like he should be heavier or lighter.

is this where genetics come into play? like if you look really big for the weight class do you have good genetics?

 

[chris1190]

um no you just cut a lot of weight

 

[Oliver Geddes]

In my experience, if someone looks big for their weight class, it's usually because they have skinny legs.

Stupid, but you tend to mostly see the upper body, and particularly in gi, you can't really tell about their legs. So if someone has skinny legs and is stacked up top whilst the other guy is the other way around, the thick legged guy will look smaller.

Deep, I know. ^_^

Sorry!

 

[phillys-finest]

Maybe because at the time of competition they have eaten after super weight cuts? Also people are big in different places; you may see a huge guy up top with tiny legs.


edit oli beat me because i didn't plan on responding to this lol =p

 

[zemanjaski]

usually its to do with weight cutting. I have been against guys 4-5" taller than me (and im already biggish for the weight class) who have cut huge amounts of weight - they look big, but they are so weak and slow from the cut.

size =/= strength

 

[ElKarlo]

I am 5''' and 182lbs. I don't look like I am that heavy, but I am. So, in the 179lbs weight class, all the guys are like 4-7 inches taller than me. I feel like a kid when I compete =D

 

[Jamie Hughes]

some people just carry the weight well, im like 6"7 and make middle but im not quite big enough yet for medium heavy. but starting to fill out ready for that division in the coming years lol.

but at every comp there is always a few guys you see and think shiiit how is that guy making that weight.

 

[D00M]

a lot of people have skinny legs or cut a lot of weight

 

[redaxe]

Height matters a bit more than weight in my experience. I cut weight so I have a good chance of being the tallest person in my weight class.

 

[DrKimura]

This isn't just a competition thing, some people are just a lot lighter/heavier than they look. I weigh 100kg's, and NOBODY thinks I'm that heavy. I think, like Oli said, a lot of it has to do with the lower body. I used to powerlift so my legs are like tree trunks, probably adds a hefty amount of kg's into the mix. Also, I do think bone density comes into play - and no, I'm not fat, I'm big (dense) boned :icon_lol:

 

[YellowFury]

yeah i'm relatively small for open weight (i'm at the very bottom of the weight limit now)... even though I'm 6'1" i get dudes up to a head taller than me and up to 100lbs heavier than me. it's just something that happens from time to time. And yes, i've cut weight twice before, but both times my division just got combined with the open weight anyway.

I'm sure genetics comes into play somewhat, but i would put more stock in diet and training.

 

[Makhno]

I can attest to the skinny legs argument. I'm 5'8" and only weigh 130lbs, and i'm not as anorexic looking as those numbers would imply. I do, however, have match stick legs. I've also been told that my vegetarian diet may contribute, since meat tends to lounge about in the colon for a while.

 

[L0L]

I can attest to the skinny legs argument. I'm 5'8" and only weigh 130lbs, and i'm not as anorexic looking as those numbers would imply. I do, however, have match stick legs. I've also been told that my vegetarian diet may contribute, since meat tends to lounge about in the colon for a while.

I am similar at 5'7" and 120lbs. Although, my legs probably aren't as skinny as yours, and I am not a vegetarian.

 

[BJJisFUN]

I'm 5'8", 200 lbs. When I competed as a heavyweight everybody was way taller than me. The videos look like it was a match from the absolutes. I have huge legs. People think I'm around 175, and nobody believes me when I tell them I'm 200. My legs are bigger than just about everybody I know, and my upper body isn't small either...I spent my 20s lifting heavy weight. Imagine Marcelo Garcia, but with a large upper body and a wide back. I'd gladly give up 20-25 lbs of muscle to be in a lower weight class

 

[Makhno]

I am similar at 5'7" and 120lbs. Although, my legs probably aren't as skinny as yours, and I am not a vegetarian.

Do you compete? I always have to compete at 140 lbs because at most there will be 2 other guys in the 130 divisions. Must be a huge pain in the ass for you to find matches. But then again, i assume you are used to rolling with bigger guys anyway. It would be nice to not have to give up 10 -30 lbs in competition, though.

 

[L0L]

Do you compete? I always have to compete at 140 lbs because at most there will be 2 other guys in the 130 divisions. Must be a huge pain in the ass for you to find matches. But then again, i assume you are used to rolling with bigger guys anyway. It would be nice to not have to give up 10 -30 lbs in competition, though.

Yeah its quite difficult to find any tournaments with more than 1 other competitor in Roosterweight. Usually there is at least enough people in the Super featherweight. I just have to hope some small people register... As you probably know, when you roll with people who are usually at least 50lbs heavier than you on a regular basis, you get used to it.

 

[Makhno]

Yeah its quite difficult to find any tournaments with more than 1 other competitor in Roosterweight. Usually there is at least enough people in the Super featherweight. I just have to hope some small people register... As you probably know, when you roll with people who are usually at least 50lbs heavier than you on a regular basis, you get used to it.

Yeah, i think it's an asset in the long run. Being out-sized forces you to develop good technique and good defense. Though i have lost by sizable point margins in tournaments, i've not been submitted yet, and i credit that to getting smashed by the larger,more technical guys in the gym. I have a feeling that it's going to be a bigger issue at blue belt, though, since it will be harder to rely on technique against guys who have potentially been training twice as long.

 

[randomg1t]

In my experience, if someone looks big for their weight class, it's usually because they have skinny legs.

Stupid, but you tend to mostly see the upper body, and particularly in gi, you can't really tell about their legs. So if someone has skinny legs and is stacked up top whilst the other guy is the other way around, the thick legged guy will look smaller.

Deep, I know. ^_^

Sorry!

this!

leg muscles weigh a ton. my upper body is pretty muscular, but my legs are sticks. people are often surprised at how light i am. and right when i start to work some weights for my legs, my weight bumps really quickly. need to be careful with that.

 

[L0L]

Yeah, i think it's an asset in the long run. Being out-sized forces you to develop good technique and good defense. Though i have lost by sizable point margins in tournaments, i've not been submitted yet, and i credit that to getting smashed by the larger,more technical guys in the gym. I have a feeling that it's going to be a bigger issue at blue belt, though, since it will be harder to rely on technique against guys who have potentially been training twice as long.

I agree completely. Although, it can be very difficult for me to work on my offensive game because I am usually working from my back. I have noticed my defence has improved much more significantly than my offensive, which I guess is a good thing as a white belt, but I most definitely don't have a balanced skill set. Like you mentioned, most other white belts have difficulty submitting me, but I can get put into some bad positions.

One example of this:
A few weeks ago I was rolling with another white belt who weighs probably 50-60lbs more than me. I passed his gaurd, went into kesa gatame, and was going to make a transition to mount, and the guy literally just picked me up and rolled me into bottom side control. I was a bit surprised by this, and as he went for side control I turtled, eventually had my back taken, and defended the choke for the rest of the roll. Being so light changed everything in that instance for me. Sometimes its frustrating.

 

[randomg1t]

One example of this:
A few weeks ago I was rolling with another white belt who weighs probably 50-60lbs more than me. I passed his gaurd, went into kesa gatame, and was going to make a transition to mount, and the guy literally just picked me up and rolled me into bottom side control. I was a bit surprised by this, and as he went for side control I turtled, eventually had my back taken, and defended the choke for the rest of the roll. Being so light changed everything in that instance for me. Sometimes its frustrating.

don't worry about it. i'm roughly 145lbs, so everyone and their mother is bigger than me. i have one kid that i outweigh in my gym, the rest are heavier by at least 30lbs. most by 40.

in the beginning you get tossed around and lose positions you shouldn't be losing. but then slowly, inch by inch, you stop losing them. then one day not only do you not lose them, you make the big guy struggle and grunt while you're just sitting there in sidecontrol or mount and they can't shake you off.

don't ever get discouraged by these things, as they will only force you to be sharp.