Building big muscular legs is a necessity for explosiveness & power. Prove me wrong!

[dittohead84]

They don't necessarily need to be huge. Look at high jumpers, long jumpers, basketball players etc. It's a combo of conditioned muscles/genetics/co-ordination. Some of the best javelin throwers wouldn't have massive legs but a nice amount of muscle being used in the right way

 

[AnotherOldGuy]

Fair, but to have both power and explosiveness I think you will almost always need big muscular legs.

Anderson was quick and had power but wasn't exploding out like Chad Menses.

Usain Bolt is one of the (if not the) most explosive athletes in history -- sprinting is all about explosive leg power (which is why its the poster child for steroid use in sport). He looks strong, but not exceptionally muscular. Same for Carl Lewis back in the day (when he was the dominant sprinter).

Long jump is also an explosion based sport. They're all muscular, but not exceptionally so. For boxers, you had thin guys like Thomas Hearns and Sugar Ray Robinson with great KO power.

Explosiveness is a mixture of fast twitch muscle fiber, skeleton frame that gives mechanical advantage (including where tendons attack to the bones), and a nervous system that can finely time just when the thousands of muscle fibers fire and relax in a coordinated and sustained effort (you need some to relax while others are firing or you end up with muscles fighting themselves -- which is why stiff beginners are often so clumsy and slow).

 

[Karelinator]

They don't necessarily need to be huge. Look at high jumpers, long jumpers, basketball players etc. It's a combo of conditioned muscles/genetics/co-ordination. Some of the best javelin throwers wouldn't have massive legs but a nice amount of muscle being used in the right way

But if you look at shot putters or hammer throwers, they're all going to have enormous legs.

Javelin is pretty light so it's all about velocity, and jumpers and basketball players have to actually lift themselves, so being light is good.

So it's all pretty pretty empty talk without knowing what's it's about, but yeah, it doesn't seem like you need particularly huge legs to move yourself and nothing else, "explosively".

 

[dr. john lee]

All of those guys have naturally big legs though. "Building" big legs isn't going to make you explosive. Mostly, its either there or it isn't

 

[thelovacluka]

 

[dittohead84]

But if you look at shot putters or hammer throwers, they're all going to have enormous legs.

Javelin is pretty light so it's all about velocity, and jumpers and basketball players have to actually lift themselves, so being light is good.

So it's all pretty pretty empty talk without knowing what's it's about, but yeah, it doesn't seem like you need particularly huge legs to move yourself and nothing else, "explosively".

Yeah shot putters are going to have to be big dudes to get it out a decent distance. That's it, the TS talks about being explosive and powerful and when it comes to the scrappin so its just you moving yourself that's relevant.

 

[knock_you_out]

Big legs and glutes do not guarantee explosiveness. There are plenty of guys who can squat and dead lift a lot, and have big legs and strength, but not necessarily speed, power or explosiveness. You are born with speed.

 

[Karelinator]

I remember that one of those oldschool photos of Fedor and his bro training on some concrete playground (from around 2008) showed that he had absolutely jacked calves, but it seems those pictures disappeared in abyss of time.

 

[OverhandRightKayo]

Counterpoint: Tyson Griffin

Dat ass..

 

[GolovKing]

All very rare exceptions. Plus Nick Diaz was a accumulative effect. Anderson had power but wasn't exactly explosive, and was added by unusually good timing and precision.

It's not rare at all, in boxing there's plenty of guys with skinny legs that have explosive power. Wilder, Danny Jacobs, golovkin, and furthermore most of the big punchers don't have thick legs like Tyson either, most of them just have average symmetrical looking legs. For wrestling it probably helps you be more explosive when changing levels but then you have wrestlers like Jones and Usman who are very powerful wrestlers, but I suppose they aren't all that explosive when they shoot

 

[GolovKing]

Usain bolts legs were skinny, but are probably the most powerful p4p legs ever.

Usain bolt didn't have skinny legs, he was just a tall lean guy overall and his legs were actually pretty symmetrical looking to the rest of his physique

 

[GolovKing]

Just like Phil Davis

I remember years ago somebody was complaining about him being boring and the "least explosive black man ever"

 

[M.U.S.C.L.E.]

Your first example discredits everything. Benson was notorious for having huge legs and no power. It's all in the ass and twist

While you armchair athletes go back and forth, you are ignoring the comment above which really should be /THREAD.

 

[613]

It probably helps. But Aldo it's explosive as fuck and doesn't have big legs

 

[Mammothman]

It probably helps. But Aldo it's explosive as fuck and doesn't have big legs

Just like Barboza

 

[Karelinator]

Barboza's legs honestly seem pretty stacked for a FW so I guess we need working definition of "big legs".

 

[TitoSchaubHighIQ]

Well, big legs helps, but there's much more than just that.

You can find many guys with muscular legs that aren't necessarily powerful. Plenty of guys that squat 500 can only jump 20 inches in a vertical jump test. And you also occasionaly is going to find some skinny freak who doesn't even train and can jump over 35 inches. Some lanky guys can knockout a horse with a kick.

The reason for that is that the human body is extremely complex and there's much more than just the size of your muscles:

Some people are born with much more efficient nervous system and can recruit a mucher higher number of motor units in split seconds

Some people can generate more torque due to better muscle insertions.

Some people are born with extra copies of genes that codifies proteins that makes fast twitch muscle fibers contract faster generating more power

Power is pretty much genetic. You either have it or you don't.

So yeah, power is a bit more complicated than just having big legs.

Sure, having muscular legs helps, but just having muscular legs won't make you powerful.

 

[KillerIsBack V2]

Nah bro arms 3 times per week gang.

Fuck TS' 3rd grade level thread making.
a good question is, where's that scene in your av from?

 

[Koro_11]

Almost every single fighter people consider explosive & or powerful have big muscular legs. Even just for their weight division.

Exhibit A: Benson Henderson
Not the most powerful guy, but no one could deny his explosiveness.

Exhibit B: Michael Chandler
One of the most powerful & explosive fighters in LW history.

Exhibit C: Conor McGregor
He is well known for being explosive and powerful. They are big for his weight class. If not for a sherdogger.

Exhibit D: Tyron Woodley
Renowned for his power and explosiveness in his prime.

I can't think of a single fighter who has stick legs but are explosive or powerful. But even if there are a few, the vast majority lift for dem legs.

Good examples bro, but how do you leave out the most explosive of the explosives, the Cuban missile itself

 

[Ridgeback]

Calves don't mean shit, it's all about the hamstring.