Strength and Gender Myths

[Alan Armstrong]

What does strength mean to you.

Those that build incredibly big muscles that can pick up heavy weights, may find it difficult to do a cart wheel or hand stand and those that do yoga can bend themselves incredible well, yet lack the strength to lift weights.

Gymnasts and those that do calisthenics seem to build muscles through their movements using gravity as opposed to machines and mechanical devices.

It is proven that vegetarians are more supple primarily due to their green vegetable diet where as the body builders consume red meat to build muscle are not as flexible.

Both vegetarians and meat eaters use supplements to balance out the gaps in their diets.

Where do you belive the beneficial balance is for martial artists when it comes to food and exercise?

Attitudes to using weights has changed, it was once thought that to have too much muscle was counter productive for martial artists.

We could thank Claude Van Damme for his part in changing the myth of big muscles reduces flexibility.

Also to thank Emin Boztepe for breaking another myth, that big muscles reduces sensitively enhanced fighting techniques.

Or Arnold Schwarzenegger breaking another myth that those with big muscles lack intelligence.

More and more women have taken up the physical challenges that were mostly set aside for men; first with Yoga and now everything else...

Women are proving to bust another myth, being considered as the weaker sex.

[DWx]

I think there is a misconception that using weights is going to accidentally turn you into Schwarzenegger. It's not like you do a couple of bicep curls and suddenly pop a bicep like Popeye. To build muscle like that takes a lot of hard work in the gym but also a calorie surplus, i.e. you have to gain bulk if you want to be a bodybuilder.

As far as women and strength goes, men on average are always going to be stronger. That's biology for you. Sure there are strong women who can beat weaker men, but overall elite women are going to struggle to compete against elite men. That's why we have separate categories in sport.

It is proven that vegetarians are more supple primarily due to their green vegetable diet where as the body builders consume red meat to build muscle are not as flexible.

Do you have a source for that? Seems more like a product of other factors such as lifestyle rather than diet specifically. Otherwise you wouldn't get meat-eating gymnasts or vegan bodybuilders.

[Bulltahr]

As far as women and strength goes, men on average are always going to be stronger. That's biology for you. Sure there are strong women who can beat weaker men, but overall elite women are going to struggle to compete against elite men. That's why we have separate categories in sport.

Totally agree, whether we like it or not biology beats "equality" every time!

I think that in general it would take a very experienced woman to take down a guy in a slug fest type fight. No rule might be different tho, youtube Master Ken's "100 ways to attack the groin"..................

[singularity6]

It is proven that vegetarians are more supple primarily due to their green vegetable diet where as the body builders consume red meat to build muscle are not as flexible.

Do you have a source for that? Seems more like a product of other factors such as lifestyle rather than diet specifically. Otherwise you wouldn't get meat-eating gymnasts or vegan bodybuilders.

I was thinking the same thing

[Alan Armstrong]

Regarding Gymnasts eating meat, doesn't effect their flexibility if they started stretching out under professional supervisor since the age of five years old.

If it is known that flexibility is an issue for a gymnast, then cutting down on products that are known to be causing high uric acid levels in the body (inflammatory foods) need to cut down on meat products temporarily and eat more leafy green food, to balance the PH level in the body, or to eat fruit and vegetable anti-inflammatory foods.

Why is it that to detox the body, it is always plant based remedies and never with animals?

Gymnastics is about performance, their muscles are there because of the sport they are in and not for how big they can make their muscles look.

Being a Vegan isn't the same for all of them as many have very different ideas and views on the subject.

Some Vegans only eat animals that died of natural causes or if the food came from a tree it must have fell first and not picked off.

Other Vegans don't eat meat or fish but some belive fish is ok.

Yes there are Vegan bodybuilders that say they don't eat meat, that a criticized by other Vegans for not being honest.

To be a Vegetarian, Vegan or Meat-eater or a consciences objectors everyone makes their own mind up, what they think is best for them.

Yes, flexibilities are also connected with a host of other factors such as, past traumas, inherited genes, stress levels, inflexible attitudes, holding on to anger and past resentments, accidents, age, overstraing muscles on a regular basis, inactivity, alcohol abuse, insufficient amounts of water consumption on a daily basis, unbalanced diet...

Many nimals are injected with growth hormones and antibiotics, which is passed on down the food chain to humans.

Plants are not immune either, due to pesticides.

Fish with high levels of mercury.

One day mankind will look like giants with eyes that glow in the dark.

[MatsuShinshii]

Don't know about the whole vegetarian/ vegan debate but on a lighter note I have a joke that might not make those that practice this life style happy but I'm a hunter and a carnivore so I find it pretty funny.

Vegetarian = an old Indian word to describe someone that can't hunt, fish or trap.

[MatsuShinshii]

Oh here's another one.

My food poops on your food.

[Alan Armstrong]

Oh here's another one.

My food poops on your food.

Is this too absurd to ponder, if a vegetarian would eat a Venus Flytrap?

As a carnivore, would you feed a pig bacon?

I new a vegetarian that tried to make the pet cat vegetarian also, the cat died of of course from meow-nutrition.

[singularity6]

Oh here's another one.

My food poops on your food.

Is this too absurd to ponder, if a vegetarian would eat a Venus Flytrap?

As a carnivore, would you feed a pig bacon?

I new a vegetarian that tried to make the pet cat vegetarian also, the cat died of of course from meow-nutrition.

If you go to Las Vegas, you can visit the local pig farms. They feed the pigs all the scraps from the casinos. I highly doubt they separate the pork from everything else.

[MatsuShinshii]

Oh here's another one.

My food poops on your food.

Is this too absurd to ponder, if a vegetarian would eat a Venus Flytrap?

As a carnivore, would you feed a pig bacon?

I new a vegetarian that tried to make the pet cat vegetarian also, the cat died of of course from meow-nutrition.

Love the meow-nutrition joke. You just added to my repertoire. Thanks.

Just to be fair, my daughter is either a vegetarian or a vegan, not sure which and can't tell you the difference between them. I have no problem with her being which ever one she is but do like to joke with her about it. To each their own. Me personally... I could not imagine a life of eating nothing but veggies. And yes I would feed a pig bacon if I thought it would make it taste better.

As for the Venus Flytrap goes, I think that would still be considered vegetarian because it's classified as a plant. But I get where you were going with it because it eats meat.

I have been known to make a sandwich of fried bologna, ham, bacon, pulled pork and getta (a German food made from pin oats and pork, more or less a sausage). And no I did not put any lettuce or any other veggie on the sandwich. But did place a nice piece of cheese on there with a little mayo. Yum.

I don't know what you would call that but I think that would be considered a Carnivore. Definitely not rabbit food.