Building muscle for athletes
Training allows the body to gradually build up strength, muscle and endurance, improve skill levels and build motivation, ambition and confidence. Training also allows athletes to gain more knowledge of their sport as well as enabling them to learn about the importance of having a healthy mind and body.
But the big question is “Is building muscles dangerous for an athlete?”
DISADVANTAGES OF MUSCLES FOR ENDURANCE-BASED SPORTS
Remember, those simply having big muscles won't make a better athlete, and if done incorrectly, could decrease your athleticism.
Big muscles means more weight. You have to move all that weight which will make you less agile, slower and will also bring some other disadvantages along (depending on the sport).
Decreased mobility if you have too much muscle mass, risk of injury, soreness, will likely occur in sports as swimming, football, basketball and tennis which are more of endurance based. While these sports might not require extreme muscle mass, having a good balance of muscle mass can help prevent muscle fatigue and maintain form during prolonged efforts. Muscles with greater endurance capacity can delay the onset of fatigue, allowing athletes to perform at a high level for longer durations.
BENEFITS OF BUILDING MUSCLES IN SPORTS
Having a decent amount of muscles can on the other hand benefit you. Muscle mass enables athletes to produce more force against resistance, such as weights or an opponent's body. This is particularly important in contact sports like american football, rugby, and wrestling, where athletes need to push, pull, or tackle opponents.
Adequate muscle mass provides better joint stability and protection. Well-developed muscles around joints can help prevent injuries by absorbing impact forces and maintaining proper joint alignment. This is especially relevant in sports involving sudden changes in direction, like basketball and tennis. Optimal muscle mass contributes to a favorable body composition, where the athlete has a lower percentage of body fat. A lower body fat percentage is often associated with better athletic performance due to reduced overall weight and improved power-to-weight ratio.
MUSCLE MASS AND HOW TO MAINTAIN IT
The bigger the muscle, the more expensive for the body to carry and supply it. The healthiest muscle strength gains might come with only small muscle size gains because larger muscles take far more energy to carry and cool and require far more antioxidants for repair, recovery, and mitochondrial activity.
Muscle tissue is metabolically active and requires energy to maintain itself. With more muscle mass, an athlete's basal metabolic rate (BMR) increases, which means they burn more calories at rest. This can be advantageous for maintaining a healthy body composition and managing weight.
1. Maintain protein intake.
As you age, maintaining muscle mass will be easier if you eat healthful foods and consume the required quantity of protein for your level of activity.
2. Weight train whenever you can.
Doesn’t mean you should weight train 1+ hours 5-6 days per week. But whenever there is a chance to do some exercises using weights you should use it.
3. Eat enough calories.
The amount of calories you take in will determine your muscle mass and body weight. Also what you eat is how you grow.
4. Get proper sleep.
Rest is the most important for any sport. The muscles will recover better and recovery is the key to growing bigger or getting fitter.
“Is building muscles dangerous for an athlete?”
No, it is not unhealthy to be muscular. In fact, having a moderate amount of muscle mass can be beneficial for health. Muscles play an essential role in the body's metabolism, as they help burn calories and maintain a healthy weight.
As long as you keep the muscle mass on a good proportional level with your body size and perform well in your sports you are not doing anything wrong.