Hello guys, I'm 5 ft 7, 135 lbs and I put stamina/endurance and pace above any other physical attribute. I've played football/soccer all my life so this have always been natural for me. Now my question is: Would gaining more muscle require more oxygen from my body to be consumed, thus weakening my stamina? I've got strong leg muscle and abdominal muscles allerady, but I would consider toning my body a little bit more.. not talking about bulking up but just to look slightly more athletic.

Would appreaciate answers guys! I want to do this but not if it has a negative impact on my form. :foodndrink:

You're 135lbs, you need to add weight (muscle) in order to look more athletic, so yes, you'd be bulking up. As a footballer added strength will help you too. What position do you play in?

Honestly, I don't know. But I do know that muscles weigh more than fat, so you'll gain weight, if that's of any relevance to you.

That's not too bad you're about 30lbs under my weight and we're relatively the same height. What maybe best is some endurance training then if you don't have underlying medical conditions eating some pork/chicken. One reason I probably weigh more than use is due to my high protein diet where most of my food is chicken or pork no red meat. If you're a total vegetarian not eating any meat including fish/cheese then I really don't know what to say.

Always eaten chicken since I was young and the protein really helps out. My upper body strength is very low however my leg strength is great since I can push a little bit more than 2x my weight of 165. Used to weigh around 180, but my cardio doc said my trigs and ldls were a little high so I skipped the cheese + extra sweets.

I think you would want to gain weight, ideally. As long as you stay lean, you shouldn't have any trouble getting around quickly, because while you'll be heavier, you'll also be stronger. More force put into the ground = more speed; take a look at some sprinters and tell me they aren't jacked.

If all you are trying to do is look more defined than the amount of muscle we are talking about will not affect your stamina. just keep up with your endurance training as you add lean muscles and you will will be fine.


Muscle is more dense than fat.

Your body would consume more oxygen yes, but you'd be conditioning yourself under those circumstances so that it wouldn't affect your performance t all, it would more than likely increase your performance. The more muscle you have, the easier things become. Now, start throwing on 50 pounds of muscle here and there then yes, you'll lose stamina. But if you're 135 pounds right now, you could easily add 30 pounds of muscle and not see a drop in stamina. Your body would acclimate to this change and improve.

Putting on another 10 or 15 pounds would be okay. Don't overdo bulkiness though. Won't reduce stamina, at least not noticeably, if at all. Given your height however, I'd say if you're performing well now, there's no real point because guys which are buff and our height (I'm roughly 5 '8 - 5'9 myself) look strange in person. Keep yourself toned and lean rather than bulky.

Density = Weight per volume. Meaning it's heavier. Or "weighs more". Just like lead "weighs more" than feathers. Per similar unit of volume, of course, but that's implied.

As far as the OP goes:

I'm pretty sure you need to put on some more weight if you want to build muscles. Seems wierd, but that's just how it works. You'll have to eat a LOT of protein-heavy foods to pack on something for your body to burn while building muscle. And like Holy Assassin said, it looks a bit wierd for short people (short-er?) to be buff, so stick with your original plan.

Also; you asked about oxygen. Your body will use more oxygen, yes. It will, however, be a marginal increase that you won't quite notice. While training your other muscles, your lungs will train as well. They'll be able to expand more, meaning they can hold more air, which increases stamina.

Note that I am not anywhere near trained or educated in the role of doctor or health advisor. I'm just a student.

:slap:

This isn't a videogame, there isn't a cap on stamina.

:laugh:

:biggrin:

Best post on here in a long time.

I'm no expert, but I do follow sports a bit.

Here in UK, an olympic sprinter got caught taking banned substances, so he quit and went into Rugby. He was small compared to the Rugby players, and the coach of the team eventually replaced him.

The coach said that he was a fast sprinter and could outpace the players, but because he was smaller (less muscle) he didn't have the stamina and endurance to keep it up for a whole match and wasn't built for Rugby.

So, with that in mind, I'd say that being bigger will boost your endurance and stamina, but it will reduce your speed.

Correlation doesn't imply causation though, so don't go taking what I'm saying as some scientific proof, lol.

I was going to add a long-winded reply about "sport-specific" training blah, blah, blah, however, I could better inform you by simply

introducing you to this site --> http://www.t-nation.com/

Any and all your questions about physical performance and muscle gaining can be answered here.

Yes, it is indeed a large and somewhat daunting site, but take your time and research your specific issues and you'll be fine.

I've been lifting weights and such for nearly twenty years now and that site is the most informative and intelligent place on the net
for those interested in sports science, nutrition, and weight lifting. PERIOD!

I wish you the best. :thumbsup:

Strengh and Endurance are not mutually exclusive. It is all a matter of how you train. The typical bodybuilder type is more concerned with aesthetics than athletics, but this doesn't mean you have to be.

Most people who lift weights end up doing a bodybuilding routine because they are the most common, but they don't end up with the same physique because a big part of bodybuilding is diet.

I'll never tell anyone to not build muscle, the more you have when you are young the longer it will take to lose when you are old

Really, as long as you stay hydrated, your stamina won't decrease at all - in fact, it will only increase or at least plateau. Gaining muscle doesn't decrease stamina.

I have really, really muscular legs for a girl. I'm feminine enough where you can't tell on the surface, and it just looks like I have large calves. If anyone ever says I have fat legs, I'll just flex them and scare the crap out of them.

Thank you, biking.

This is true, but remember keep conditioning your body to your new weight and let it build up over time.

When I first started running track 4 years ago I was 5'7" and 120lbs. I ran the 1600m and 3200m races. The next year I was about 5'7" and 130lbs, didn't condition as I gained weight and had to drop down to the 800m and 1600m. Then last year I was 5'9" and 140lbs and got bumped down to the 400m and 800m because I didn't have the stamina to run the 1600m or 3200m anymore. Now I have gotten considerably faster, dropped my 400m time from 1:08:00 to 0:58:85 in one year, but I can no longer run as long as I used too. As long as you keep working out and staying in peak physical condition then you should be ok with adding a good 20-30lbs of muscle over the span of a year. Don't do it too fast though and remember to constantly condition and work out while your gaining weight so you don't lose stamina.

Right now I'm about 5'10" and 145lbs. I plan to be 155lbs by track season in January, so to keep fit and not loose anymore stamina I'm trying out for the basketball team. Conditioning is whipping my tail at the moment 3x25 reps bench press, 3x25 rep triceps extensions, 3x25 reps curls, 3x45 reps power throws with 10lb medicine ball, 6:00 minute speed rope drills, 290 (6x45) ply-o-jumps, 3x20 sets of dips, defensive slide suicide drills 6 mins, and 400m dashes. That right there is one tough workout.

Pro soccer players always seem to be pretty muscly. I would guess you need that upper body strength to improve your kicking and help in fighting for the ball.

Umm, if anything it would increase stamina.

Also, Erginho, :foodndrink: