How does muscle gain make you slower?

[nomadman]

Your question doesn't really have a single answer. You have to take into account the amount you're putting on, where you're putting it on, your current condition and what your body type is among other things. Someone who bulks up their arms and upper torso isn't likely to be significantly faster than they were before, and possibly considerably slower, or more likely to gas which has the same ultimate effect. Whereas someone who puts the weight on more evenly and naturally (focussing on the back, the abs, the legs etc) is likely to make considerable gains in speed and punching power if they were lacking in these things beforehand. Also someone who's fighting at an unnaturally low weight is unlikely to be in peak physical condition so would benefit from the gain, whereas someone bulking up to a higher weight class is putting their body under unnatural strain and thus likely to suffer in some way. In both cases there's going to be an effect.

Muscle gain, per se, doesn't necessarily make you slower, but muscle requires oxygen, so the more you have the more oxygen intensive your body becomes. In the case of someone like Shannon Briggs, to take an extreme example, his massive weight, coupled with the enormous oxgygen expenditure his body requires, cases him to gas out within about a couple of rounds. But he's also (or was at least) very quick and explosive in the early going for a man of his size.

[Dagomba]

i dunno, i have'nt read up on this stuff man, but alot of sprinters are built like tanks

You can't really compare the two. Sprinters are built to be explosive for a certain amount of seconds. Putting on any type of weight weight is going to make you slow down eventually.

[Pullcounter]

more muscles for someone that is already in supreme conditioning make you less flexible, makes you heavier, and it takes more energy to move.

[pistol whip]

i was 154-5'is walk around
when i got into shape i was at 148 at 16, and went to 164 at 17(when i noticed i was fast to the point i could'nt see my own fists) and have been 168 for the last two years(19 now)

i've been in great shape since i was 16

I think your speed has more to do with you being 19 years old. When you turn 29 and gain a couple pounds then lets talk about your speed.

[sweetscience18]

If too bulky, when performing your muscles will fill with blood..this will slow you down. If you condition your muscles to be able to handle the lactic acids and fluids then youll be okay but it is more probable to have lean muscle mass than to be bulked up.

[Deep Blue 1997]

Your question doesn't really have a single answer. You have to take into account the amount you're putting on, where you're putting it on, your current condition and what your body type is among other things. Someone who bulks up their arms and upper torso isn't likely to be significantly faster than they were before, and possibly considerably slower, or more likely to gas which has the same ultimate effect. Whereas someone who puts the weight on more evenly and naturally (focussing on the back, the abs, the legs etc) is likely to make considerable gains in speed and punching power if they were lacking in these things beforehand. Also someone who's fighting at an unnaturally low weight is unlikely to be in peak physical condition so would benefit from the gain, whereas someone bulking up to a higher weight class is putting their body under unnatural strain and thus likely to suffer in some way. In both cases there's going to be an effect.

^^^^^^^this

explained it perfectly for you

[REMOVED SHARK 97]

Because you're less flexible when you over do it.

Excess muscle, looking like a wrestler won't help, it'll just impair you.

[Steak]

i dunno, i have'nt read up on this stuff man, but alot of sprinters are built like tanks

but they usually cant run for too long, can they?

thats a thing often overlooked in boxing. do you still call a guy fast if he slows down after the first round?

and also the sprinting movement uses different body mechanics than a punch.

think of someone like Shannon Briggs. huge bastard who put on a ton of muscle weight, and he actually is decently fast...for one flurry every round.

also take into account that 'gaining muscle' and 'gaining strength' are not the same thing. you can bulk up without gaining a huge amount of strength, jsut depends on your workout type.

also speed is pretty much the ease of going through the punch, you dont need to bench a lot to simply shove your arm out there.

gaining muscle weight CAN help a fighter. but a lot of the time someone as well conditioned as a professional boxer is already in great shape, and adding on unneeded muslce weight will simply bog them down.
although it depends on the fighter in question and the phsyical situation he is in, of course.

[SplitSecond]

Your question doesn't really have a single answer. You have to take into account the amount you're putting on, where you're putting it on, your current condition and what your body type is among other things. Someone who bulks up their arms and upper torso isn't likely to be significantly faster than they were before, and possibly considerably slower, or more likely to gas which has the same ultimate effect. Whereas someone who puts the weight on more evenly and naturally (focussing on the back, the abs, the legs etc) is likely to make considerable gains in speed and punching power if they were lacking in these things beforehand. Also someone who's fighting at an unnaturally low weight is unlikely to be in peak physical condition so would benefit from the gain, whereas someone bulking up to a higher weight class is putting their body under unnatural strain and thus likely to suffer in some way. In both cases there's going to be an effect.

Muscle gain, per se, doesn't necessarily make you slower, but muscle requires oxygen, so the more you have the more oxygen intensive your body becomes. In the case of someone like Shannon Briggs, to take an extreme example, his massive weight, coupled with the enormous oxgygen expenditure his body requires, cases him to gas out within about a couple of rounds. But he's also (or was at least) very quick and explosive in the early going for a man of his size.

so what your saying if i gain through bodyweight exercises that work the whole body as oppossed to exercises that pretty much ignore other muscles there wont be any speed loss

and yea, obviously there's the limit to how much one can gain before they lose the flexibility to react with the same speed

[SplitSecond]

but they usually cant run for too long, can they?

thats a thing often overlooked in boxing. do you still call a guy fast if he slows down after the first round?

and also the sprinting movement uses different body mechanics than a punch.

think of someone like Shannon Briggs. huge bastard who put on a ton of muscle weight, and he actually is decently fast...for one flurry every round.

also take into account that 'gaining muscle' and 'gaining strength' are not the same thing. you can bulk up without gaining a huge amount of strength, jsut depends on your workout type.

also speed is pretty much the ease of going through the punch, you dont need to bench a lot to simply shove your arm out there.

gaining muscle weight CAN help a fighter. but a lot of the time someone as well conditioned as a professional boxer is already in great shape, and adding on unneeded muslce weight will simply bog them down.
although it depends on the fighter in question and the phsyical situation he is in, of course.

i agree with the bold
but in boxing you fight in spurts

also, i thought shannon briggs had asthma