Sprinting builds upper body muscle?

[GhostFighter]

Hello can sprinting alone build extra upper body muscle? Cause i notice most of the short distance sprinters during the Olympics all have such sculptured upper bodies as in there legs.
Or do they do heavy lifting as part of there training routine?

[josh-hill]

i would like to know this too... i think mostly they look like that because of genetics, although i dont know if its helped by the training. by sprinting you are training your body to use mostly fast twitch muscles and the energy systems related to them. your body likes to be in balance so being fast twitch dominant in your legs and slow twitch dominant in your upper body isnt a good idea. im not sure if your body makes your upper body change too keep up with your lower body though.


that said, bag work, mit work and the like is similar to sprinting in the way it uses energy for power so you are likely to see similar adaptions by doing that

[kbpoetree]

well i was a pretty good sprinter in college..however I was one of the "rare" ones whom was tall and skinny...and white..lol...i got odd looks most the time like this isnt the mile dude...but to answer ur ?...most work out their legs pretty hard...in doing that the legs are large muscles and more those grow the more ones upper body grows with it more naturally...sure sprinters get an advantage due to the drive we pump our arms..but sprinting alone doesnt really build the strenght its the combo of the legs and also the weight workouts during off season, etc...

[Crushedknee]

I think sprinting really works the torso and the arms have to work hard to stabilize all the core motion and direct the energy back to the ground..They wouldn't waste the weight on upper-body muscle if it wasn't developed by doing the event our brought advantages back to it. Also they are just really lean so they look bigger than they are..

[Redd Foxx]

I've been told by several people that leg work causes you to gain muscle throughout your body due to the way your body responds on a hormonal level.

[Funky_Monk]

I think its a combination of all of the above, when I started running (longer distances) my arms developed more particular triceps.
When competing remember they will be warmed up so their muscles shall be full of blood too.

[New England]

Hello can sprinting alone build extra upper body muscle? Cause i notice most of the short distance sprinters during the Olympics all have such sculptured upper bodies as in there legs.
Or do they do heavy lifting as part of there training routine?

that's the genepool, baby

the type of muscle that leads them to be so explosive in their running isnt going to simply dissapear in their upper bodies.


chalk it up to jesus

[New England]

I've been told by several people that leg work causes you to gain muscle throughout your body due to the way your body responds on a hormonal level.

when people used to ask me how i got big arms i used to tell them by squatting


they didnt get the joke, or the fact that i was giving sound advice

your body craves proportion. it revels in it.

it knows that small legs dont work well under a huge upper body

[New England]

well i was a pretty good sprinter in college..however I was one of the "rare" ones whom was tall and skinny...and white..lol...i got odd looks most the time like this isnt the mile dude...but to answer ur ?...most work out their legs pretty hard...in doing that the legs are large muscles and more those grow the more ones upper body grows with it more naturally...sure sprinters get an advantage due to the drive we pump our arms..but sprinting alone doesnt really build the strenght its the combo of the legs and also the weight workouts during off season, etc...

not to mention a world class sprinter was likely born with an adonis like build

that's about as athletic/talent based a sport as there is, in terms of the explosive and anaerobic athlete

swimming
running
climbing trees

if somebody was born with a genetic advantage toward doing these things well it's likely going to be something you recognize in their build


they will look impressive to you
recognizing that is genetic.


that, in my opinion, answers the OP to the largest degree
these guys are physically gifted, and it shows in their upper bodies as well as their legs (what they actually use to compete)

[jaded]

Hello can sprinting alone build extra upper body muscle? Cause i notice most of the short distance sprinters during the Olympics all have such sculptured upper bodies as in there legs.
Or do they do heavy lifting as part of there training routine?

Yes...they lift heavy weights and develop very strong upper bodies.