Can you be fat but fit? The case of Andy Ruiz Jr.,the new World Heavyweight Boxing Champion
/By Mike James
The recent boxing match where World Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua, the archetype muscular mesomorph with broad shoulders, bulging biceps, slim 6 pack adorned waist and clearly defined musculature was knocked out by portly Any Ruiz Jr. has left many people scratching their heads in disbelief. Ruiz has a physique the polar opposite of Joshua, with an ample waistline more indicative of consuming six packs rather than training for them and a bulky torso not normally associated with athletic endeavors especially competing for the World Heavyweight Championship.
How does the epitome of Fighting Fitness, Anthony Joshua, get comprehensively beaten by a portly pugilist like Any Ruiz Jr. who is 4 inches shorter and 20 lbs. heavier?
How is this possible? Doesn't a slim body guarantee superior fitness levels? Isn't a large waistline and a lack of muscular definition indicative of a slothful lifestyle and poor fitness level?
And this doesn’t just happen for athletes. Maybe you can relate to the following scenarios
You are pounding away the miles on a treadmill at the local gym. The sweat is glistening on your muscular torso; you are breathing hard and feeling good. You look at the person on the machine next to you. He is far from svelte, downright chubby in fact, but to your surprise they are running much faster than you.
Fifteen minutes later after you finish your run, cool down, stretch and shower, you find he is still running and is not half as breathless as you were.
Or maybe you've trained for months for a local fun run. You've watched your diet and body-fat levels and decked yourself out in the latest trendy sports gear, only to find you are beaten over the line by a pudgy bloke in a baggy sweat-shirt and shorts that barely cover his ample buttocks.
How can this be? Doesn't appearance count for something? How can Anthony Joshua with his Greek God like physique be knocked out by a pudgy, pugilist like Andy Ruiz Jr.
Again, doesn’t a slim body guarantee a superior fitness level? Aren’t a large waistline and a lack of muscular definition indicative of a slothful lifestyle and poor fitness level?
Not according to recent research from respected fitness industry experts Dr. Glenn Gaesser, professor of exercise physiology at the University of Virginia, and Dr.Stephen Blair, director of research at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas. Doctor Gaesser says we have been conditioned to view health and fitness in strictly black and white terms. "We think a fat body cannot possibly be fit and healthy -which implies that "lean" is inherently good and "fat" is inherently bad. This is an overly simplistic view that does not stand up against a substantial amount of medical and scientific evidence."
Various studies have shown that thin people do not necessarily live longer, nor are they necessarily the healthiest. And no measure of body weight or body fat can be related to a particular degree of coronary blood vessel disease.
In 1996, researchers at the National Center for Health Statistics, and Cornell University, analyzed dozens of published reports on the impact of body weight on death rates of 350,000 men and 250,000 women. They found that during follow up periods lasting up to 30 years, "moderate obesity" -no more than about 22.5 kilograms in excess of so called ideal body weight -increased the risk of premature death only slightly in men and not at all in women.
Doctor Gaesser points out that height/weight charts do not account for heavily muscled individuals even when they categorize them into small, medium and large frames. Rather than height/weight tables, obesity is now measured in terms of a person's body mass index (BMI). But this is not infallible either. It is also possible for a healthy, muscular athlete with very low body fat to be classified obese using the BMI formula.
Your BMI is calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in meters. A "healthy weight" is considered to be between 20-25, up to 29.9 overweight, and one 30 or above obese.
Dr. Steven Blair agrees that the focus on weight loss is wrong. "Healthy bodies come in all shapes. We need to stop hounding people about their weight and encourage them to eat healthful diets and exercise. There is a misdirected everybody obsession with weight and weight loss. It is fitness that is the key."
So does this mean we should ignore all the warnings and just eat and drink to our hearts' content with no worry about future health consequences? No, well certainly not without regular exercise and healthy diet. "An overweight person who is fit can be just as healthy, and live as long as a lean, fit person," Blair says.
According to Gaesser, the Hollywood fueled obsession with obtaining a lean body and the desire for weight loss at any cost, is one of the major reasons people discontinue their exercise program. "Stopping an exercise program due to perceived failure to reach a particular weight loss or body-fat goal, results in all the exercise and fitness benefits being lost as well. Yo-yo fitness is becoming as common as yo-yo dieting, where people's weight fluctuates markedly with potential dire consequences for their metabolism and overall health."
Not everybody agrees. Respected researchers like Dr. June Stevens, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the University of North Carolina, feel that "Just being slender is not enough and just being fit is not enough. In order to enjoy the best life expectancy you need to be both."
"The latest science is quite clear that excess weight can carry considerable health risks, including a higher risk for heart attack and stroke," says Dr. Jorge Plutzky, director of preventive cardiology at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Researchers like Gaesser and Blair are attempting to shift the focus away from unattainable body shapes to overall fitness. Your genetics plays a huge part in determining your physique and body shape.
Not every man has a Mr. Universe skeletal structure with broad muscular shoulders tapering down to a 30-inch waist, nor does every woman have the long slender legs and perfect curves of a supermodel. Improved Fitness should be the goal, whatever your shape or size.
OBESITY RISK
There is a difference between being fat and being obese. Obesity is defined as having a body-mass index (BMI) of 30 or above. The health consequences of obesity range from a number of non-fatal complaints that affect quality of life -such as respiratory difficulties, musculoskeletal problems, skin problems and infertility complaints that may lead to premature death.
Obesity is known to increase a person's risk of diabetes, stroke, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and kidney and gallbladder disorders. It may increase the risk for some types of cancer and is also linked to the development of osteoarthritis and sleep apnea. New Dutch research found obesity in adulthood is associated with a decrease in life expectancy of about seven years -similar to that associated with smoking.
A word on Joshua v Ruiz
John Ruiz is not the only example of a heavyweight Champion possessing a less than svelte physique. George Foreman in his second incarnation (1987-1997) carried significantly more bulk and bodyfat and Larry Holmes champion from 1978-1983 while not as bulky as Ruiz or Foreman definitely did not have the type of physique you would find in a Mr. Universe contest.
However what all of these 3 champions did possess was high level boxing skills. Foreman had devastating power and the ability to cut of the ring when opponents tried to stick and move, Larry Holmes had one of the fastest most accurate jabs in heavyweight history. Andy Ruiz has very fast hands and a copybook punching technique honed over a decorated 110 (105 win-5 loss) amateur and 32 (31 w-1L) professional career.
Perhaps these superior skills counter the apparent lack of conditioning. Definitely with Ruiz, his opponents over confidence could play a part. Ruiz is not the first person whose appearance belied their fitness, skills and determination. Or maybe once again we have become too enamored with stereotypes dictated by popular culture rather than performance and established research.
For us mere mortals and pretenders not contenders for championship status, a common sense approach is recommended. The success of Andy Ruiz should in no way justify paying no attention to our nutrition. While it is ok to strive for a more svelte physical appearance, improved fitness should be the goal rather than an unattainable body shape and unrealistic weight loss.