Not sure what your point is but he looks like a regular bloke. The fact that he was a QB and didn't have to do much more than receive the ball and pass the majority of his career speaks nothing about his physique. In other words, I wouldn't expect him to look any different unless he was a body builder.The greatest NFL player of all time:
It's not a bad photo. That's what he looks like.
Footballers without abs
- Thread starter Pogue Mahone
- Start date
The greatest NFL player of all time:
It's not a bad photo. That's what he looks like.
Comparing QBs to footballers now? Could have used Peyton Manning then. He has a proper belly. Doesn't make the comparison any more valid though.
This is better contrast. 40 years old Seedorf.
I love Seedorf but christ that's disgusting.
Many comments stating that lack of abs, or Rooney's physique, is not acceptable for an athlete. In response to that I posted a photo of a well-known, world-class athlete with a worse looking physique.
Maybe we should post Sumo wrestlers as well. They're all fat bastard.
I don't think that's up for debate is It? None of those strongmen or powerlifters have well defined mid sections for a reason, extra fat does equal extra strength.
Why this is even a topic I have no clue...all footballers at the highest level have abs, just like we all do. But just because you don't see them doesn't mean jackshit.
Footballers aren't necessarily athletes or human specimens like NFL players. Your body isn't supposed to be that big. You need a certain amount of fat and ability to retain water or else you'll cramp. And everybody's physic is very different.
If you're match fit and able to do your part, that's all that matters. All footballers will get tired towards the end of 90 minutes and if not, no matter how great your abs look, you probably didn't exert yourself to the fullest.
You can be skinny as shit and have your abs be visible, but if you're getting knocked off the ball too much, what good is that? Give me Paul Scholes, Pirlo, Neville, Butt, etc. These are fooking footballers who have the right mentality and right drive, more so than the right ab structure and win.
Wayne Rooney never had a great body, but he's been a fantastic footballer from 16 to 29(ish). You can't deny that. His own style, his own way, and one of the most successful and talented footballers in our generation.
Footballers aren't necessarily athletes or human specimens like NFL players. Your body isn't supposed to be that big. You need a certain amount of fat and ability to retain water or else you'll cramp. And everybody's physic is very different.
If you're match fit and able to do your part, that's all that matters. All footballers will get tired towards the end of 90 minutes and if not, no matter how great your abs look, you probably didn't exert yourself to the fullest.
You can be skinny as shit and have your abs be visible, but if you're getting knocked off the ball too much, what good is that? Give me Paul Scholes, Pirlo, Neville, Butt, etc. These are fooking footballers who have the right mentality and right drive, more so than the right ab structure and win.
Wayne Rooney never had a great body, but he's been a fantastic footballer from 16 to 29(ish). You can't deny that. His own style, his own way, and one of the most successful and talented footballers in our generation.
What I'm pointing to is that he's correct in saying an athlete doesn't have to be "super lean" in order to be in their individual peak body weight/density/shape.
I totally agree that you could be perfectly fit as a footballer and not have your abs showing. But it would definitely improve their fitness if they manage to lower their fat % a bit and gaining some muscle on the way. This way their abs would be showing, no doubt, at least a subtle outline.
So yes, Rooney was fit for the game and has never been ripped or toned. But if he would've had a more strict diet and gym regime he would've definitely show some muscle on his pics and he could at least look half fit to play now.
So yes, Rooney was fit for the game and has never been ripped or toned. But if he would've had a more strict diet and gym regime he would've definitely show some muscle on his pics and he could at least look half fit to play now.
The greatest NFL player of all time:
It's not a bad photo. That's what he looks like.
Don't they have like a 5 minute rest after each play though? Nowhere near as physically demanding as real football.
That is a recent picture of Arjen Robben after his winning goal against Leipzig - and I do not know anybody that is more interested in having his body in shape for football and doing a lot for it.
...and who is less interested in showing off his body.
...and who is less interested in showing off his body.
@Pogue Mahone do you work for the Mirror?
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/row-zed/remarkable-differences-between-wayne-rooney-10697934
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/row-zed/remarkable-differences-between-wayne-rooney-10697934
Being slightly leaner, may increase performance, but it also may not. Getting "lean" - that is having low body fat, is done by being in a calorific deficit. Training to be in a deficit and training for performance are two different things, hence why bodybuilders at low BF percentages are relatively weak just before a show. As such being in a calorific deficit doesn't aid performance, in fact, it likely hinders it.
Some people are naturally leaner than others, some have to work harder for it. Maybe Rooney could work a bit harder, but to be honest, in my opinion his drop in performances is as likely to be down to the sheer number of games played catching up with him and the fact that he isn't probably a "natural" athlete.
This is another perfect example of how the bodies of different athletes really varies from sport to sport.
The greatest NFL player of all time:
It's not a bad photo. That's what he looks like.
Anyone chiding you for posting this is way off base.
What's interesting about Tom is he eats an almost vegan, raw diet. I wonder how his blood tests compare to 'footballers with abs', especially his arterial blockage. Between the genre fitness and his diet he will live til 90.
That can't be said of many others in supposed great shape with abs. Aesthetics versus true health.
Are you sure? My friend was next to him at a restaurant in Boston a couple of months ago and he was eating a bacon cheeseburger.
Was that recent? Unless he allows himself a cheat meal once in a while, yea. Gisele turned him to the diet which doesn't allow even tomatoes because they're slightly inflammatory. They do have a little bit of lean meat, not sure w what frequency. He has gone on about how the diet is the reason he has been able to play at a high level into his 40s.
Within the last 6 months. He wasn't with Gisele so maybe he is cheating
Within the last 6 months. He wasn't with Gisele so maybe he is cheating
That's hilarious. worthy of the front page of the tabloids!
Do you know their blood results or did you just make an assumption based on nothing else than the fact someone eats raw vegan diet?
Could be, but that isn't necessarily true. I'm actually going to a sports nutritionist with the objective of reducing fat % without dropping weight (meaning I'm gaining muscle as well) and I've learned you can do that without a calorie deficit in your diet. When I started this diet my body looked like Rooney's in the OP's pic. Started on 25% body fat & in a month I got it down to 19% eating way more and feeling much much more energized while seeing great improvement on my training routine, the trick is what you eat and maximizing your body's metabolism, this is where the nutritionist plays his part as every body absorbs nutrients diferently. I really never thought I'd have visible abs and now they are starting to show naturally.
With this in mind I just think Rooney could be easily capable of being fitter, with abs and way quicker as he has everything at his disposal to do it, best nutritionists, top notch facilities, a ridiculous salary and I hope a bit of competitive drive to at least still look half fit to play and demand his paycheck.
The bolded statement - my mistake for being so vague. I didn't want to shift the conversation too much but I was specifically thinking of cardiac events in well conditioned athletes. We had the tragic death of Tiote this year among other footballers. There are a fair number of clinical papers on such pathology in marathon runners. And I have a friend who is 32, plays tennis , looks fit as feck, eats on the healthy end of unhealthy scale and had a mild heart attack last year (partial arterial blockage) .
So as I mentioned,
. It's not a hypothesis. But I am very curious to know. With the footballers that passed for instance, we only ever hear about genetics. On this very forum it was suggested it was because of African descent. Certainly that hereditary component is there. But these are world class athletes. There is a lot of literature about certain diets preventing, even reversing heart disease. There is the accepted truth that being visibly even performance based good health doesn't mean one isn't 'sick on the inside'.
I'll have to start a thread on it when I have time with references. It's pretty polarized at least in the public eye, especially with "Gotta eat meat bro" , Atkins/paleo diet epidemic.
That is of course possible, if that's your goal. The point is though that you are going to the nutritionist presumably because your ultimate goal is body recomposition - i.e. losing fat and gaining muscle. If you feel sluggish, or tired you can put up with that at work perhaps, or push yourself through a workout. You don't have to play professional football and all that goes along with it including enforced rest or the numerous tests they do every morning to see how the body is faring in the minutest detail.
Could Wayne Rooney look fitter? Probably. Would that increase his performances noticeably? I personally doubt it. If there had been a real problem with his fitness overall he'd never had lasted this long at United.
I also think people need to realise there is a difference between looking "fit" and being fit. The pictures in the mirror article posted above, Rooney looks lean. I bet he's 10 - 12% body fat. I dieted down to a shade under 10% last year and look lean but not "ripped". He doesn't need to be muscular if that's not his natural build, it's just more weight to carry around.
There are lads in my gym who look the part. They aren't as fit as half the 40 year olds in there.
As opposed to the vegan epidemic? You know you can get fat even if you are plundering your neighbor's flower garden every day or that you can lower your blood cholesterol even if you are eating at mcdonald's all the time, right? There's a few more factors at play than just what you are eating.
As for your tennis playing friend, that could be due to high blood cholesterol, stress, smoking, high blood pressure etc. since those are apparently the main factors behind arterial blockage. So that's kind of a vague argument again...
We're getting off topic but feck it, I enjoy a good diversion. There's an ever increasing consensus that genetics is FAR more important than diet when it comes to serum lipids and overall CV risk. People love to think they can change their life by changing what they eat but the reality is that - so long as you don't eat complete crap all day - the benefit you would get from an uber-healthy diet are so marginal it's probably not worth the effort.
Most high level athletes are on PEDs, theres far too much money in the sport for them not to be on them....
Ronaldo has to be one of the most obvious examples ever though, and his fanboys would still deny it.
I found American Football to be much more physically demanding than football. It is also simply much more physical.
I think the reason you get NFL QB's with bellies is because of where they live. When you see the portions of food that get served up in America I'm amazed that everyone in the entire country isn't morbidly obese. Baseball seems to be infested with lard-arses too. If the sport/position they play doesn't involved covering much ground then there's every chance they will consume a lot more calories than they expend.
To be fair, the NFL players who are expected to run around a lot do seem to be in good shape. I don't think there''s many wide receivers or running backs with dad bods. This presumably explains why 99% of professional soccer players are lean. No matter where they live.
To be fair, the NFL players who are expected to run around a lot do seem to be in good shape. I don't think there''s many wide receivers or running backs with dad bods. This presumably explains why 99% of professional soccer players are lean. No matter where they live.
Listen, I didn't mean to offend you or take a jab at you. I don't get the feeling your understanding my view -
I am thinking aloud in wondering whether looking healthy and being healthy are the same. I'm asking how much diet and exercise can mitigate genetics. I'm asking if extreme diets fads are just that - fads.
My friend's issue was his penchant for greasy food. His medical history wasn't alarming or suggest his being high risk so it was a shock to all of us.
Like I said above, I'll take it upon myself to create that thread then. This is the only forum I'm a part of, so it'd be good to get some opinions of more diverse folk than those I work/spend time with.
Well, obesity is now an epidemic in the US. so you're halfway there. Childhood obesity is pervasive and people are uneducated and underpowered against it. It is also spreading beyond the US , not sure what the stats are though.
In this scenario, diet is the overwhelmingly predominant cause.
Anyhow, more for a separate thread.
Nfl need masses or they'd be run over.
Different courses.
Each sports at top level needs certain area to be developed more so than the other. There's sport that requires strength, endurance, speed, etc. You really can't compare on to another.
But in general i believe in sports every milliseconds faster, every bit stronger, and every little endurance can be the difference.
Different courses.
Each sports at top level needs certain area to be developed more so than the other. There's sport that requires strength, endurance, speed, etc. You really can't compare on to another.
But in general i believe in sports every milliseconds faster, every bit stronger, and every little endurance can be the difference.
Rooney should definitely have a word with Rio though.
Not offended, just discussing.
Fad diets are just that, fads. That's why people can get healthy no matter what type of food they eat, as long as they eat properly. That's why you can be healthy by eating fast foods and you can also be unhealthy eating vegan food. As long as you get the proper nutrients your body needs, the source is irrelevant. It's all made. up from the same building blocks just in various amounts.
Genetics are used too often as an excuse, they don't make that big of a difference when it comes to sports, unless we are talking about elite levels where evert miniscule advantage counts. Excercise is a good way to show your genetics the middle finger as long as you put in the right amount of work and dedication.
That's why there's no excuse for Rooney to look the way he looks. He doesn't have to look like a bodybuilder, but at least he should look like he does some kind of sport.
More physical for sure. Would disagree on physically demanding in terms of fitness though.
When Rooney was performing at the highest levels of the sport he didn't deviate from this look. I think people are ascribing too much credit to his looks for his poor form, as if he gets ripped and suddenly can control a ball much better.
Some might also argue that there's a connection between having abs and dabs 
Some might also argue that there's a connection between having abs and dabs
That's as much consensus as we'll have in here.
/Thread
He doesn't have to be ripped, I don't believe in that. If you have the strength and/or endurance to do what you need to do, doesn't matter how you look, but Rooney doesn't seem to have any of those anymore.
If he at least looked like he tried in the gym... but nope. His performances on the pitch don't support his looks anymore.
Maybe understanding of genetics isn't one of your strong points?
Maybe you are missing the point?