What does an athlete look like?

[SpecialSundae]

Okay, so I wound up having a bit of a rant on Facebook the other day after someone who competes in one of the bodybuilding disciplines made a comment in her blog about actually looking like an athlete rather than "a soft ass who lifts the odd weight". It kind of got me wondering what an athlete looks like.

 

What makes you think someone is athletic?

 

What defines an athlete?

 

What do you think?

 

I've included my wee rant from Facebook because it kind of cover my thoughts, but really want to know what other people think.

 

 

[Elastigirl]

Interesting topic. I guess what I think is athletic is when you can see muscles in their shoulders and back especially.But, that may not always be the case. Women especially may be super strong, but you can't tell just by looking at her.

 

On my thread I was saying how part of my goal was  to look stronger, but I was worried that having a goal about my looks was vain. @WorldSparrow said  " Wanting to look good is only vanity if you act like it makes you better than those around you, otherwise it is just pride. " Which I think fits in really well with the person who made the comment about "someone with a soft ass that occasionally lifts weight' I'm sure she is super fit and has worked hard to get there and be proud of how she looks, but it turns into arrogance and pride when she looks down on others because they don't fit her idea of fit.

[zeroh13]

Maybe I'm alone here, but I've come to think that a person is athletic based on what they can do, not how they look.

 

For instance, I had a professor who runs marathons. He's a 60ish year old man with an average build. Did he "look" athletic? Hell no. If he hadn't told us, we would of had no idea that he got up early every morning to train. Or that the time class was cancelled for a 5k he beat a PR. He's athletic.

 

I've run into many of the athletes at the university I work at, and they really do come in all shapes and sizes. Granted, there are some teams where you can tell which sport they play based on appearances. But those are the more physically demanding ones like (American) football and gymnastics.

 

I'd define an athlete as someone who competes in a sport and/or is capable of performing athletic feats.

[SpecialSundae]

On ‎27‎/‎08‎/‎2016 at 0:00 PM, zeroh13 said:

Maybe I'm alone here, but I've come to think that a person is athletic based on what they can do, not how they look.

 

For instance, I had a professor who runs marathons. He's a 60ish year old man with an average build. Did he "look" athletic? Hell no. If he hadn't told us, we would of had no idea that he got up early every morning to train. Or that the time class was cancelled for a 5k he beat a PR. He's athletic.

 

I've run into many of the athletes at the university I work at, and they really do come in all shapes and sizes. Granted, there are some teams where you can tell which sport they play based on appearances. But those are the more physically demanding ones like (American) football and gymnastics.

 

I'd define an athlete as someone who competes in a sport and/or is capable of performing athletic feats.

 

We all know that an athlete is actually defined by what they do; the goal was to stimulate discussion of the popular perception of the physical appearance of athletes and a more personal perception of what an athlete looks like.

 

There are commonalities amongst sports, but the only universality I could think of is generally good core strength and posture. There are few sports where having a weak core is in any way beneficial.

[calanthrophy]

I guess if we're limiting it to what makes someone LOOK athletic, I'd say not much body fat and some muscle definition.

I don't know what the original context of the person's statement was, but it's not uncommon to hear people disparaging strength athletes who carry more body fat (strongman competitors come to mind) because they don't "look athletic." I've long ago given up on contradicting them.

 

The key to not being bothered by these things is to remember that the internet is terrible and so is everyone on it.

 

 

[CharlieBoston]

According to Bill Bowerman, co-founder of Nike and former track and field coach: "If you have a body, you are an athlete." 

 

 

[CharlieBoston]

1 minute ago, RandMart said:

Yeah, but he co-founded NIKE with a trunkful of stolen Onitsuka Tiger track shoes, and NIKE is now regarded as a Premier Doper Factory

Neither of those are even remotely familiar to me. Regardless, I like the idea behind the phrase. Or rather, my interpretation of it: as long as you are doing something physical, you're an athlete. 

[Raincloak]

I think someone looks athletic if they're doing something athletic at the moment I'm looking.  Or if they have well defined muscles (not large, just defined) and they walk by me in clothing that displays said muscles.  Other than that, I don't think much about whether somebody "looks athletic" or not.  Height doesn't matter, weight could be anywhere from slim to sturdy (not skinny and not obese, but anywhere between those is possible).  If by "bikini girl" we mean "very thin with large bust" I would not consider that an athletic look.  Thin doesn't scream "this person works out regularly".  Muscle is what screams "this person works out regularly."

 

I would define an athlete as someone who treats exercise as an add-on, hobby or lifestyle, as opposed to something that happens incidentally during their daily routine.  People with kids get exercise chasing the kids, picking up their gear, etc.  Farmers pick up heavy things and walk around a lot.  Desk jockeys get up and go to the canteen a couple times a day.  This is exercise, but I would not define it as athleticism, because they aren't doing it on purpose for its own sake.

[Jord]

On 9/4/2016 at 2:47 AM, Raincloak said:

Or if they have well defined muscles (not large, just defined) and they walk by me in clothing that displays said muscles.  Other than that, I don't think much about whether somebody "looks athletic" or not.  Height doesn't matter, weight could be anywhere from slim to sturdy (not skinny and not obese, but anywhere between those is possible).  If by "bikini girl" we mean "very thin with large bust" I would not consider that an athletic look.  Thin doesn't scream "this person works out regularly".  Muscle is what screams "this person works out regularly."

 

 

I'm in the camp of defined muscles as being what makes you LOOK LIKE an athlete, but you don't have to look like a typical woman headed straight to the crossfit games. Since I started lifting I've started to notice more when another woman has muscles and I have only ever seen one woman in real life who looked as ripped as a crossfit games athlete, the rest of these women were average people. The defined muscles I take note of, whether they have fat on them or not, are things like traps, quads, forearms. I guess I take the definition of "defined muscles" loosely. 

 

However, this is just what I think makes someone look like an athlete strolling down the street.

 

My circuit class instructor has quads for days, looks athletic, and is no where near ripped. You can tell by the way she carries herself. She walks and moves like someone who uses their body for fitness. Ever seen a person who is out of shape and they walk like it is a struggle? Sometimes a person doesn't have well-defined muscles but I can tell by the way they carry themselves that they train in some way, shape, or form. 

 

That brings up another question, do you have to compete in a sport to be an athlete? 

 

 

[Draegon (Liam P Boyle)]

4 hours ago, Taddea Zhaan said:

That brings up another question, do you have to compete in a sport to be an athlete

I am of the mind to say, no.  I know many martial artists who do not compete.  They spar, yes - test themselves against others, yes - but compete in tournaments, no.  Yet I would consider them all athletes.

[Evicious]

I don't think these people cares one way or the other if people would label them "athletic" - but I also think most people would be too busy putting their eyes back in their heads to comment.

 

      

[Draegon (Liam P Boyle)]

 

That's competing, my friend

 

There may not be judges and scoring, but ... it IS competing

It is, but many martial artists to distinguish between tournament competition and the infamous "friendly match" with an intentionally non-cooperative/non-compliant training partner.

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[Draegon (Liam P Boyle)]

@RandMart,

Basically, it breaks down like this: say we're two martial art students from different schools. We agree to fight a match, it would not necessarily be to see who is the better fighter, but to see how well our techniques can work against another person who is actively fighting back. That's what I'm referring to.

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[SjardisDead]

What makes you think someone is athletic?

 

If I know nothing about them, only their looks. Like broad shoulder, low body fat and visible (read: somewhat big). muscles (sic somewhat big). So on the first look I would never consider a Sumo wrestler or an marathon runner to be athletic.

 

What defines an athlete?

 

Competing against others.

 

 

2 minutes ago, Liam P Boyle said:

@RandMart,

Basically, it breaks down like this: say we're two martial art students from different schools. We agree to fight a match, it would not necessarily be to see who is the better fighter, but to see how well our techniques can work against another person who is actively fighting back. That's what I'm referring to.

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So you mean Sparring?

[Draegon (Liam P Boyle)]

To elaborate, a lot of those BS self defense drills you see all over YouTube are "compliance" drills. The attacker knows what the defender is supposed to do and goes along with it. At a certain point, you stop with these in favor of "non-compliance" or "non-cooperation" drills where a technique is being actively resisted. Layer by layer the BS us removed until practical "street" techniques are left.

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[Draegon (Liam P Boyle)]

What makes you think someone is athletic?

 

If I know nothing about them, only their looks. Like broad shoulder, low body fat and visible (read: somewhat big). muscles (sic somewhat big). So on the first look I would never consider a Sumo wrestler or an marathon runner to be athletic.

 

What defines an athlete?

 

Competing against others.

 

 

 

So you mean Sparring?

Among other things.

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[Connor Burns]

An athlete is whatever it is that is your ideal image of an athlete? I guess.

[SpecialSundae]

On ‎04‎/‎09‎/‎2016 at 7:47 AM, Raincloak said:

I think someone looks athletic if they're doing something athletic at the moment I'm looking.  Or if they have well defined muscles (not large, just defined) and they walk by me in clothing that displays said muscles.  Other than that, I don't think much about whether somebody "looks athletic" or not.  Height doesn't matter, weight could be anywhere from slim to sturdy (not skinny and not obese, but anywhere between those is possible).  If by "bikini girl" we mean "very thin with large bust" I would not consider that an athletic look.  Thin doesn't scream "this person works out regularly".  Muscle is what screams "this person works out regularly."

 

I would define an athlete as someone who treats exercise as an add-on, hobby or lifestyle, as opposed to something that happens incidentally during their daily routine.  People with kids get exercise chasing the kids, picking up their gear, etc.  Farmers pick up heavy things and walk around a lot.  Desk jockeys get up and go to the canteen a couple times a day.  This is exercise, but I would not define it as athleticism, because they aren't doing it on purpose for its own sake.

 

By "bikini girl", I mean someone who competes in the "bikini" class of bodybuilding.

 

So does that mean you don't count professional athletes as athletes? Or do you class that under lifestyle?

[Raincloak]

Sundae: I would say someone who gets paid to be an athlete would definitely count as an an athlete.  Obviously physical activity is not incidental to their routine, it IS their routine.

[TheOtherScott]

It's probably better to define athletes bodies by what they're capable of, not what they look like.  Even in professional sports, there's a huge range of what athlete bodies look like.  Patrick Kane and Phil Kessel don't just play the same sport, but the same *position* and they still have completely different body types.

[Mark D]

On 9/8/2016 at 2:45 PM, TheOtherScott said:

It's probably better to define athletes bodies by what they're capable of, not what they look like.  Even in professional sports, there's a huge range of what athlete bodies look like.  Patrick Kane and Phil Kessel don't just play the same sport, but the same *position* and they still have completely different body types.

 

Yup.  Both female Gymnasts and (American) foot ball Left Tackles are athletes, and the latter eats meals that weight more than the former.

 

What at athlete looks like depends on the demands of the sport they participate in

[Mike_d85]

I find the question kind of ironic since athletes generally concern themselves with performance rather than appearance.  It's why I love the ESPN nude edition that's become a tradition.  I also believe that it has no answer because that's like saying "what does a banker look like" and if you look at them all you can't point to a single trait they all share.

 

I think "athlete" is best is defined not as "someone playing sports" but rather "someone seeking physical perfection" which is something different entirely.  Now, that doesn't mean sculpted with low body fat, that means pushing your body to improve or maintaining your ability to do _______.  For some that's heart health so I'd say the guy going out for a walk because he wants to stay healthy and off cholesterol medication is an athlete.  Professional wrestlers that go and put on a show rather than compete in martial arts still need to train to do all of the things they are doing so they're athletes too.  And yes, I think body builders would be athletes, but when they are competing they are usually actually weaker than they normally are.  You're hard pressed to find common ground between all three of those athletes, though.  To say someone "looks athletic" I think really means "physically capable of exertion". 

 

Someone may "look strong" or "look fast" or "look flexible" but not necessarily "look athletic" which should be a balance of some kind of the three.  I think that's where the general answer lies. 

[SpecialSundae]

4 minutes ago, Mike_d85 said:

I find the question kind of ironic since athletes generally concern themselves with performance rather than appearance.  It's why I love the ESPN nude edition that's become a tradition.  I also believe that it has no answer because that's like saying "what does a banker look like" and if you look at them all you can't point to a single trait they all share.

 

I think "athlete" is best is defined not as "someone playing sports" but rather "someone seeking physical perfection" which is something different entirely.  Now, that doesn't mean sculpted with low body fat, that means pushing your body to improve or maintaining your ability to do _______.  For some that's heart health so I'd say the guy going out for a walk because he wants to stay healthy and off cholesterol medication is an athlete.  Professional wrestlers that go and put on a show rather than compete in martial arts still need to train to do all of the things they are doing so they're athletes too.  And yes, I think body builders would be athletes, but when they are competing they are usually actually weaker than they normally are.  You're hard pressed to find common ground between all three of those athletes, though.  To say someone "looks athletic" I think really means "physically capable of exertion". 

 

Someone may "look strong" or "look fast" or "look flexible" but not necessarily "look athletic" which should be a balance of some kind of the three.  I think that's where the general answer lies. 

It's a question of opinions, there's no irony there.

 

It was triggered by someone who's a bodybuilder body shaming actual athletes.

[Mike_d85]

27 minutes ago, SpecialSundae said:

It's a question of opinions, there's no irony there.

 

It was triggered by someone who's a bodybuilder body shaming actual athletes.

 

Hey, builders are athletes.  They just don't compete in a sport.

[Mike_d85]

Just now, RandMart said:

 

Careful ... You're gonna get those Pro Bassfishing chumps all riled up saying "It is TOO a Sport!"

 

Bassfishing?  No.  Deep sea sport fishing?  Yep.

 

I have two qualifiers: competition and sweating from exertion (if you were to do the activity at 60* farenheit, would you sweat).  Sitting on a boat and fighting a 50 lb fish after an hour of waiting?  Nope.  

 

And NASCAR sure is a sport, though.  Try holding a car on the road with no power steering going full throttle and making severe turns for a couple of hours.  It gets exhausting FAST.