Re: (Sumo) Akebono; Rikishi benching and squats

["Garrett J. Dressler" <litvid@earthlink.net>]

I am so astonished by Shiroi Kumasan's belittling of the upperbody strength of
the rikishi, that I am forced out of my lurkermode.

Come on!!!  Can't you see the size of their traps.  They bulge so much that
their necks disappear into those mounds over their shoulders.

And their deltoids?  They are huge!.  And that ain't no fat either. Musashi,
the Moose, Kaio, etrc, etc.  OK, maybe not Minatofuji.

The pectorals may not seem relatively large because they are perched on top of
their humongous bellies and are somewhat hidden by pendulous layers of adipose
tissue, but they are massive in most.  Look at Takanohana and Tokitsuumi.

I grant that Akebono may not be able to do real pushups or bench press 300
lbs.  But I'll be that 90% of the top rikishi can.

Garrett

Retreating quietly back into.......

shiroikuma@email.cz wrote:

> snip

> Finally, I seriously doubt Akebono can bench even 300 lbs. I did
> powerlifting and can say that for an untrained athlete (in benchpressing I
> mean) this would be a somewhat spectacular feat. Most pro rikishi actually
> are very weak in their upper bodies, any regular guy that does serious
> lifting is stronger with regard to upper body strength.
>
> Amateur rikishi actually, since they usually stem from power disciplines -
> lifting, boxing, wrestling - are well built on top. But they do not stand a
> chance even when put against a low ranking deshi in any heya. This seems to
> be because the key in sumo is lower body strength. Upper body strength
> (excluding grip strength) is not necessary and is usually not developed.
> Most rikishi therefore are surprisingly week in arms, chest, and shoulder
> areas.
>
> I've heard stories about Chiyonofuji and Kirishima benching 200, some even
> say 250kg (550lbs). Undoubtedly Chiyo and Kirishima were better built than
> most rikishi, but with this level of performance they'd easily become
> record holders at their weight in active times. I'd find it hard to believe
> that either of them would be able of benching even 150kg (330lbs).
>
> No disrespect intended here, but the truth is most rikishi aren't real
> "strongmen" as their name entails in Western terms, i.e. benching power.
>
> Later,
>
> ShiroiKuma
> ShiroiKuma@bigfoot.com <-- ALWAYS use this address! It is
> my ONLY REAL address!
>
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