Body Weight for Shot Putters

[Rick Walton]

I am a pretty good sophomore shot putter that wants to continue to put on weight. I am 6'4", 295 pounds, about 25% body fat. I think getting bigger will help me throw farther. My coach thinks not.

I would like to know why putting on extra weight will hurt my performance? I do think that the bigger I get will make me that much stronger. Do you agree?

Thank you.

[George Payan]

Body weight is not really important as long as it is properly distributed between the fat and lean components of the body. Extra weight will not hurt performance as long as the weight is muscle mass.

If the extra weight is "over fat" where body fat exceeds the acceptable range, the extra weight becomes extra baggage. Similar to a car, if extra baggage is eliminated, the car is able to perform better. Fat mass does little to contribute to sports performance and may contribute to resistance.

Coach Payan
www.CoachesEducation.com

[TRACYPECKINPAUGH]

When I threw in high school I only weighed 200 pounds and
was 6'3" but still threw 54'5" my senior year, so I would stick to where you are and work on technique and speed.