Masters&JohnsonAthlete wrote:
2. Muscle mass can be maintained as a distance runner. But most elites don't carry the upper body mass for performance reasons outside of Webb and Cabral. Cabral has ridiculous lats for a steepler. Men in their 50s and 60s can build and maintain muscle. Most men just choose not to or have let their bodies decay for so long it's impossible. I'm in my mid 40s and am more jacked than 90 percent of guys at my gym. I've just never let myself go for too long.
Neither Webb nor Cabral are that big. Webb is listed as 5-9, 145 & Cabral at 5-10, 150. However, regardless of their musclarity, both are/were carrying probably a little too much weight; Cabral's 8:19.42 steeple PB is something like 2500th all-time fastest. Webb's 3:30.54 is only 150th all-time and he never could make that jump into Olympic/WC medal winner. ☝️ If you look at the world class steeplechasers & 1500 guys winning Olympic & WC medals they're are downright diminutive & frail looking! Added bulk ain't going to cut it in distance running...nothing new there.
