Matt Centrowitz's calves are insane

If you ever saw his dad while he was in racing shape, you'd know why Centro has a bit more muscle than a lot of runners.

Go back and choose the right parents. I have big calves thanks to my dad. Part of the reason why I'm a slow hobby jogger.

If anything, my calves are a little bigger. And my mile is about 50 seconds slower.

Snell's were bigger.

Lahlafi's were bigger.

Let us assume you are a typical let'srun poster: 19:40 5K, 41:30 10K & 3:33 Marathon. Let us assume you are a 35 year old male. Attempting to sculp your body in weight room to look like Centrowitz, why? He doesn't get women based on his brute physique. It's everything else. Run, cross-train and have fun. Don't worry about Centrowitz!

let us assume ... wrote:

Let us assume you are a typical let'srun poster: 19:40 5K, 41:30 10K & 3:33 Marathon. Let us assume you are a 35 year old male. Attempting to sculp your body in weight room to look like Centrowitz, why? He doesn't get women based on his brute physique. It's everything else. Run, cross-train and have fun. Don't worry about Centrowitz!

I am a 17-year-old senior in high school looking to run in college. My 5K is a 16:36 (although not my specialty) and my 800 is a 2:03 (Ik it needs to be faster but haven't run it this year, yet). I know that typically being lighter has its advantages, but the amount of power that Centro probably generates when he pushes off is crazy.

P.S. I know his physique isn't winning any bodybuilding shows, I just want to be as fast as I can.

decent size mid distance runner wrote:

let us assume ... wrote:

Let us assume you are a typical let'srun poster: 19:40 5K, 41:30 10K & 3:33 Marathon. Let us assume you are a 35 year old male. Attempting to sculp your body in weight room to look like Centrowitz, why? He doesn't get women based on his brute physique. It's everything else. Run, cross-train and have fun. Don't worry about Centrowitz!

I am a 17-year-old senior in high school looking to run in college. My 5K is a 16:36 (although not my specialty) and my 800 is a 2:03 (Ik it needs to be faster but haven't run it this year, yet). I know that typically being lighter has its advantages, but the amount of power that Centro probably generates when he pushes off is crazy.

P.S. I know his physique isn't winning any bodybuilding shows, I just want to be as fast as I can.

Then you need to work on your aerobic abilities. You're way, way, way off base in being concerned with calf muscles.

not a highschooler! wrote:

decent size mid distance runner wrote:

I am a 17-year-old senior in high school looking to run in college. My 5K is a 16:36 (although not my specialty) and my 800 is a 2:03 (Ik it needs to be faster but haven't run it this year, yet). I know that typically being lighter has its advantages, but the amount of power that Centro probably generates when he pushes off is crazy.

P.S. I know his physique isn't winning any bodybuilding shows, I just want to be as fast as I can.

Then you need to work on your aerobic abilities. You're way, way, way off base in being concerned with calf muscles.

Yeah, but work with him and his world view, it is a way to motivate.

“Develop your aerobic abilities, stay healthy and live a clean, dedicated lifestyle and those calf muscles will be optimized- maybe not like Centro’s- but the best they can be- and you’ll probably develop your own strengths in other areas.”

Psych PHD wrote:

not a highschooler! wrote:

Then you need to work on your aerobic abilities. You're way, way, way off base in being concerned with calf muscles.

Yeah, but work with him and his world view, it is a way to motivate.

“Develop your aerobic abilities, stay healthy and live a clean, dedicated lifestyle and those calf muscles will be optimized- maybe not like Centro’s- but the best they can be- and you’ll probably develop your own strengths in other areas.”

Why?

He'll be nothing like Centro, or any other elite runner.

He needs to go run for himself. And that means RUN, not worry about calf exercises.

Calves aren't made of clay -- you can't start with them and mold them into something in order to produce your speed as a result. Running solid workouts creates speed and calves are the result of that, not the other way round.

Just get calf implants. The implant goes under the muscle so they look and feel real

nonwhites are inherently stronger because of slavery

The assumption that the typical letsrun visitor is 35 and runs as slow as 3:33 is way off.

;kjhjkh wrote:

The assumption that the typical letsrun visitor is 35 and runs as slow as 3:33 is way off.

Because you are younger or older than age 35; because you race Marathon faster or slower than 3:33 is irrelevant. You are one person. Look how many pages are: 1) Help me train for sub-20 5K; 2) Help me train for sub-40 10K; 3) Sub-17 5K ten or twenty years ago, can I race sub-19 5K now?

Don't forget all the Jim Ryun post we used to have when one particular poster was visiting letsrun. I do not believe 15 year old kids are posting about Cram, Coe or Ovett. Are you telling me teenagers are posting about Herb Elliott and Peter Snell?

There are too many poster posting with immediate recall of 1976 Olympics for me to believe it is mostly teenagers on letsrun.

running commenter wrote:

If you ever saw his dad while he was in racing shape, you'd know why Centro has a bit more muscle than a lot of runners.

His dad had tree trunks for calves.

Mad cow disease?

Not that impressed, Bekele and Toshihiko Seko calves were/are way bigger.

A few months ago, Centro was back at the top because he was emaciated according to letsrun. Today, he is exceptionally muscular for a miler.

Plenty of top Kenyans have toothpick calves with jacked quads fwiw.

In his prime, Arnold himself initially received a lot of criticism for his skinny calves. He did evntually reach a point where his calves were an asset on stage, but that was obviously aided by heavy PED use. But please don’t take PEDs to get bigger calves. You will still be an insecure weirdo even if it works.

How to build thick AF calves.

https://youtu.be/1PbeI2Pd7Rk