The Olympics
 

As usual it is thrilling to view the Olympics, especially the water events.

I have a question. I watched the water polo match this morning between Croatia and Greece (Croatia won) and noticed something I have noticed before. Why is it that water polo players tend to look a little bit (very little) pudgy compared to divers, swimmers, gymnasts? They certainly look in better shape than the average citizen, but they seem to be a bit more full figured than many other athletes. Why would that be?

WP answer
 

Extra weight and strength to pull an opponent under water.

PS
 

Diving events tomorrow 15.00 hrs GMT

(Ryan Lochte seems to have done the right thing with his new swim training program - Gold yesterday and leaving Michael Phelps to fourth position)

sumo wrestlers carry more weight too
 

A low body fat body is more important in some sports than others and water polo doesnt require low body fat. Water polo has some characteristics of being on an offensive line on a football team. The ideal physique for winning the 400 m IM medley is not necessarily ideal for being a top-tier water polo player.

In terms of overall fitness the gymnasts probably are at the top of the heap, but I wouldnt expect a gymnast likely to be a very fast runner. The Rowers are very interesting too, as they have upper body strength like the gymnasts, but in doing one basic move. Generally they have big broad shoulders and powerful deltoids. The divers have the huge quadriceps that keep their legs very straight in the ideal dive, but you dont see those on swimmers, where big quads might actually impede speed. The cyclists tend to be very low body fat and huge thighs and calf muscles, but their upper bodies look weak compared with many other sports, in large measure because cycling does not generally stress chest muscles, only used to hold the arms on the handlebars.

body type
 

One only has to see the Tour De France to understand the cyclists' physique
(look at Bradley Wiggins's arms) but where do you rate boxers and amateur wrestlers which, with martial arts practitioners, I would expect to see alongside gymnasts ?

its not as much fat as it is solid muscle. They are built for the sport that requires incredible strength all over. They are like floating rugby players or wrestlers that need lots of muscle to take control of the opponent and still have control to throw the ball hard. If I were you, I wouldn't want to call them pudgy to their faces!

Halftime in the US v. Montenegro match, US 4, Montenegro 2. A very exciting match. One of the announcers pointed out there's a professional water polo league in Europe, now I know why landlocked countries like Hungary have fielded such excellent teams for many years. I notice in TV coverage of swim and dive meets in the US the camera often makes an effort to photo the athlete from above the waist as if the sight of a speedo on a male body would be upsetting for American audiences, but these camera people have no such false modesty. Back to the match!

water polo league
 

Yes - east European states and The Balkans have some good teams - Croatians are very keen players and it's a popular sport there.

(we should see more of them - with divers they seem to be the last refuge of the speedo)

Water Polo
 

Wish those suits were available for sale. Would get one in a minute. Some great shots of the US waterpolo guys yesterday. Did you notice the one guy with the suit rolled up like a tiny bikini? Very hot

I have a couple of Turbos, they are solid for water polo play, i use em for body surfing.

Some guys double up their speedos for water polo because like the announcers said yesterday its "brutal and vicious", you can easily lose a suit. Do you think the Olympics water polo guys double their suits too?