To Bulk Up, or Not...

It is an age old question for professional athletes in general, but a tricky one for those who rely on speed.

In today's Trib, there was an article about Steelers' WR Santonio Holmes, no relation to John, wanting to add some bulk, to increase strength and speed, before the start of camp.

He says that he's going to be about 8-10 pounds over his playing weight of last year to start camp, then lose it in camp, but keep the extra strength. Sounds all well and dandy, but let's hope that he doesn't keep that extra weight on. I also gotta wonder how well even that "extra strength" will work for him.

I fail to see how adding extra weight and strength increases speed though.

There is caution here, especially for a player like Holmes that relies on his breakaway speed as a primary weapon.

As a Penn State fan, I recall Derrick Williams adding 10 pounds of muscle, for these same reasons, after his Freshman year. Suffice to say, he wasn't quite as quick and speedy his Sophomore year and therefore he wasn't as effective.

Also this season coming up in the NFL, superstar Adrian Peterson is planning on adding 10 pounds of muscle. Again, he's a big back as is, but his breakaway speed and elusiveness or incredible. How though will that extra weight affect that? His coach said it best:

"Vikings head coach Brad Childress agreed with Nelson Peterson in nixing the notion that bigger translates to better.

"Just put a 10-pound sack of potatoes on your back and think of how that works for you," Childress said."

For a concrete example, and one who realized the mistake of bulking up, look at Pirates' SS Jack Wilson. Heading into 2006, he added 20 pounds of weight to bulk up and "add power". Well, to do that, he sacrificed his great range on defense and become less of a player. The next year, he slimmed back down and got that range and quickness in the field back. Said Wilson:

"I just got wide. I got wide in the shoulders, and my first step wasn't as quick as it used to be. Most of the reason why I'm here is for defensive reasons. That's my bread and butter, and that's what I've got to get back to, getting to balls that I'm used to getting to."

So back to Holmes. Sure, time will tell as to whether this works or not, but the precedent is there, and warning signs are all over, that this isn't a good move for a speedy athlete.