Everything Has A Price
Ever since I was a kid I thought sumo is strange. Could not see it as a real sport and find it strange that a sumo wrestler is twice or maybe three times heavier than a normal person. In my opinion sumo wrestlers are obese and I believe it's not healthy.
Today I thought it would be good to learn more about them and about what they do. I'm glad I did because I found out interesting things. First I'm going to talk about the sport itself and then about the wrestlers and their health.
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For a European like me the whole sport may look very strange. All you see is two overly obese guys more undressed than dressed, moving around in a circle, then they start pushing each other and the match is over. It looks like the preparation take more than the actual fight and that is true.
For Japanese and those who know what sumo is about, it has a whole other meaning. It is a ceremony and everything has a meaning, nothing is done by chance. There are strict rules about how they enter the ring, the cleansing process, the salt throwing, everything. If you want to know more about the ritual, please read this article -> Sumo: The History & Rules of Japan’s National Sport
Now let's talk about their physical aspect. If you look at them, you can't say they are fit as they look overweight and they really are overweight. A wrestler can weight from 300 to 400 pounds while the normal weight of a man at that age is 196.9. It's not a surprise as they eat up to 7000kcal a day, which is probably double of what others eat a day.
At a sumo stable, or heya, in Japan, training starts as early as 5 a.m. and can last for up to five hours straight, and it's nothing like what you'd expect to find at your typical group fitness class. For example, during an exercise called butsukari-geiko, wrestlers take turns repeatedly hitting and pushing each other until they collapse to the floor from exhaustion. And then, of course, there's the match, where wrestlers try to shove their opponent out of the ring or force them to touch the ground with any body part other than the soles of their feet. source
With a proper training like that they get obese regardless but it looks like they are healthy, no need for us to worry about them. How is that possible?
Studies show that intense exercise may prevent the buildup of visceral fat. Basically, it has to do with how exercise increases a hormone called adiponectin. Adiponectin guides glucose and fat molecules out of our blood stream, where they could build up as visceral fat, and instead puts them underneath the skin. source
The problems start after they give up competing but not only for them but for the other athletes as well. They are used to have a strict diet, some can't eat a lot, others must eat a lot but after these restrictions are gone, they are on their own and it's not easy to balance things. I've seen many athletes struggling with weight problems after they retire.
according to statistics retired wrestlers reportedly die an estimated 10 years younger than the average Japanese citizen.
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