Why do sumo wrestlers have to be fat?

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Sumo wrestling is a popular sport in Japan with consistently fat people trying to push each other out of a ring or arena.  It is for this obvious reason that many people have wondered why these wrestlers are always fat or obese.

Sumo wrestlers are indeed fat and huge in terms of their body size and weight, and this is simply because they must maintain their weight if they intend to win their match. It is just a matter of logic when it comes to the sport of sumo wrestling.  The bigger and fatter the sumo wrestler is, the more difficult it is for the opponent to push him away and out of the ring. The rules of the game are pretty plain and simple, and each opposing sumo wrestler just needs to push and/or carry the opponent out of the ring.  Whoever goes out loses the match, and in most cases, the fatter guy has the advantage.

Experts have explained this concern through the basic law of motion that states that acceleration is equal to the amount of force divided by the mass.  In the case of sumo wrestlers, the opponent literally has to put more force into his pushing technique against a fatter and heavier opponent.  With minimal force, one wouldn’t be able to push his opponent out of the ring.  So this explains why sumo wrestlers try to bulk up as much as possible in order to prevent their opponents from easily pushing them out during a match.

Many sumo wrestlers actually bulk up in terms of their muscles rather than fat.  They just seem and appear fat because of their size, but they also need more muscle in order to be stronger and able to push their opponents away.  For this reason, sumo wrestlers usually eat a lot of protein-rich foods in their diet aside from their usual fare.

Author: erwin

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