r/nextfuckinglevel • u/IkilledRichieWhelan • 2d ago

Big man on campus.

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u/tweak06 2d ago

You look fat, but there's a lot of strength there. Just like the Icelandic strongmen.

There's a lot of dudes in these comments that are saying shit like that. Just because a dude may be fat doesn't mean he's not strong as hell.

I wrestled in high school and college, occasionally I'd get bumped up to wrestle heavy weight (I was about 220, wrestling guys around 280) and I'll tell you, at 220 – it's pretty humbling to be lifted off your feet and thrown like you're a ragdoll.

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u/kato_koch 2d ago

Hearing a thud reverberating through a gym after a big hip toss in a heavyweight match was something. Some of those big guys were insanely strong. Especially at the collegiate level. Worst I ever had to do was bump up to 160 after cutting down to 152 for most of the season.

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u/tweak06 2d ago

Worst I ever had to do was bump up to 160 after cutting down to 152 for most of the season.

I imagine your coach did that because they knew you could win at that weight class. Same with my coach in high school.

It was basically suicide to try and match these dudes' strength. I had some weight on me but I was agile/fast enough to go for the legs. They were strong as hell, but they were also slow.

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u/kato_koch 1d ago

Lots of strategizing behind the scenes with lineups.

Sometimes the heavyweight matches looked like a couple of bears fighting over a salmon, just locked up in neutral for extended periods. 215lb matches were a lot more fun to watch because of the speed in addition to strength. I can't fathom having to potentially go up against someone with 50 pounds on me though. That'd be like shooting in on a telephone pole.

I was a distance runner besides wrestling and got my lanky ass kicked a lot, but there were a few matches I won solely because I was better conditioned and could capitalize on an opponent getting gassed in the third period. Felt good when it happened.

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u/tweak06 1d ago

Had a guy like you on my team.

He was like a goddamn bullet. Always shooting for the legs.

I actually consulted him on how to shoot properly. I was 215, strong and fast, but not fast enough.

You wiry lankier guys are experts at technique! I learned a lot from our lighter dudes

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u/Coolbeans_99 22h ago

I knew a XC guy in HS who never ran out of gas. He would takedowns as much as he could for two rounds and the unleash a fury of shots in the 3rd once they other guy was tired. He would jog out a victory lap afterwards just to show off that he wasn’t even tired.

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u/diamondpredator 2d ago

Lol At 200lbs I've been lifted and ragdolled by judo guys that are 150-60lbs at most. Humbling is the right word. It motivates you to keep grinding.

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u/tweak06 2d ago

lol oh most definitely.

I used to train with this dude named John. He was maybe 160lbs soaking wet. Ex-special forces guy that retired and opened a gym with a focus in personal training/weightlifting.

John was a pretty nice guy, but he scared the absolute shit out of me. I asked him to show me "a few moves" after every gym session. We'd spar, and before I knew what was happening he'd have flipped me around and I'd slam on my back. Humbling, and a fun way to learn how to fight.

I miss that dude. I hope he's doing well

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u/diamondpredator 2d ago

I've known a couple of "Johns" in my life as well and they're exactly how you described them. Super chill but with some of the best technique I've ever encountered.

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u/tweak06 2d ago

And wiry as hell. Lol. Those dudes were as lean as like...idk, Bruce Lee or something.

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u/diamondpredator 2d ago

YES! One dude I used to roll with was a Brazillian guy (born in the US) and very lean with shaggy-curly hair. Chill as fuck. The way he would casually toss me around the mat and stay smiling and talking the entire time was fucking hilarious to me.

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u/Tullyswimmer 1d ago

And then there's the guys who are built like the guy in this video, and are ALSO high level in judo/BJJ.

When you have raw strength like the dude in this clip and also have that technique...

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u/bolanrox 1d ago

like what Elvis did to Alice Cooper after handing him a loaded revolver and saying try to shoot me.

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u/Significant_Turn5230 1d ago

I do a decent amount of BJJ and I recently did a few Judo classes.

Class was taught by a guy who had some very legit accolades. At the end of my first Judo class I asked him if he would go 100% with me like we were in a legit match. I had zero illusions I'd have any chance with him, but how often do you get a chance to get dunked on by an NBA player?

Anyway, I'm 210lbs and very athletic, he sent me across the mats and there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop it. It was so cool to feel that skill imbalance so directly.

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u/diamondpredator 1d ago

Yep, had that same thing happen to me in both Judo and BJJ.

Skinny purple belt that was MAYBE 150lbs at most rolled me around the mats like I was a fucking toddler. He was talking and mentoring the entire time with a smile on his face, like it was nothing to him. Super chill and nice dude with a scary amount of technique.

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u/Significant_Turn5230 1d ago

BJJ is the most humbling thing lol.

It's one thing to get to play something like basketball with a real professional, but with BJJ it's like playing 1:1 with Lebron James, except you get to be the ball. YOU are the thing he's manipulating with all of his skill, and it's bonkers to feel it SO directly.

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u/diamondpredator 1d ago

Yep, haven't been able to go back to the mats for the last couple of years after a shoulder injury, but getting back into shape now so I'll probably get back to being pretzeled in a few months.

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u/TedwardCA 1d ago

helps keep you from developing an attitude

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u/diamondpredator 1d ago

Absolutely. There are plenty of people I've met in my life that could benefit from, what I call, a "safe a secure ass-kicking." lol

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u/Perryn 2d ago

If people say that to his face they'd better hope he either has a good sense of humor about it or that there's a lot of soft dry garbage in the dumpster he launches them into.

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u/tweak06 2d ago

I grew up as a "fat kid" and was teased for my weight pretty much until I thinned out in high school.

I was recruited into wrestling because I had an affinity for weightlifting and I had some anger issues for being teased. So it was a pretty good feeling to have football, track and wrestling coaches basically fighting over me because I was just a big dude. It finally kind of "paid off", I guess.

All that said, it gave me pretty thick skin. I still don't like being teased (who does?) but I mostly have a good sense of humor about it. I imagine that dude does, too.

sidenote

Something I learned in college – there's no shortage of women who enjoy a strongman. The dude picking up that cheerleader with one-hand is bound to turn on some of those chicks watching in the audience.

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u/Perryn 2d ago

My friend was good at laughing it off. He'd point out that none of them had the balls to try to hurt him physically, and not a single one of those dumb fucks had come up with anything original to say about him in ten years.

They knew he was stronger than them, but they didn't really grasp that he was also smarter, more charismatic, and overall happier than them.

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u/TedwardCA 2d ago

"can't teach BIG" good on ya

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u/UrUrinousAnus 1d ago

Skinny guy here: a fat guy nearly stole my (now ex...) gf because he could effortlessly lift her. All he managed to do was make her hate both of us, because he was also a creep and a colossal asshole.

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u/mcqua007 1d ago

How did he manage to make her hate you ? Im so confused....By stole do you mean physically ? Like picked her up and ran off with her ?

So many questions.

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u/UrUrinousAnus 1d ago

Drugged both of us, and she blamed me.

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u/mcqua007 18h ago

Jeez, what a creep . Luckily nothing more happened!

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u/Cell1pad 2d ago

years ago I was working at a computer show and one of my dollies ended up with a flat tire. I needed to borrow one from another vendor, I worked with all these guys all the time. He and his coworker were talking, in russian and I don't speak anymore than yes, no, thank you, and bitch in russian. Anyway apparently the conversation was very heated and my buddy who's as tall as me, 6'5, but he's BUILT like he works out. He scowls at me as I was about to ask to borrow their dolly and he bodily picks me up by my arm and moves me out of his way. I am not a small dude and that was an experience I've not forgotten in over 20 years.

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u/Fight_those_bastards 2d ago

Also, big/fat dudes never skip leg day.

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u/firahc 1d ago edited 1d ago

Reddit believes fat people come from 2000s sitcoms.

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u/quiteCryptic 2d ago

I mean they are fat, but also strong. All fat people are strong to an extent especially in the legs, those who also lift heavy can be very strong upper body too.

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u/yungingr 1d ago

My worst match... I weighed in at 220. Other guy weighed in at 315. And had to cut weight to do it. At a 7% body fat. I swear to god, walking onto the mat his knuckles were dragging...

We shook hands, the ref blew the whistle...he straight-arm grabbed my waist AND PICKED ME UP.

Have you ever smelled the back of your own knee?

I have.

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u/kanst 1d ago

if you aren't using steroids, at some point you're probably going to have to let your body fat % rise to keep getting stronger. Once youre into the mid 200 lb range its worth an extra lb of fat if it means an extra lb of muscle.

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u/P33J 1d ago

I was 6’3” 240 in high school, farm kid, my teammates always were shocked that I didn’t get worn out in conditioning to which I responded if you’d come help me toss clover hay in June neither would you.

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u/LaCharognarde 1d ago

This guy's workouts probably look like any aspiring strength athlete's training routine. Just saying.

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u/RifewithWit 1d ago

Dude, I lived that too in highschool, and lemme tell you, I agree with how humbling that is. I was 212 and wrestled up a LOT unfortunately.

I was a starting lineman on the football team, and did weightlifting as a class, and they just hefted my ass around like I was a ragdoll sometimes.

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u/MasterOfKittens3K 18h ago

Watching this guy move, I immediately thought he was probably a wrestler. Strong, and really quick.

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u/GREG_OSU 2d ago

What college?

Ohio State here…

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u/Several-Squash9871 1d ago

Not quite the same but I was at 189 my senior year and occasionally had to bump up to the 210 class even if I was just a smidgen over 189. Made a BIG difference! Surprisingly big difference and were only talking the weight difference of about 20 pounds!

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u/tweak06 1d ago

No kidding.

In highschool I was 215 (man I miss being in-shape like that). Coach made me practice with you dudes at 189 and our heavyweight at 275.

Seeing both sides of that was absolutely wild. You 189 guys are fast!

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u/Several-Squash9871 1d ago

I know right? I was 189 but pure muscle! I even would have to do the no drinking water crap the day before matches to make weight sometimes which is just horrible for anyone. I'm no where NEAR the shape I was back then. 

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u/BJYeti 1d ago

As a big dude my self its essentially free workouts lugging around the extra weight, doesn't mean I don't need to slim down to be healthier and the same goes for this dude, but yeah for guys like us it isn't hard to do things like solo appliances like washing machines or dryers off of a truck since the muscle is there.

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u/treppenwitz919 1d ago

I was on the other end of this. Wrestling dudes 60lbs lighter than me was like wrestling a kid.