One for the ladies…
Serge Ibaka was part of ESPN the Magazine’s “Body” issue recently and there were some quality photos of him in tight shorts and well, that’s it. His muscles are glistening, his pecs are ripped, his abs are tight and his entire body may or may not be made of granite. Kind of similar to what I look like with my shirt off.
hoo merde tu as manger quoi frère la tu viens de battre sangoku!! tu t es transformer en super guerrier la!! la saisons qui débute risque d Etre chaud on sent que t es prêt
@J.G.
Yep.
Doesn't change the fact that it would still be unusual (different from impossible) for Serge to have gained significant strength over the off-season. In fact, even though he looks absolutely ripped, I don't think he looks much different than he did in pictures I've seen of him last year.
We already know he's very athletic. I'm sure he's very strong. I'm no less curious to know how many gains he made over the off-season. I'm no less curious about him than I am any other player on the team. Nor am I any less curious despite the fact I'll never have that curiosity sated.
To be perfectly honest, I don't think it matters if Serge is the strongest player in the NBA. It won't matter until he learns to box out and position himself instead of relying solely on his athleticism. Similar issue with post defense.
J.G. :@justin
Oh, I know it was. I was just giving you a hard time. Surely you know that by now!
@Mark! It’s certainly almost impossible for anyone to put on any kind of significant increase in muscle mass without also adding some (no matter how small) added body fat simply because of the caloric excess needed to pack on muscle. You can’t have one without the other, hence why your point about cutting the fat you’ve added is so poignant.
However your idea about Serge being an outlier could certainly be true, or Serge could simply have added functional strength without bulking up (it’s a lot easier to add strength than pure bulk and pounds of muscle in terms of lifting/mass gaining, especially for someone with the metabolism and desire to burn calories by playing/exercising that I’m assuming Serge has), and yet there could also just be a much more obvious answer that we’ve been overlooking in terms of whether or not Serge has gotten stronger despite not seeming to have added much sheer size overall.
I read in a recent interview that Serge has never lifted weights before seriously in his entire life and has only recently started serious weightlifting since arriving in OKC with the Thunder, even more so in this off-season since he has not been having to burn 500+ calories every day playing basketball/potentially not getting the proper rest needed to recover enough to truly gain and could thus focus on lifting intensely, getting the proper nutrition and the proper recovery time in this off-season like he has never done in his life.
As anyone who has studied fitness, lifted weights seriously, or even just works out a few times a week, the most physiological improvement and biggest muscular/strength gains will always be seen by individuals who are new to lifting. The body must quckly adapt to this new form of stimuli and the rush of testosterone, fat burning hormones and muscle building that occurs for a first-time lifter is unrivaled (without synthetic help, of course).
Add on the fact that Serge is already uber athletic and has a naturally muscular physique with low body fat (and that life is unfair), and him pumping iron seriously for the first time should help him see massive strength gains even if he doesn’t technically add the type of bulk that we would normally associate with “big” post players.
…or he could just have truly won the gene lottery and after adding bulk and body fat, can naturally trim back down pretty quickly because of his obviously fast metabolism and work ethic.
Either way I think I just got a little depressed, yet oddly inspired.
Good stuff!
@justin
Oh, I know it was. I was just giving you a hard time. Surely you know that by now!
@Mark!
It's certainly almost impossible for anyone to put on any kind of significant increase in muscle mass without also adding some (no matter how small) added body fat simply because of the caloric excess needed to pack on muscle. You can't have one without the other, hence why your point about cutting the fat you've added is so poignant.
However your idea about Serge being an outlier could certainly be true, or Serge could simply have added functional strength without bulking up (it's a lot easier to add strength than pure bulk and pounds of muscle in terms of lifting/mass gaining, especially for someone with the metabolism and desire to burn calories by playing/exercising that I'm assuming Serge has), and yet there could also just be a much more obvious answer that we've been overlooking in terms of whether or not Serge has gotten stronger despite not seeming to have added much sheer size overall.
I read in a recent interview that Serge has never lifted weights before seriously in his entire life and has only recently started serious weightlifting since arriving in OKC with the Thunder, even more so in this off-season since he has not been having to burn 500+ calories every day playing basketball/potentially not getting the proper rest needed to recover enough to truly gain and could thus focus on lifting intensely, getting the proper nutrition and the proper recovery time in this off-season like he has never done in his life.
As anyone who has studied fitness, lifted weights seriously, or even just works out a few times a week, the most physiological improvement and biggest muscular/strength gains will always be seen by individuals who are new to lifting. The body must quckly adapt to this new form of stimuli and the rush of testosterone, fat burning hormones and muscle building that occurs for a first-time lifter is unrivaled (without synthetic help, of course).
Add on the fact that Serge is already uber athletic and has a naturally muscular physique with low body fat (and that life is unfair), and him pumping iron seriously for the first time should help him see massive strength gains even if he doesn't technically add the type of bulk that we would normally associate with "big" post players.
...or he could just have truly won the gene lottery and after adding bulk and body fat, can naturally trim back down pretty quickly because of his obviously fast metabolism and work ethic.
Either way I think I just got a little depressed, yet oddly inspired.
I want to see a starting frontcourt of Aldrich/Ibaka. Collison is underrated, he should be the first "big" off the bench. Krstic just isn't the player he used to be "pre-injury". He should be used for garbage minutes or when somebody's in foul trouble.
And please, no more talk of Dampier.
Maybe it has been posted before, but this NBA 2k11 commercial with russell westbrook is pretty amazing
I don't know how much Ibaka has been working with Joe Sharpe and the Thunder athletic trainers this summer, but I trust he learned enough from them last season to train and work out in a way that will lead to good 'functional' strength and help his game. Remember, Sharpe was the trainer for the US national team in Turkey. He's a world-class guy, and I think the fact that neither the Thunder nor the FIBA team sustained any significant injuries was not a fluke. That comes from solid training, and I believe that's what Ibaka has been doing this summer.
Just an additional hint . . . that this OKC team could turn out to be something out of the ordinary.
In some intangible ways, winning basketball isn't just about the obvious things.
I don't think anyone was trying to turn his "bulk" into a negative. The question wasn't "How strong is Ibaka?" it was "How much stronger did Ibaka get?"
I'm just skeptical it was much, but I'd be curious to know the answer despite the fact I never will. Doesn't matter, he's still a beast.
But let's all get upset and defensive over speculative questioning.
How much of Dwight Howards chiseled physique is functional? He's looking a lot more like that.
Why do we know Serge got a lot stronger? He always looked ripped to me. There aren't any before and after pictures. I kinda always figured he was a superhuman.
This isn't football, where a lineman carries a little extra fat but maxes out his functional strength.
Low body fat percentage is hugely important for basketball players. It's measured at the combine and is a sign that the player is working out diligently. Functional strength doesn't matter as much as just being in great shape.
I remember Rondo shocking Bill Simmons with his musculature and low body fat percentage at the beginning of last season. It was a precursor to the remarkable season he had.
There were rumors that Baron Davis packed on the body fat this offseason. I wouldn't take him in my fantasy draft next season. Low body fat percentage is very, very important.
Holy Crap. With Ibaka and the chair-throwing Nenad Krstic, my money is on our guys in any kind of street fight!
Even if the muscle gain isn't functional strength (it probably is), I doubt his new physique hurts him much. The two things that usually go when muscle mass is added is range of motion and endurance, and sometimes the added weight will take a little off your vertical, or at least counter what you gained in strength. So, maybe there are three things for a basketball guy.
However, I think Serge could use some extra bulk. He's that PF/C who is a bit undersized (as far as weight goes) at C. I think Serge has enough vertical and energy/endurance to spare and the added bulk could really help him down low.
It's a serious question, I don't care how Serge looks I care about how he plays. If he's training for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy so he can model I don't see how that benefits the Thunder on the court.
I think it's a fair question.
It's physiologically difficult to gain muscle mass without body fat.
I doubt he's had time to get lots of BF%, go through a strength program, and cut all the fat he gained back off, all since April.
Which does beg the question how much functional strength he's gained.
He could very well be an outlier, professional athletes as a rule are generally outliers compared to everyone else. I'd still like to know though.
I wouldn't be shocked if other players on the team are stronger than Ibaka.
@J.G.
We should have the Earl Watson award for posters who leave you wondering, "What in the hell made them take that shot (at someone)?"
justin :He’s very lean, his BF% is probably miniscule. I wonder how much functional strength he’s acquired.
And the wet blanket award goes to...oh wow, that's incredible, justin wins his 147th consecutive wet blanket award.
In all seriousness though, Serge does seem to have added more lower body muscle mass, despite his obvious lean frame so 250 isn't out of the question. Even if 240-245 is probably more likely.
He's very lean, his BF% is probably miniscule. I wonder how much functional strength he's acquired.
@Joshua G
I know at least French, Spanish, English, and 1 or 2 Congolese/African langauges.
duff :
serge is ready for the rippen and the tearin…the rippen and the tearin
Lol, gross.
Brew :
The music reminds me of Skinamax softporn shows.
True. I kinda wish I hadn't watched it, haha.
Impressive, though. He's gonna take leaps and bounds this year, because thankfully his brain is in great shape, too. Fluent in 4-5 languages, and he really seems to get it on the court.
Good God Man! I suddenly feel a lot less better about myself for drinking that diet coke today.
With all due respect for Nenad's chair throwing prowess, I think Serge should be the one tasked with explaining why cheap shot fouls on KD are a bad idea.
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