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{{trope}}
[[File:Heavy.jpg|link=Team Fortress 2
{{quote|''"Careful Fry, he's bulging with what could be muscle!"''|'''Leela''', '''''[[
▲{{quote|''"Careful Fry, he's bulging with what could be muscle!"''|'''Leela''', '''''[[Futurama (Animation)|Futurama]]'''''}}
A character is stout, or overweight, or even obese, but quite strong.
The fatter the character is, the more likely this is to be treated as something comic. In more realistic portrayals, the strength will be clear even before the character has to deploy
Older characters that show this may be described as "going to seed." They probably looked like bodybuilders in their youth, but age, slowing metabolism and the increased levels of body fat that come with it have left them with a thicker layer of insulation over their still-considerable muscle.
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Contrast [[Muscles Are Meaningless]], where the muscles aren't merely hidden, but really not there. Often overlaps with [[Mighty Glacier]]. The most likely explanation for the [[Acrofatic]].
(Trivia: The "strong" meaning of "Stout" was the
{{examples|Examples:}}▼
== Anime and Manga ==
* Ryoukan Kurita in ''[[Eyeshield 21]]'', who is explicitly the strongest lineman in the country. There's also Niinobu Kasamatsu of the Taiyou Sphinx, who is incredibly squat and wide, but as a member of the Sphinx' powerful offensive line, is tremendously strong.
** This is, however, inverted by Kengo Mizumachi, one of the more formidable linemen in the series, who is extremely tall and lanky. Then again, it's explicitly stated that he has a completely different kind of strength; His height and long limbs give him a lot of leverage against shorter opponents.
** Daikichi Komusubi also has roughly the shape and consistency of a four-foot tall concrete pillar.
* [[Giant Mook|Mr. Heart]] from ''[[Fist of the North Star]]''.
* Ryu Nakanishi of ''[[
* Most incarnations of Musashi from ''[[
** Pretty much all who fill the coveted "fat guy" position, number 3, are of this trope. Benkei's a gentle beast, and Gai's pretty touch from what we can get. The Musashi/Benkei amalgamation in New Getter Robo is very powerful. Only exception may be Professor Saotome, if you're going from the earliest manga.
* Mao from ''[[
* Azan from ''[[
* Buccha from ''[[
** Possibly subverted in that Buccha isn't actually fat; his appearance is due to blood pooling in his stomach area. He can control where that blood flows, [[Let's Get Dangerous|giving himself a leaner and more muscular appearance]]. However, he's plenty strong in his [[Mighty Glacier|normal state]], too.
*** Recently revealed that {{spoiler|he can pump that excess blood into his legs instead. So we have an [[Acrofatic]] guy with
* ''[[Ranma
** Though his heavy build, laziness, and gluttony might make you think otherwise, Genma is actually quite muscular.
* Chouji Akimichi from ''[[
** This is pretty much the reason for being of the Akimichi clan. The entry-level technique makes them into an actual literal ball of fat, which you ''just can't kill''.
* Jinbei from ''[[
** Blackbeard also qualifies. A massive gut, but hits (and takes them) like a damn Tank.
** Tom. He's fat, but he can lift an entire ''ship'' with one hand!
** Mr 4. He looks like [http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Mr._4 this] and swings a 4-ton baseball bat.
* Shu/Kento from ''[[
* Sig Curtis ([[Satellite Character|Izumi's husband]]) in ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' is quite portly in compared to the body builder-esque major Armstrong, but is probably his equal in physical strength.
* Banba in ''[[Bio
* In ''[[
** Wait... so he had [[Superboy|tactile]] [[Young Justice (
* Juzo Megure from [[Detective Conan]], a policeman in his 40's who has a huge belly but is so [[Made of Iron]] that he can take a knife to the gut and survive, or get hit to the head with ''a metal pipe'' to save a teenage girl... and be conscious enough to deal a [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]] to the culprit.
== Comic Books ==
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* Volstagg of the Warriors Three from Asgard in the [[Marvel Universe]].
* [[Asterix|Obelix]]
* [[Buck Godot: Zap Gun for Hire]]: See that fat? It's actually muscle. People from his [[Heavyworlder|high-gravity planet]] are so tough courtship involves ''high explosives''.
* Horrorshow of the Oktober Guard in ''[[G.I. Joe]]'' comics. No, he isn't named for his intimidating girth, but for his astounding strength ("khorosho" means "good" in Russian)
* While the Kingpin is said to be almost completely muscle (2% fat...even if this is [[Artistic License: Biology]]), he LOOKS like an obese man. And while he doesn't have any superpowers, he's physically [[Charles Atlas Superpower|strong enough]] to beat [[Daredevil]] and even [[
** In the [[Ultimate Marvel]] comics, the Kingpin actually ''is'' massively obese, as seen when he's in casual attire or stripped down to an undershirt. However, while there is a great deal of fat around his midsection, his arms are bulging with muscle.
** And in fact, Kingpin was only physically dangerous to Spider-Man when the latter was young and inexperienced in using his powers. 60s Spidey, only a [[Comic Book Time|teenager]] was afraid of accidentally killing Kingpin when they fought and thus held back. Any contemporary battle between the two is a [[Curb Stomp Battle]]
* Sergeant Crumb in ''Adventures in the Rifle Brigade'' is the largest man to serve in the British armed forces, and his strength is practically supernatural. Indeed, it's not uncommon for Captain Darcy to commend him with "Stout fellow!" as he punches an enemy soldier's head clean off.
* The [[Red Tornado]] from the [[Justice Society of America]] was a portly middle-aged housewife who dressed up like a ([[Sweet Polly Oliver|male]]) superhero and beat up crooks in her neighborhood. She was very much a [[Boisterous Bruiser]], verging on [[Dumb Muscle]]. Nowadays she's pushing 90, and she can ''still'' beat the livin' daylights outta any palooka what looks at her funny.
* [[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]] [[X-Men
** In addition to this, Blob has the speed and agility you would expect of a fit man, rather than a man his size. It's come as a shock to many opponents to see him ''move.''
* [[Great Lakes Avengers]] member Big Bertha fits this exactly in her superform. As Ashley Crawford, her looks can stop traffic. As Big Bertha, her body can stop a runaway semi and leave a nice dent in its front.
* Beast from the X-Men series, depending on the version. The [[Ultimate X-Men]] graphic novel that has him as one of the first students of Charles Xavier shows him as basically looking like the human equivalent of a gorilla, and as agile as a spider monkey. Which is part of the reason that his hair turns blue. [[It Makes Sense in Context|Just read the comic...]]
* Subverted in ''Avengers: The Initiative'', where to all initial appearances the rotund Butterball seems like a wall-busting powerhouse. In reality, he's invulnerable to harm... and that's it. He can't lose weight or build muscle, meaning he'll never develop any useful offensive capabilities. Due to the fact that, accordingly, the Initiative can't use him as he is and he doesn't respond to training, they're forced to let him go.
* Believe it or not, The [[
** While the Hulk may be extremely ripped hes still occasionally drawn to fit the trope. [http://i.imgur.com/pWEwS.jpg Dale Keown] is a good example of an artist who draws a Hulk with lots of definition and a thick rectangular mid-section.
** He's also like this in [[The Avengers (
* Big Guy from [[X-Factor (
* Ted Leeman, the hippo detective in the fourth ''[[
== Fan Works ==
* The ''[[Steven Universe]]'' fanfic ''[https://archiveofourown.org/works/17128136/chapters/40282454 We Can Be Heroes]'' has Hurley, a friendly old alien who's as strong as he is fat. Which is to say, ''very''. When he sees a group of alien mobsters abusing an escaped child slave, he wastes no time in beating them senseless, and by the time he's finally incapacitated and hauled away so their boss can deal with him, he's knocked out a good chunk of them and has broken the arm of their top enforcer.
== Film ==
* ''[[The Road to El Dorado]]'': Chief Tarabuk is very fat and kind, but incredibly strong, although we don't see it until the climax.
* Italian actor ''Bud Spencer'' (real name Carlo Pedersoli) was an Olympic-level swimmer in the early 60s. As with many sportsmen he gained considerable weight when he retired from competition and then had a long acting career in spaghetti westerns, police moves and exotic/period comedies where fisticuffs and colorful brawling scenes featured heavily, he was often paired with blonde/blue eyed Mario Girotti (who adopted the alias ''Terence Hill'').
* Chien-Po, the [[Gentle Giant]] monk-turned-soldier in ''[[
▲** Originally, he had a [[Heroic Build]]. During his forced retirement, he let himself go. He then works some of it off midway through the movie, but some still sticks with him.
▲* Chien-Po, the [[Gentle Giant]] monk-turned-soldier in ''[[Mulan (Disney)|Mulan]]'', is a very quiet man who is probably bigger than the rest of the squad together. He also proves to be ''stronger'' than the rest of the squad together, being able to lift all of their weight plus pull a mounted horse up a cliff at the same time.
* Miss Blubberidge in ''[[Muppet Treasure Island]]''. The pirates never had a chance.
* Fezzik in ''[[The Princess Bride (
* Pops in ''[[Speed Racer (
* Po in ''[[
== Folklore ==
* Friar Tuck from the [[Robin Hood]] legends is usually portrayed as very fat. The most common version of how he joined the band involves him fighting Robin to a stand-still.
== Literature ==
* Monk in the [[Doc Savage]] series pretty much exemplifies this trope. Next to Doc himself, he's generally treated as the physically-strongest of the Fabulous Five, no mean feat when one of the "weaker" member's common habits include punching his way through locked doors.
* Haegr in William King's [[Warhammer
** At one point he uses a Thunder Hammer, a weapon most marines can only use at all while wearing full Terminator armor, as a thrown weapon with deadly accuracy.
* In [[Dan Abnett]]'s ''[[
* In [[Jim Butcher]]'s [[
* In [[Poul Anderson]]'s [[Technic History]], space merchant tycoon Nicholas Van Rijn ''looks'' like a tub of lard, but most of that is muscle earned in a lifetime of hard work and brawling. One fellow ''bruised his knuckles'' punching van Rijn in the gut. And then van Rijn hit ''him'' ... just once ... and the lights went out. It's also been shown that he's fast enough to safely catch a tomahawk thrown at his face.
* [[
** Sergeant Jackrum from ''[[
** To a lesser extent, Agnes Nitt in the Lancre Witches subseries. It takes her split personality to notice that she's much stronger than she believes herself to be, because the fat hides a lot of functional muscle mass.
*** Also notable is that her heavy build is considered desirable in Lancre, where a woman is expected to be able to carry a pig under each arm and a young man is given to consider the evidence of how well a family enjoys it's food. It is her emotional isolation and personality that keeps her single, not her looks.
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**** Made even more badass by him being in his 70s. Witches and Wizards live longer than the human norm (generally capping out around 130), but age at the same rate other people do.
** The Upwright brothers, Harry and Jim, who run the Ankh-Morpork's mail carriages are this, with their apparent obesity looking even more so due to their heavy clothing.
*** There's also Willie Hobson, the owner of a large stable complex, described in ''[[
*** ''Going Postal'' is rife with these characters, in fact. Though it serves no real purpose other than to highlight his threat and contrast him with Moist, Reacher Gilt is described as wearing clothes fit for two men and being capable (though he deliberately refrains from it) of a bonecrushing handshake.
** Lady Sybil as well, capable of whacking a werewolf with an iron bar so hard that '''she bends the bar'''.
* The [[
** There was actually a Hutt ''Jedi'' named Baldorian, who, due to his Jedi training and, later on, the influence of the Force after he fell to the Dark Side, remained physically fit and able to easily participate in lightsaber duels as acrobatically as anyone from the prequel movies. Of course, Leia killed him anyway.
** While Hutts do have a habit of getting fat with age, younger Hutts are more reminiscent of giant cobras than anything else.
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** Meanwhile, the [[X Wing Series|Wraith Squadron]] novels had Voort saBinring, a [[Pig Man|Gammorean]] with altered brain chemistry that let him be a [[Genius Bruiser]]. He had somewhat less fat than most Gammoreans, but he still had a thick layer of it and was very strong.
*** As in, after using a desk to flatten an assassin against a wall, the impact dented the wall and knocked a person laying in the bunk on the other side of the wall onto the floor. The wall was evidently thick enough to hide all sounds of the fight, including a blaster shot, from the people in the bunk room.
* Caramon from the ''[[
* Captain Jack Aubrey from the Aubrey-Maturin novels. He is depicted in the books as a very large, heavy man, weighing something like 18 stone (252 pounds). He is also a skilled and fearless fighter and, of course, being [[The Captain]], he leads his crew into close combat rather than hanging back and giving orders.
* Being Aubrey's [[Expy]] [[In Space]], Daniel Leary of the [[RCN
* Ben from [[Fred Saberhagen]]'s ''[[Book of Swords]]'' series. Ben's a tall guy, but he's also very
* Jean Tannen from the [[Gentleman Bastard Sequence]] Sequence was fat as a child and is still pretty chunky in his twenties, but is very strong, very fast, and [[Genius Bruiser|very smart]].
* Rubeus Hagrid from the ''[[Harry Potter (
** Also, he didn't just knock the guy out, he sent him flying. Harry was able to see the guy soar from across the grounds and up the Astronomy Tower.
** Let's not forget that in the same first appearance where he broke down the door, he bent a freaking rifle barrel into a knot without visible effort.
*** Often, his great strength is played for laughs, such as when he pats Harry on the shoulder, causing Harry to sink several inches into the ground.
* [[Redheaded Hero|Cord MaKiy]] in ''[[The
* [[Mary Gentle]]'s recurring character [[Genius Bruiser|Baltazar]] [[Cloudcuckoolander|Casaubon]].
* [[The Duel of Sorcery Trilogy|Hern Heslin]] is yet another little fireplug of a guy, and actually ''is'' somewhat pudgy. However, he's both strong and [[Acrofatic|nimble enough to untie himself]].
* ''Reality Check'' by Charlie Brooks features Mick Mannus, a man whose weight is estimated at around 300 pounds. Due to cybernetic enhancements, though, he's immensely strong. Unlike many other characters in this trope, he's not too likely to be taken lightly, what with having half his face made of metal and all.
* Strong Belwas from ''[[
* Marco from the ''[[
== Live Action TV ==
* George Costanza from ''[[
* Lampshaded in an extra scene from ''[[Survivor (TV series)|Survivor]] Pearl Islands''; where the chubby old hippie Rupert pointed out that he was much more adapt at surviving than the buff-looking Osten, because of the effects of having "working muscles" and fat to burn, instead of "gym muscles" and no endurance for camp jobs and challenges.
* It's clear in ''[[The Mandalorian]]'' that Boba Fett's put on a bit of weight over the years. But he's no fat slob: the man's every bit as deadly as he was in his youth and is shown being able to hit Stormtroopers so hard with his spear that he can shatter their helmets like they were made of fine china. To some, his bulk actually makes him ''more'' imposing since it gives him the vibe of an intimidating strongman.
== Newspaper Comics ==
* Sergeant Snorkel from ''[[
** [[Subverted Trope]] in one longer story where Sarge actually became skinny via hypnosis that made him a compulsive jogger and to detest food. Everyone saw him as puny and unimpressive, but he still literally killed a bull with a single blow of his bare fist. In the same story, Lt. Sonny Fuzz effectively tried to take his place by first being stout and then becoming strong. That came to an end when he punched the re-obesified Sarge (he ate the bull) on the chin, and broke his newly acquired bicep.
** A more recent one spelled it out. He does a massive amount of working out and strength training in his morning routine, and then has even more massive meals.
* Bluto from ''[[Popeye (
== [[Professional Wrestling]] ==
* Most [[Wild Samoan]] wrestlers (and [[Samoa Joe]]) are a variation of this and/or [[Acrofatic]].
== Tabletop Games ==
* The Ogres of [[Warhammer
== Video Games ==
* E.Honda and Rufus from the ''[[
* ''[[
* [[Art of Fighting|Takuma]] [[The King of Fighters
* [[Samurai Shodown|Earthquake]] is a [[McNinja]] who mixes this with Acrofatic.
* Gan Isurugi from the ''[[
* Bob from ''[[
** Worth noting that when it's said that Bob's power is [[Lethal Joke Character|"played for comedy"]], this has no bearing on his gameplay; considering he nearly broke the first version of Tekken 6 by being too good.
* The [[
** In fact, Snorlax, who might as well be the official "Fat-type" Pokémon, can be a formidable physical powerhouse when trained right.
*** Hell, trained [[Kung Pow! Enter the Fist
** Slaking is also quite fat, and has the third highest base Attack of all Pokémon (so far).
*** Though Slaking ''is'' stuck with the physical equivalent of [[Brilliant but Lazy]]. (Entire teams are built around removing this weakness, because, once it's off, [[Badass Normal|Slaking can easily stand toe-to-toe with even the most powerful of]] [[Olympus Mons]].)
* The appropriately named [[Husky Russkie|Heavy]] in ''[[
** If the Meet the Team videos are to be considered canon, the Heavy's Minigun weighs '''
** In ''[[From Russia
* The Black Whirlwind from ''[[
* Xu Zhu from ''[[Dynasty Warriors]]''
** Meng Huo and Dong Zhuo as well, being extremely large men who nonetheless can cause earthquakes with punches in the case of the former, or pick up and toss the likes of Lu Bu in the case of the latter.
** ''[[Samurai Warriors]]'' gives us Goemon Ishikawa, who despite his extremely fat appearance is second only to Keiji Maeda in strength. Not only does he wield an [[Epic Flail]], he's also got a cannon strapped to his back!
* Pontius, the playable knight from ''[[
* Similarly, Olaf from ''[[The Lost Vikings]]''. Somehow he's still able to use his shield as a [[Parasol Parachute]].
* Wario from the [[Super Mario Bros
** Bowser, 'Nuff said.
** [[Paper Mario (
** Mario himself, for that matter. He breaks bricks jumping from underneath.
* Likewise, King K. Rool, the immensely fat Kremling king from the ''[[Donkey Kong Country (
* King Hippo, Bear Hugger, and Mad Clown from ''[[Punch
* Sammo from ''[[Live a Live]]''
** Pogo may be a more mild example, it's difficult to tell with the chapter's artstyle.
* Kiesha Phillips and Dmitri Petrovich of ''[[
* Seeq, from the ''[[
* In ''[[The Darkness]],'' Butcher Joyce is a clearly obese "[[Cleanup Crew|Cleaner]]"... and strong enough to lift two dead bodies under either arm. Made particularly clear by the fact that the protagonist can only manage one in both hands.
* [[Halo (
* In ''[[
* [[Boisterous Bruiser|Grimm]] from ''[[Nintendo Wars|Advance Wars DS]]'' is a fairly heavy-set guy whose gimmick as a CO is that his units hit harder than the average (but have [[Glass Cannon|lower defence as compensation]]).
* [[Final Fantasy V
* [[Sonic the Hedgehog
** [[Mega Neko|Big the Cat]] also fits the trope, being both fatter than Eggman and [[The Big Guy]] in ''[[
* In ''[[
** There are quite a few morbidly obese Psychopaths in the series, and their girth only serves to make them stronger. Standout examples include cannibal butcher Larry Chiang, corrupt rapist cop Jo Slade, and fat virgin loser Randy Tugman. Randy in particular deserves a special mention due to running ''way'' faster than a fat man carrying a massive chainsaw realistically should.
* Roadhog from ''[[Overwatch]]'' is an enormously fat criminal whose arms are bulging with muscles, and if his gameplay is any indication to his strength in canon, he's not only as bulky as a ''mini-mech'', but can yank said mech, human-sized robots, and a 7 foot tall behemoth of a man clad in power armor around like nothing with his Chain Hook ability.
* Kabbu from ''[[Bug Fables]]'' has something of a gut and is the most powerful member of Team Snakemouth. Not only does he hit hard enough to ignore a point of the enemy's defense stat, but on the field he can hurl large blocks of ice around without any effort as well as ram into boulders with enough strength to crumble them into dust.
** Stratos of Team Slacker is a beetle like Kabbu, only far bigger and fatter due to being a Hercules beetle. He's also ''ludicrously'' strong to the point that him and his equally powerful teammate Deliliah could easily kill the nearly untouchable [[Big Bad|Wasp King]] if it weren't for their laziness.
* Goldlewis Dickinson in ''[[Guilty Gear|Guilty Gear Strive]]'', a big-bellied and very tall man (the third tallest character behind Potemkin and Faust), [[Improbable Weapon User|uses a big metallic coffin as a melee weapon]] and specializes in powerful, guard-busting attacks.
== Web Comics ==
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* Sydney Burns of [[Mob Ties]], big, fat, loud mouthed and pretty much unstoppable.
* Kevin Dewclaw of ''[[Kevin and Kell]]'' isn't exactly that small. 6'0, 250 or so pounds, and former [[Professional Wrestling|professional wrestler]]. His physique is showing his age, but he's not exactly the weakest in his family.
* Schlock from ''[[
* The titular character from ''[[Buck Godot: Zap Gun for Hire]]'' is a [[Heavyworlder]], and while he looks like a walking blob, he grew up in 3G, and what looks like fat is actually pretty much solid muscle.
== Web Original ==
* ''[[
* From the ''[[Global Guardians PBEM Universe]]'', Bouncer is a [[Kid Hero|Kid Villain]] whose incredible strength is matched by his incredible bulk. His "super-fat" makes him almost impossible to physically hurt.
** Bouncer has no idea that his father is the second-string villain known as The Walrus, who had the same powers.
** The Fat Man absorbs kinetic energy, which manifests as fat after absorption. He's nearly eight feet tall and weighs close to a thousand pounds, and can lift small buildings over his head.
* ''[[
== Western Animation ==
* ''[[
* The title character in ''[[Fat Albert and
* Mikey from ''[[Recess]]''. People are generally aware of his strength, but overlook it because of his [[Gentle Giant]] personality, mixed with a bit of [[Cloudcuckoolander]].
* [[Gentle Giant|Broadway]] from ''[[
** And Bulkhead from ''[[
** The Bulkhead of ''[[
* Homer Simpson from ''[[The Simpsons (
** It's rarely shown, but it's notable that in video game adaptations, he almost always is a bare-fisted fighter. Also, in one episode it turns out he's [[Stone Wall|incredibly hard to injure]] thanks to a unique brain condition. ([[Made of Iron|considering everything else]] [[Butt Monkey|he suffers]], it's hardly surprising) He still has very little stamina though.
* In ''[[Justice League (
** Foreshadowed in the beginning when Canary slaps him for a crass remark involving oysters. She winces in pain afterwards since slapping him was like hitting a brick wall and she doubts there is even an ''ounce'' of fat on him.
* Tohru from ''[[
* Pam Poovey from ''[[
* [[Shrek]] may be a fat green ogre, but boy is he strong.
* Gunther from ''[[Kick Buttowski]]'' looks like a regular fat kid, but as it turns out, a lot of that bulk is apparently muscle. He's been shown to perform some impressive physical feats, like wrestling a bull to the ground.
== Real Life ==
* Take a gander at most older Olympic weightlifters (especially from Russia). Even those that aren't pumped up on steroids tend to look like piles of marshmallows rather than young Arnie. Also, the people who are most capable of lifting sumos are... other sumos.
** 1976 gold medalist Vasily Alexeev, in particular, had an awesome paunch, as [[The Other Wiki]] [
** [
* One look at any American football team's offensive linemen: They're all pushing or over 300 pounds, and the bulk of that ain't exactly muscle. Because of the short distance between the lines, the added mass makes them hit harder than a smaller man of the same strength.
* There's also a fair amount of [[Professional Wrestling|professional wrestlers]] who are noticeably rotund while still being quite athletic and powerful, particularly [[Vader]]. A more modern example is Big Daddy V, who looks positively grotesque in his massiveness, and the Awesome Kong, a rare female version.
** There's also [[Mark Henry]], whose "[[
*** Even outside the man-mountains, it used to be far more common to see a slight pudge on a wrestler, than it is to see six-pack abs. [[World Wrestling Entertainment|WWE]] and [[TNA]] now, with a few exceptions, expect their wrestlers to have ripped physiques.
* Sumo wrestlers. There is a lot of fat there, but it has a purpose; it lowers the sumo's center of gravity. There is also an immense amount of muscle there, as a sumo is expected to be able to slap around a four-hundred-pound man and shove him out of a ring.
* [http://www.badassoftheweek.com/oyama.html Masutatsu Oyama] killed bulls by punching them, beat a hundred men in a row on multiple occasions, routinely got arrested for beating up GI's during the American occupation of Japan and founded a Karate school that experts of this day and age still consider to rival the likes of [[Combat Pragmatist|Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu]], all through hard work and a very personal brand of [[Training
* There's some belief now that Roman gladiators ate a high-carb (grains and legumes) diet that caused them to have quite a lot of padding over the muscles. See [http://www.archaeology.org/0811/abstracts/gladiator.html this archaeology.org article] where it talks about padding against blunt impacts and how they could inflict shallow cuts into the layer of fat that looked nice and bloody but were not life threatening, while a lean Gladiator would have had no padding and any cut would be into something serious.
* It is not uncommon to see powerlifters in the heavier weight classes carrying extra pounds, yet they are among the strongest athletes in the world. An example is Andy Bolton, the first man to deadlift over one thousand pounds: [http://www.criticalbench.com/Andy-Bolton-Deadlift.htm Andy Bolton's Thousand Pound Deadlift]
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** To amplify that...in the days of bareknuckle boxing you did not punch to the face as you would break your fingers on jawbones. You punched to the body so the chest and belly is where the padding was needed.
** Boxer George Foreman became a prime example of this during his comeback; opponent Evander Holyfield wore himself out throwing body blows, while Foreman (to quote Holyfield) "just sorta wobbled a bit".
* Some [[
** While that is a good point about fat, muscle, and the demands of each on the circulatory system, Roy Nelson isn't the best fighter to use to make that point. His cardio is terrible; he's always exhausted by the end of the first round. The fighters who have the best stamina in MMA still do tend to be not just the lean ones, but the lean ones in the lighter weight classes- not necessarily muscular, but almost always lean. Fedor Emelianenko is a good example of a guy who isn't lean but is a great fighter nonetheless.
* Due to the fact that muscle weighs considerably more than fat, it's entirely possible to be "obese" without being pudgy. This is also one of the biggest reasons why body mass index is considered less and less reliable. A
* [[Steven Seagal]], martial artist and film star, has infamously gained weight from his early days but is still able to kick the crap out of people.
** Um, have you seem him run in his later movies? Wonder why his career has fizzled?
** Craig Ferguson once joked that he went up against an all-you-can-eat buffet and won.
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:Always Male]]
[[Category:More Than Meets the Eye]]
[[Category:Characterization Tropes]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Truth in Television]]
[[Category:
▲[[Category:Trope]]
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