So is Dwyer out of shape or did he slack in the off season? Let's talk about NFL training programs.

Too long didn't read...

Dwyer will probably always look fat but run hard/powerfully, even with a great training program and work ethic. Why? Because exercise science.

Now about the actual post...

Focusing on strength and power are much higher on the totem pole than training for endurance. This is a good thing because they are conflicting systems. You cannot be at your power peak and have amazing endurance, and on the other side you cannot be at your endurance peak and be a powerful/strong player. Its one or the other. The physiological systems involved in both actually compete and inhibit the other system.

Powerful athletes utilize much more of a glycolytic system than a fat oxidation system. This is fine because football players train for 10-20 seconds of hard/powerful exertion. They don't need endurance like a soccer player for example who is running below their max efforts for 30-45 minutes at a time. As such, Dwyer may have been lazy, or maybe his off season programs didn't incorporate enough endurance training to lose some fat. However, even if he had done a very challenging power training program he probably would not lose much in the way of fat unless he compromised his power training by incorporating endurance training. He will most likely be a heavier guy throughout his career unless he changes his training regiment to reduce power and gain endurance. Honestly he will probably look out of shape but have high power outputs like a Woodley character.

A traditional resistance training and power program for football players intentionally avoid high levels of endurance training as it results in protein breakdown and loss of both muscle size and strength. However since these programs utilize way more glycogen than free fatty acids and beta oxidation, the athletes may not lose much in the way of fat or size.

I put this a standalone fanpost because there are too many people criticizing him to place this as one comment.

So is he lazy? Is he under a training program that doesn't focus on weight loss? Does anyone care as long as he stays healthy and rushes for a 1000 yards?