[The8thDeadlySinParticipant]

Okay, after reading the other post about Lebron’s weight loss, it is clear that a lot of you haven’t done much weight training, and if you did, you did it blindly.. Clearly most don’t understand strength and the impact weight has on strength.. Im not hear to clear that up.. I don’t care about your ignorance in training..

Here is what I am addressing: Lebron has taken another step to prolong his career to play into his late late 30s..

Here are the steps that James has taken thus far:

1. He took 2 years to tighten up his jump shot. This goes a long way to keeping him healthy but I will address that in a minute.

2. He developed a post game. He learned how to do it. He experienced it and now knows it better than before.

3. He lost weight. Well, he looks slim in pictures.. Maybe he did maybe he didn’t. IDK.. Regardless, he has taken the stress off his joints and bones. That may not make sense to the casual American but LeBron runs more miles in a year than some people will run in their life.. Every bit of tension that can be taken off of his feet, ankles, knees, hips, and back make a huge difference..

Now, what he has to do to prolong his career, is revisit the post game but look more like late Jordan and current Kobe and he needs to keep the weight off.

Lets look at Kobe, Duncan, and Jordan as good examples of how to age in the NBA.

Duncan was a bruiser in his first few years in the league that was beating guys like Shaq, Zo, and Yao.. Now that he is older, he has lost a lot of weight, he shoots more jumpers to keep from getting pounded all game, he moves efficiently, meaning no wasted movements, and has developed a good hook shot, which also keeps him from absorbing too much contact.

Kobe and Jordan followed virtually the same path.. Both came into the league with “crash” mentalities meaning they would just fly into the paint hoping to draw fouls.. I don’t know if someone got in their ears but in years 3 and 4, they both decided that if this was their style, they had better commit to weight training.. Jordan was lifting weights with Horrace Grant every day, which at the time, was considered stupid. He packed on weight and strength to play for about 3 years but he had a baseball thing that changed things.. Kobe also got stronger than usual for 3 years but quickly saw that this wasn’t the most efficient way to do things.. They both decided to stray away from this crash type game and start focusing on their mid range game. This lead them to develop the mid-post game and the fader. This allowed Jordan to be dominate even when his athletic ability wasn’t. This has kept Kobe relevant even though he isn’t as quick or vertical as he was a few years ago..

They aged well because they changed their bodies and developed their games. LeBron is a smart guy.. He will copy the plans laid out by the greats before him.

[d-grizzlyParticipant]

Just prolonging his career, that’s all. People are freaking out that he has "lost strength". Lol

[d-grizzlyParticipant]

Just prolonging his career, that’s all. People are freaking out that he has "lost strength". Lol

[arshavin123Participant]

 only a the real deal players can add something new to their game every year..LBJ figured out what a grind the season is and wants to make sure the cramp situation doesn’t happen again..gettin fitter is one way of doing it,reducing the minutes is another..Duncan being the prime example of being in shape, he decided to take a page out of the book of the guy who just beat him…respect LB

[arshavin123Participant]

 only a the real deal players can add something new to their game every year..LBJ figured out what a grind the season is and wants to make sure the cramp situation doesn’t happen again..gettin fitter is one way of doing it,reducing the minutes is another..Duncan being the prime example of being in shape, he decided to take a page out of the book of the guy who just beat him…respect LB

[baggin13Participant]

The likely addition of Love should have something to do with the weight loss. Of course it is a good move for extending his career and keeping his body healthy, but with Love being there, LeBron shouldn’t have to be in the paint as much. I assume he gained the weight because he was going to play a lot of PF for the Heat, but with Love and Tristan he can stick to the SF position.

[baggin13Participant]

The likely addition of Love should have something to do with the weight loss. Of course it is a good move for extending his career and keeping his body healthy, but with Love being there, LeBron shouldn’t have to be in the paint as much. I assume he gained the weight because he was going to play a lot of PF for the Heat, but with Love and Tristan he can stick to the SF position.

[Toronto16Participant]

Some people who watch sports don’t understand it.  When I heard he was losing weight I right away thought it was a good idea.

[Toronto16Participant]

Some people who watch sports don’t understand it.  When I heard he was losing weight I right away thought it was a good idea.

[WizardofOzParticipant]

 Not only will it take pressure off his knees, but it most likely will also increase his 1st step to his pre-Miami days. When he got to Miami, he was noticeably bigger and his quickness had declined. Almost everytime he was being guarded by a non-big, he needed a pick to get to the basket. And even though he’s lost weight, he’ll still be very big for a SF. I think what he’s doing is great.

[WizardofOzParticipant]

 Not only will it take pressure off his knees, but it most likely will also increase his 1st step to his pre-Miami days. When he got to Miami, he was noticeably bigger and his quickness had declined. Almost everytime he was being guarded by a non-big, he needed a pick to get to the basket. And even though he’s lost weight, he’ll still be very big for a SF. I think what he’s doing is great.

[Andrew1984Participant]

My initial thought was that it seems a little contradictory how Anthony Davis gets applauded for adding weight while LeBron gets applauded for dropping weight, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me. Younger players, say under 25, have natural speed and explosiveness just from being young. They need to add weight to avoid getting pushed around.

But older players have generally lost a step in terms of speed and explosiveness, so to resist the natural decline, they need to drop weight. Strength is a luxury, but speed is a necessity.

If Love is acquired, I’m looking forward to seeing a small ball group — especially at the end of games when they’re subbing strategically for offense/defense — with Kyrie-Dion-Miller-LeBron-Love.

[tuck243Participant]

And you need to add weight to bang down there…  This is why Jordan ADDED weight to the end of his career to bang in the post…  As you remember he rarely dunked and such… 

[tuck243Participant]

And you need to add weight to bang down there…  This is why Jordan ADDED weight to the end of his career to bang in the post…  As you remember he rarely dunked and such… 

[Andrew1984Participant]

My initial thought was that it seems a little contradictory how Anthony Davis gets applauded for adding weight while LeBron gets applauded for dropping weight, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me. Younger players, say under 25, have natural speed and explosiveness just from being young. They need to add weight to avoid getting pushed around.

But older players have generally lost a step in terms of speed and explosiveness, so to resist the natural decline, they need to drop weight. Strength is a luxury, but speed is a necessity.

If Love is acquired, I’m looking forward to seeing a small ball group — especially at the end of games when they’re subbing strategically for offense/defense — with Kyrie-Dion-Miller-LeBron-Love.

[tuck243Participant]

 Improving something doesn’t necessarily means it’s great…  You just got better at what you had issues with before…  Melo’s, KD’s, Kobe’s jump shot > LeBron’s…  

Weight also have a lot to do with the post…  If you don’t believe that then debate your mother…   The other issue is LeBron wasn’t a finesse guy in the post…  

Lets also clear up the weight training…  By looking at him he looks as if he dropped about 30 lbs… And majority of that is muscle…  The most lbs anyone should drop a week is about 2 lbs…  But that’s huge coming from an already healthy athlete…  

 

[ConezdParticipant]

 You’re being ridiculous. And your lack of sports and fitness knowledge and awareness is evident. But your negative 151 points on here are proof enough of that. Let’s all be realistic here, LeBron is the best basketball player in the world. And that is in no small part based on his physical and athletic prowess, couple with his skill level. It’s safe to say, when it comes to the weight room and what it is that he knows he needs to do to and for his body, LeBron is making the right decisions for himself. Not to mention, he has the best trainers, chefs and dietitians (both personal and team) there is at his disposal. It’s crazy to me that anyone can say that what he is doing is wrong. Nothing he has done (referring to his training and diet only) in his careers has been wrong. He was the biggest, strongest, fastest, most athletic and smart player in the league for the past 10 years. He knows what he’s doing. 

[tuck243Participant]

 You can go and ask any nutritionist or fitness trainer in America…   It’s VERY HARD (without help *wink*) to cut that much weight or muscle mass in a short amount of time and not lose strength…  I’m not arguing that it won’t benefit him speed wise…  I just find it hard to believe that he will have GAINED an advantage by cutting that many pounds for a player that used his physicality to his advantage so often…

Has no one here ever heard of catabolism? It’s near impossible for ANYONE to drop that much muscle mass without decreasing strength…  And cutting carbs out his diet?  He’s essentially not eating, and contrary to popular belief you need carbs for energy…  Which is essentially what give you strength…   I don’t doubt that he has the best people around him, all I’m saying is he’s not as strong as he was before…  

Also, this notion that the negative points mean I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about is a joke…  Another thing, no one here has debated anything I said with actual health facts, just "You showing you have no knowledge about weight training"…  Please show me any article, post, book on nutrition that allows you to decrease muscle mass without losing strentgh…   Please show me that… 

 

[XYRYXParticipant]

 Dude you’re saying LeBron looks like he lost muscles and seems like he didn’t eat, you basically have on clue at all about lifting and cutting the carbs from his food. 

That’s not right at all imo and a cut down on his carbs will probably help him a lot playing more SF next year not to mention his back and knees will like this as well. Maybe he can’t post someone up like last year but for sure he knows what he is doing. He has the best nutritions in the world by his side and who cares if he hasn’t the same weight anymore if he is still one if not the best athlete in the league. 

There is a reason why sprinters and track athletes are build different then discus throwers and lifters and him along Love only makes sense to be best prepared for this challenge

[XYRYXParticipant]

 Dude you’re saying LeBron looks like he lost muscles and seems like he didn’t eat, you basically have on clue at all about lifting and cutting the carbs from his food. 

That’s not right at all imo and a cut down on his carbs will probably help him a lot playing more SF next year not to mention his back and knees will like this as well. Maybe he can’t post someone up like last year but for sure he knows what he is doing. He has the best nutritions in the world by his side and who cares if he hasn’t the same weight anymore if he is still one if not the best athlete in the league. 

There is a reason why sprinters and track athletes are build different then discus throwers and lifters and him along Love only makes sense to be best prepared for this challenge

[tuck243Participant]

 You can go and ask any nutritionist or fitness trainer in America…   It’s VERY HARD (without help *wink*) to cut that much weight or muscle mass in a short amount of time and not lose strength…  I’m not arguing that it won’t benefit him speed wise…  I just find it hard to believe that he will have GAINED an advantage by cutting that many pounds for a player that used his physicality to his advantage so often…

Has no one here ever heard of catabolism? It’s near impossible for ANYONE to drop that much muscle mass without decreasing strength…  And cutting carbs out his diet?  He’s essentially not eating, and contrary to popular belief you need carbs for energy…  Which is essentially what give you strength…   I don’t doubt that he has the best people around him, all I’m saying is he’s not as strong as he was before…  

Also, this notion that the negative points mean I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about is a joke…  Another thing, no one here has debated anything I said with actual health facts, just "You showing you have no knowledge about weight training"…  Please show me any article, post, book on nutrition that allows you to decrease muscle mass without losing strentgh…   Please show me that… 

 

[ConezdParticipant]

 You’re being ridiculous. And your lack of sports and fitness knowledge and awareness is evident. But your negative 151 points on here are proof enough of that. Let’s all be realistic here, LeBron is the best basketball player in the world. And that is in no small part based on his physical and athletic prowess, couple with his skill level. It’s safe to say, when it comes to the weight room and what it is that he knows he needs to do to and for his body, LeBron is making the right decisions for himself. Not to mention, he has the best trainers, chefs and dietitians (both personal and team) there is at his disposal. It’s crazy to me that anyone can say that what he is doing is wrong. Nothing he has done (referring to his training and diet only) in his careers has been wrong. He was the biggest, strongest, fastest, most athletic and smart player in the league for the past 10 years. He knows what he’s doing. 

[tuck243Participant]

 Improving something doesn’t necessarily means it’s great…  You just got better at what you had issues with before…  Melo’s, KD’s, Kobe’s jump shot > LeBron’s…  

Weight also have a lot to do with the post…  If you don’t believe that then debate your mother…   The other issue is LeBron wasn’t a finesse guy in the post…  

Lets also clear up the weight training…  By looking at him he looks as if he dropped about 30 lbs… And majority of that is muscle…  The most lbs anyone should drop a week is about 2 lbs…  But that’s huge coming from an already healthy athlete…  

 

[tuck243Participant]

 Jordan didn’t drop weight post 1996….  He was about 218…  

[tuck243Participant]

 Jordan didn’t drop weight post 1996….  He was about 218…  

[The Scare Crow RisesParticipant]

Looks like he’s on the Lamar Odom diet…

[The Scare Crow RisesParticipant]

Looks like he’s on the Lamar Odom diet…

[TheArtistPaysthePriceParticipant]

 why is it that most posters that think its a great idea also have such a hard problem also admitting he will lose strength. If he lost as much weight as it seems and that’s a big if, then going from 260-270 to 235-240 is a big deal and it is virtually impossible to not lose overall power, especially in Lebron’s case.

I personally believe he wants to play less stretch 4, he has on many occassions expressed his interest in not guarding opposing 4’s. I think he may just be taking off the weight in the summer and may put in back on later but if its a permanent thing then it signals he may want to be a 2/3 vs a 3/4. That’s makes a lot of sense if Love is coming to the Cavs and Mike Miller is already there with Tristan Thompson to share minutes at the 4. 

He will have a harder time posting up Melo or Leonard but if he plays the 2/3exclusively he will have a easier time posting up Harden or Avery Bradley. 

 

 

  

[d-grizzlyParticipant]

You do not lose strength by dropping weight. Keep in mind… this is in the context of PROFESSIONAL athletes…

[tuck243Participant]

 You can drop muscle without losing strength in a short period of time…  Please…

[tuck243Participant]

 You can drop muscle without losing strength in a short period of time…  Please…

[d-grizzlyParticipant]

You do not lose strength by dropping weight. Keep in mind… this is in the context of PROFESSIONAL athletes…

[TheArtistPaysthePriceParticipant]

 why is it that most posters that think its a great idea also have such a hard problem also admitting he will lose strength. If he lost as much weight as it seems and that’s a big if, then going from 260-270 to 235-240 is a big deal and it is virtually impossible to not lose overall power, especially in Lebron’s case.

I personally believe he wants to play less stretch 4, he has on many occassions expressed his interest in not guarding opposing 4’s. I think he may just be taking off the weight in the summer and may put in back on later but if its a permanent thing then it signals he may want to be a 2/3 vs a 3/4. That’s makes a lot of sense if Love is coming to the Cavs and Mike Miller is already there with Tristan Thompson to share minutes at the 4. 

He will have a harder time posting up Melo or Leonard but if he plays the 2/3exclusively he will have a easier time posting up Harden or Avery Bradley. 

 

 

  

[jaycee24Participant]

Lebrons a physical specimen man he’ll be able to play point in his 40’s you wait and see…to think he’s more athletic than any prospect to enter the draft at age 30 is impeccable, unheard of. His all around fitness (strength, endurance, speed, agility, flexibility ) is world class there might not be 5 other people on earth as athletic as bron….barring some Paul George esque injury I think he will play at an all star level into his 40’s. Considering he’s not only a supreme athlete but also knowledgeable/aware of his health and fitness I think he’s going to be able to do some things we’ve yet to see

[jaycee24Participant]

Lebrons a physical specimen man he’ll be able to play point in his 40’s you wait and see…to think he’s more athletic than any prospect to enter the draft at age 30 is impeccable, unheard of. His all around fitness (strength, endurance, speed, agility, flexibility ) is world class there might not be 5 other people on earth as athletic as bron….barring some Paul George esque injury I think he will play at an all star level into his 40’s. Considering he’s not only a supreme athlete but also knowledgeable/aware of his health and fitness I think he’s going to be able to do some things we’ve yet to see

[WotanParticipant]

 It’s funny that no one has brought up his use of PED’S. If you don’t believe a significant number of NBA players use them, then you know very little about elite level sports in general.

 And if you think Lebron is natural, that’s even funnier still. I’ve trained many athletes who use, and I myself have used in the past. It’s easy to gain size using steroids and/or growth hormone, conversely, it’s also very easy to lose weight VERY rapidly by coming off of them. 

Then you can always say, "I’m cutting carbs…heh..heh." Or make up whatever excuse you care to make, but the deception is too much for many (it was for me, I don’t like to lie to people). But hey when you’re making millions of dollars, you can find a lot of ways to justify yourself.

 

[WotanParticipant]

 It’s funny that no one has brought up his use of PED’S. If you don’t believe a significant number of NBA players use them, then you know very little about elite level sports in general.

 And if you think Lebron is natural, that’s even funnier still. I’ve trained many athletes who use, and I myself have used in the past. It’s easy to gain size using steroids and/or growth hormone, conversely, it’s also very easy to lose weight VERY rapidly by coming off of them. 

Then you can always say, "I’m cutting carbs…heh..heh." Or make up whatever excuse you care to make, but the deception is too much for many (it was for me, I don’t like to lie to people). But hey when you’re making millions of dollars, you can find a lot of ways to justify yourself.

 

[JoeWolf1]

I think Deadly has a good point. Lebron is a smart dude, and his career into his 30’s is something he’s probably given a great deal of time thinking about….I just think there are more lineup reasons as to his new lean physique.

I think his weight GAIN in Miami was more of necessity. There were rumors he was upto 275 lbs during his first season in South Beach. Their contract limitations never allowed them to sign any sort of center, and I feel he knew he’d have to play some 4 and even some 5 at times.

He’s now in Cleveland, he knew things we didnt, and that Kevin Love was coming back, and Andy and Thompson to play the 5 spot.

Watiers is a 6’4” combo guard, and Lebron probably knew there’d be times where he needed to play the 2.

I think this is more because he’ll be playing 2-4 instead of 3-5 in Cleveland. 

[JoeWolf1]

I think Deadly has a good point. Lebron is a smart dude, and his career into his 30’s is something he’s probably given a great deal of time thinking about….I just think there are more lineup reasons as to his new lean physique.

I think his weight GAIN in Miami was more of necessity. There were rumors he was upto 275 lbs during his first season in South Beach. Their contract limitations never allowed them to sign any sort of center, and I feel he knew he’d have to play some 4 and even some 5 at times.

He’s now in Cleveland, he knew things we didnt, and that Kevin Love was coming back, and Andy and Thompson to play the 5 spot.

Watiers is a 6’4” combo guard, and Lebron probably knew there’d be times where he needed to play the 2.

I think this is more because he’ll be playing 2-4 instead of 3-5 in Cleveland. 

[WhodunitParticipant]

 For all those saying that losing that much weight in a matter of months is impossible without PEDs. Ill give you my personal experience..

I was about 215 at 6"1.. I lost about 30 lbs in a month while going to the gym 3 days/wk and lifting weights to add muscle. All this was accomplished by doing the Atkins Diet, cutting carbs and sugar, while eating protein and few vegetables. Now, im no world class athlete just a simple human like anyone else. I dont train hard for a living and have unlimited resources at my disposal to help me get fit.

So its very concievable that Lbj lost that much weight while maybe losing or even adding some muscle mass to his frame. He probably has gotten quicker and more stamina compared to last year. He’s gonna be a primary 1-3 positional player while playing the 4 sometimes. His power may be reduced a little but he’s always been quick and very smart.

All in all a great decision by his advisors and him to get lighter going into his 30’s. We’ll see how lean he is when he posts the next picture of himself…. Very excited about this new chapter in NBA history.

 

[WhodunitParticipant]

 For all those saying that losing that much weight in a matter of months is impossible without PEDs. Ill give you my personal experience..

I was about 215 at 6"1.. I lost about 30 lbs in a month while going to the gym 3 days/wk and lifting weights to add muscle. All this was accomplished by doing the Atkins Diet, cutting carbs and sugar, while eating protein and few vegetables. Now, im no world class athlete just a simple human like anyone else. I dont train hard for a living and have unlimited resources at my disposal to help me get fit.

So its very concievable that Lbj lost that much weight while maybe losing or even adding some muscle mass to his frame. He probably has gotten quicker and more stamina compared to last year. He’s gonna be a primary 1-3 positional player while playing the 4 sometimes. His power may be reduced a little but he’s always been quick and very smart.

All in all a great decision by his advisors and him to get lighter going into his 30’s. We’ll see how lean he is when he posts the next picture of himself…. Very excited about this new chapter in NBA history.

 

[WotanParticipant]

The point that I was making wasn’t that Lebron couldn’t have lost the weight through legitimate means. I’ve just always contended that he uses PED’S, and coming off them was the easiest and most likely explaination for the rapid weight loss.

 If he wanted to go on a low-cal ketogenic type diet as well, that would speed it up much more; you lose a great deal of water when you cut carbs. An athlete Lebron’s size, could easily lose 10 lbs of water in the first day alone, then you progressively see more of the weight loss coming from fat and LBM.

 

[WotanParticipant]

The point that I was making wasn’t that Lebron couldn’t have lost the weight through legitimate means. I’ve just always contended that he uses PED’S, and coming off them was the easiest and most likely explaination for the rapid weight loss.

 If he wanted to go on a low-cal ketogenic type diet as well, that would speed it up much more; you lose a great deal of water when you cut carbs. An athlete Lebron’s size, could easily lose 10 lbs of water in the first day alone, then you progressively see more of the weight loss coming from fat and LBM.

 

[WhodunitParticipant]

 Duncan was never a bruiser in this league. He never overpowered guys with his strength as the term "bruiser" implies. He was always more of a finesse guy. Yes he was very versatiile and agile (still to this day, amazing!) but strength was never one of his strong suits… His body hasn’t changed much from when he was a rookie to this day. He always played in the post with his bank shot and his post game was immense along with his passing, like a Pau Gasol.

And he never beat Shaq by overpowering him. 2000-2002 Laker 3peat, hello!

[WhodunitParticipant]

 Duncan was never a bruiser in this league. He never overpowered guys with his strength as the term "bruiser" implies. He was always more of a finesse guy. Yes he was very versatiile and agile (still to this day, amazing!) but strength was never one of his strong suits… His body hasn’t changed much from when he was a rookie to this day. He always played in the post with his bank shot and his post game was immense along with his passing, like a Pau Gasol.

And he never beat Shaq by overpowering him. 2000-2002 Laker 3peat, hello!

[TallmanNYCParticipant]

Lebron was ripped last season. And he was supposedly something like 265. He did not have much fat to loose. I doubt he lost 30 pounds in just a few months. But if he did, he lost a ton of muscle. Because even if he went from 8% body fat down to 4%, that would only be about 10 pounds of fat.

We have one picture and one weird report. Maybe he cut weight, but I seriously doubt it was 30 pounds. Not just since the NBA finals two months ago.

And if he did drop 30 pounds in two months from an absolutely ripped starting point, then he is either starving himself or it is because he decreased his steroid use. Coming of steroids is the only way I think a really fit guy could drop that amount of weight that fast. Yes, he could drop water weight temporarily and in theory that could be 10 of those 30 pounds. But considering his cramping history, he obviously can’t start an NBA game dehydrated and he won’t just so he can be a bit lighter.  

[TallmanNYCParticipant]

Lebron was ripped last season. And he was supposedly something like 265. He did not have much fat to loose. I doubt he lost 30 pounds in just a few months. But if he did, he lost a ton of muscle. Because even if he went from 8% body fat down to 4%, that would only be about 10 pounds of fat.

We have one picture and one weird report. Maybe he cut weight, but I seriously doubt it was 30 pounds. Not just since the NBA finals two months ago.

And if he did drop 30 pounds in two months from an absolutely ripped starting point, then he is either starving himself or it is because he decreased his steroid use. Coming of steroids is the only way I think a really fit guy could drop that amount of weight that fast. Yes, he could drop water weight temporarily and in theory that could be 10 of those 30 pounds. But considering his cramping history, he obviously can’t start an NBA game dehydrated and he won’t just so he can be a bit lighter.  

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