03 Apr 2013, 8:33 am
Im 6ft 1 and weight 11stone (154 lbs).
I played sports all throughout my life and could never gain weight or build muscle no matter how hard I tried. I was always known as the skinny or scrawy one, both of which are descriptions I really hate.
Despite my low weight/muscle, I was always able to compete at an appropriate level in sport (e.g. the same level as my NT friends).
My entire immediate family suffer from overweight issues so my weight issues aren't genetic. Before my diagnosis, I often considered that I may have been adopted as I look and behave so different from the rest of my family, but learning about AS explained the different behaviour. Maybe it also explains the difference in size 
Tyri0n
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03 Apr 2013, 11:02 am
03 Apr 2013, 10:22 pm
Tyri0n wrote:
Here we go with the "didn't play competitive sports as a child" nonsense. Or currently? How many NT's do? I've had all sorts of things blamed on that; it wasn't muscle tone, but there were other things, like poor driving skills and even test anxiety. 
American NT macho males tend to use this phrase as a way to demean others in order to establish a social hierarchy.
If one actually thought about it sensibly, however, one would realize that what we do as children is highly unlikely to affect CURRENT muscle tone years or decades later. If you have bad muscle tone, decades after leaving childhood, it means either (1) it is genetic or (2) you're a couch potato. I seriously fail to see how what one did or did not do as a child has any effect on your body type decades into the future.
I did not play sports as a child probably more due to lack of verbal communication skills rather than to lack of muscle tone. And I think my current muscle tone is just fine.
American NT macho males tend to use this phrase as a way to demean others in order to establish a social hierarchy.
If one actually thought about it sensibly, however, one would realize that what we do as children is highly unlikely to affect CURRENT muscle tone years or decades later. If you have bad muscle tone, decades after leaving childhood, it means either (1) it is genetic or (2) you're a couch potato. I seriously fail to see how what one did or did not do as a child has any effect on your body type decades into the future.
I did not play sports as a child probably more due to lack of verbal communication skills rather than to lack of muscle tone. And I think my current muscle tone is just fine.
I don't mean playing competitive sports as a child. What I really meant to say was that male Aspies tend to be less physically active in general , and I think that contributes to lower musculature(which is something I've observed in a lot of male Aspies, and others have as well, but I've not researched any studies on the matter).
Other contributing factors are probably awkward gait and posture, as Stoek mentioned. Of course, there's also the possibility that genetics play a direct role in the lower musculature, but I kind of doubt that.
Tyri0n
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03 Apr 2013, 10:26 pm
UnLoser wrote:
Tyri0n wrote:
Here we go with the "didn't play competitive sports as a child" nonsense. Or currently? How many NT's do? I've had all sorts of things blamed on that; it wasn't muscle tone, but there were other things, like poor driving skills and even test anxiety.
American NT macho males tend to use this phrase as a way to demean others in order to establish a social hierarchy.
If one actually thought about it sensibly, however, one would realize that what we do as children is highly unlikely to affect CURRENT muscle tone years or decades later. If you have bad muscle tone, decades after leaving childhood, it means either (1) it is genetic or (2) you're a couch potato. I seriously fail to see how what one did or did not do as a child has any effect on your body type decades into the future.
I did not play sports as a child probably more due to lack of verbal communication skills rather than to lack of muscle tone. And I think my current muscle tone is just fine.
American NT macho males tend to use this phrase as a way to demean others in order to establish a social hierarchy.
If one actually thought about it sensibly, however, one would realize that what we do as children is highly unlikely to affect CURRENT muscle tone years or decades later. If you have bad muscle tone, decades after leaving childhood, it means either (1) it is genetic or (2) you're a couch potato. I seriously fail to see how what one did or did not do as a child has any effect on your body type decades into the future.
I did not play sports as a child probably more due to lack of verbal communication skills rather than to lack of muscle tone. And I think my current muscle tone is just fine.
I don't mean playing competitive sports as a child. What I really meant to say was that male Aspies tend to be less physically active in general , and I think that contributes to lower musculature(which is something I've observed in a lot of male Aspies, and others have as well, but I've not researched any studies on the matter).
Other contributing factors are probably awkward gait and posture, as Stoek mentioned. Of course, there's also the possibility that genetics play a direct role in the lower musculature, but I kind of doubt that.
Is it possible that the disorder itself can play a role in terms of poor body composition, or gender atypical body composition? I mean, it seems like a lot of aspie women are wicked strong for their gender while the men (with many exceptions like myself
) are, on average, more skinny and delicate for their gender.
I'm sure many aspies are less active, too. However, since the body composition starts in childhood, how much of the inactivity is a result rather than a cause of the poor body composition?
03 Apr 2013, 10:35 pm
03 Apr 2013, 10:55 pm
Tyri0n
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03 Apr 2013, 11:00 pm
03 Apr 2013, 11:08 pm
05 Apr 2013, 3:04 am
Tyri0n wrote:
UnLoser wrote:
I believe that the "low muscle tone" thing in reference to AS does not refer to musculature, but rather hypotonia, which is more of a neurological condition where your muscles do not automatically tense up as much as they should. However, low musculature also seems to be very common in males with AS. I think a large part of that is because AS males don't tend to play sports very much due to poor coordination and clumsiness.
Here we go with the "didn't play competitive sports as a child" nonsense. Or currently? How many NT's do? I've had all sorts of things blamed on that; it wasn't muscle tone, but there were other things, like poor driving skills and even test anxiety.
American NT macho males tend to use this phrase as a way to demean others in order to establish a social hierarchy.
If one actually thought about it sensibly, however, one would realize that what we do as children is highly unlikely to affect CURRENT muscle tone years or decades later...
Ah, we get to the root of it. The emotional hurt.
I agree that it's nonsensical to say not playing team sports affects driving ability and test taking skills. It doesn't. No argument.
But because you've had bad experience with the application of the theory, you seem hostile to ANY application of it whatsoever. And to say anyone who uses it is a "macho male" trying "to demean others in order to establish a social hierarchy" seems VERY dismissive. That's not what I am, and that's not my intention at all.
But what makes physical activity much more crucial in youth/adolescence is that's the time when the body is actively growing and developing. The extra testosterone release does indeed affect how the body matures. And the physical activity of building muscle mass at that time affects body sculpture in early adulthood.
You seem to be hostile to the theory in any application due to emotional hang-ups.
05 Apr 2013, 6:01 am
04 Jan 2014, 9:26 pm
Total and utter offensive BS. I'm a strong mesomorph. Even before I started strength training, or playing a lot of sport, I had great muscle tone. I had amazing physique for my age in year 7. In year 5 I had big arms and a six pack.
I think it just comes from the fact that team sports often appear intimidating and stressful to us. It is not genetically linked with AS.
To be honest, Two of the scariest, most muscular men I know claim to be on the spectrum. 
Aspergers/autism does not directly make you an ectomorph or endomorph. Doing no exercise and abusing your body gives you bad muscle tone.
My body seems to stay quite muscular even in the times of my life where I am unhealthy. Last summer, I was on drugs, sleeping very little and not doing much exercise yet girls kept complimenting on my v-lines, back and pecs.
04 Jan 2014, 10:42 pm
04 Jan 2014, 10:42 pm
05 Jan 2014, 12:23 am
zonk39 wrote:
Total and utter offensive BS. I'm a strong mesomorph. Even before I started strength training, or playing a lot of sport, I had great muscle tone. I had amazing physique for my age in year 7. In year 5 I had big arms and a six pack.
I think it just comes from the fact that team sports often appear intimidating and stressful to us. It is not genetically linked with AS.
To be honest, Two of the scariest, most muscular men I know claim to be on the spectrum.
Aspergers/autism does not directly make you an ectomorph or endomorph. Doing no exercise and abusing your body gives you bad muscle tone.
My body seems to stay quite muscular even in the times of my life where I am unhealthy. Last summer, I was on drugs, sleeping very little and not doing much exercise yet girls kept complimenting on my v-lines, back and pecs.
I think it just comes from the fact that team sports often appear intimidating and stressful to us. It is not genetically linked with AS.
To be honest, Two of the scariest, most muscular men I know claim to be on the spectrum.
Aspergers/autism does not directly make you an ectomorph or endomorph. Doing no exercise and abusing your body gives you bad muscle tone.
My body seems to stay quite muscular even in the times of my life where I am unhealthy. Last summer, I was on drugs, sleeping very little and not doing much exercise yet girls kept complimenting on my v-lines, back and pecs.
Or having a neuromuscular disorder or other medical condition that affects muscle tone.
05 Jan 2014, 1:07 am
05 Jan 2014, 2:36 am
zonk39 wrote:
Total and utter offensive BS. I'm a strong mesomorph. Even before I started strength training, or playing a lot of sport, I had great muscle tone. I had amazing physique for my age in year 7. In year 5 I had big arms and a six pack.
I think it just comes from the fact that team sports often appear intimidating and stressful to us. It is not genetically linked with AS.
To be honest, Two of the scariest, most muscular men I know claim to be on the spectrum.
Aspergers/autism does not directly make you an ectomorph or endomorph. Doing no exercise and abusing your body gives you bad muscle tone.
My body seems to stay quite muscular even in the times of my life where I am unhealthy. Last summer, I was on drugs, sleeping very little and not doing much exercise yet girls kept complimenting on my v-lines, back and pecs.
I think it just comes from the fact that team sports often appear intimidating and stressful to us. It is not genetically linked with AS.
To be honest, Two of the scariest, most muscular men I know claim to be on the spectrum.
Aspergers/autism does not directly make you an ectomorph or endomorph. Doing no exercise and abusing your body gives you bad muscle tone.
My body seems to stay quite muscular even in the times of my life where I am unhealthy. Last summer, I was on drugs, sleeping very little and not doing much exercise yet girls kept complimenting on my v-lines, back and pecs.
This "symptom" is as crap-filled as the usual "doesn't make eye-contact" or "lack of empathy" garbage. These stereotypes have to stop. AS can't be identified by these "secondary" characteristics.
I used to be a weak-limbed nerd because I lacked social skills to play sports in an NT pack (which is a primary symptom), so I decided to go to the gym and get a trainer and work out. So now I have more balance in my walk and I have great muscle tone. Soooooo .... does the expert conclude that I'm not an Aspie anymore? Give me a break. Idiots. Idiots!
