Adama Traore and the Muscle Debate

Last week, West Ham United head coach Nuno Espirito Santo sparked a heated discussion in football circles when he revealed that winger Adama Traore was banned from lifting weights. Known for his remarkably muscular frame, Traore has long stood out on the pitch—not just for his pace and power, but also for coating his arms in baby oil to reduce defenders’ grip.

"It’s incredible (his muscles), it’s genetics," Nuno said at a press conference. "I’ve told him to stay out of the gym. It’s one of the things he needs to realise. It’s enough weight that he carries. He’ll do prevention work, but he’s not in there lifting weights."

The Goldilocks Zone of Athletic Performance

The controversy centers on a key question: can footballers be too muscular? According to Tristan Baker, head of performance at Go Perform, there's likely a "Goldilocks zone"—a sweet spot where body composition optimally supports elite performance.

"Those body types and shapes are what can perform best in the demands of the modern game," Baker explains. "They need to be able to sprint, twist, turn and effectively run continuously for 90 minutes. They cover 10 kilometres, sometimes even more, in a 90-minute game. And that’s at intermittent speeds."

Baker uses an analogy to explain optimal biomechanics: "You want to be more like a race-car suspension than a slinky — two springs at the opposite end of the spectrum." In practical terms, a player’s lower leg should act as a tightly-coiled spring, enabling rapid changes in direction. Excessive muscle mass without corresponding stiffness can lead to a "spongy" movement pattern, reducing efficiency and explosiveness.

Functional Muscle vs. Aesthetic Bulk

Daniel Booth, high-performance coach and co-founder of Myolab, argues that the real issue isn't muscle mass itself, but force production relative to body weight.

"The key variable is not muscle mass," Booth says. "It’s force production relative to body mass, and how quickly that force can be expressed."

If a player gains muscle while maintaining or improving acceleration, sprint velocity, and jump power, then the added mass is functional. But if performance metrics decline—such as slower 10-meter sprints or reduced reactive strength—then the muscle may be hindering rather than helping.

Positional and Genetic Factors

Studies show that elite footballers tend to be lean, athletic, and well-muscled—but not uniformly so. Neil Parsley, an elite performance coach who has worked with British Cycling, emphasizes regional muscle development: "Very strong, muscular legs and a very strong core, but relatively lean up top."

The reason? Upper-body bulk increases metabolic cost and joint stress without necessarily adding on-pitch value. "Having additional muscles in your biceps is not that relevant for football," notes strength and conditioning coach Sam Pepys. "It can cause oxygen uptake to increase, heart rate to go up—we’re talking fractions, but over 90 minutes, it adds up."

Positions like centre-half or goalkeeper may benefit from greater upper-body mass, but for wingers and midfielders, agility and repeat sprint ability take precedence.

The Case of Romelu Lukaku

Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku once faced a similar dilemma. After bulking up for the 2018 World Cup, he found the extra muscle detrimental upon returning to Manchester United.

"In the Premier League, I cannot play with the same amount of muscle as international football," Lukaku admitted. "When I came back, I knew straight away, ‘Nah, I cannot play in this style like this’. I had to lose muscle, basically. So you just stay out of the gym, drink a lot of water, and eat a lot of veg and fish, and it helps."

Why Muscle Can't Be Treated Like a Dial

Dr. Nessan Costello, a performance nutritionist, warns against viewing body composition as something easily manipulated. "Body composition in elite sport is an output — the result of training load, diet and genetics," he says. "Yet it’s often treated like an input; something practitioners try to control directly."

But for elite players, two major drivers—genetics and training intensity—are largely fixed. "These are the very traits that helped that athlete reach elite sport in the first place," Costello notes. Forcing a muscular player like Traore to shed mass risks muscle degradation, impaired recovery, and diminished performance.

Performance First, Physique Second

The consensus among experts is clear: muscle should serve function, not form.

"The ideal amount of muscle mass isn’t universal," says Booth. "It’s position-specific and athlete-specific. It’s not about whether someone looks too muscular—it’s whether the mass they carry contributes to force production, speed, and resilience, or just adds dead weight."

As Baker reflects on Traore: "He’s an outlier, because of his size, but he’s also extremely fast. He doesn’t look like a slinky. He’s more like that stiff-spring-like athlete. That’s the nice thing about elite sport. It throws up these people that are exceptions to a general rule."

Conclusion: Let Performance Lead the Way

There is no universal threshold for ‘too much’ muscle in football. Instead, decisions should be guided by performance data—not aesthetics. As long as a player’s strength, speed, and endurance metrics continue to improve or remain stable, their physique—no matter how unusually muscular—is likely serving its purpose.

In the end, football doesn’t reward looks—it rewards results.