Originally Posted by
OBoile
Do keep in mind that the views of the endurance community are not necessarily those of the average person. When I was doing powerlifting, I was considered skinny at 5'8" and 185. While that's also a skewed view, I'm fairly sure most people would consider 140 to be really skinny for a 5'10" guy. I'm now 155 and my wife gets on me for being too skinny.
Views on that do depend on what people see in their peer group. I'm pushing back against the stereotyping, and the broad generalizations.
Differences in physical conditioning, in native ability, and plain old work far outweigh the impressions of "skinny" or "mass" in physical competitions for any level at least up to several sigmas. The natural athlete with the right attributes wins at the highest levels, but that means nothing for the vast majority of everyone who aren't them.