weight is one of those things where there's no right or wrong answer unless if you are at the extreme sides of the spectrum.
stronger muscles = run faster but heavier body
weaker muscles = run slower but lighter body
in the end, as long as you are within a certain range and it is mostly muscle and little fat, it doesn't really matter. i would say that if you were a 800/1500m guy, you are maybe a tad too heavy, but not a big deal. however, if you are a 1500/5000 guy, i'd say you need to be around 135.
Your build shouldn't be a problem for the 800 through the mile. Even above that you might be fine. Ryan Shay was jacked for an elite runner and he did alright. Vladimir Kuts was almost exactly your size (slightly heavier, even) and he was an Olympic gold medalist in the 5k and 10k.
I'm 6'3 and was 225 at one point. At 225 I had trouble with running fast. Did a Parkrun in a miserable 20:36. Back and calves were killing me. 195 is my best race weight these days, but even at 205 I can get through a 5k in mid 18's.
Was much lighter in my college running days. 169. Still much bigger than you.
This guy is lying. lol 6 3 and was 169 and now 225? Also no way you ran “mid 18 5k” at 205.
find me results of any guy who is 205 running a 18min 5k.
I have a slightly different take than some people who have replied. I think rather than limiting the speed at which you can run, your height/weight might lead you to find that - whatever speed and level of fitness you reach - you do a little bit better at races towards the shorter distance side. For me, I could beat people at 5k who would beat me at 10k (I was 6'0" and 165) - that was the sort of break point where my size seemed to work against me a bit. My friend and training partner who was about my height but 30+ pounds lighter was overall a better runner, but most markedly excelled at 10k to marathon (I was faster than him at a 400m time trial, but he was an olympic marathon trials runner). Another friend who was just a bit better than me was about your height and weight, had been a soccer player, and really excelled at 2 miles. But this is just anecdotal, and maybe had to do with things such as our relative muscle fiber compositions, where the height and weight were just coincidental. I certainly think at your height and weight, you can be a very good runner (however, if you're talking about reaching pro level, I bow to the opinions of others here who know more!).
is 5’8 150lbs too big to run fast times? Typically guys would be like 20lbs less and running mile times in low 4s
i have a lean, muscular build
it's honestly pretty comical how emotional MEN get about a question like this
and women probably react an order of magnitude more insane
for a more scientific answer: OP is about 10% heavier than what we commonly see for his height at international-class level at anything beyond 400 meters
assuming WR fitness but in a body magically 10% heavier we'd expect to see a time about 6.2% slower
thus, add 6.2% to all the world records at 800 meters or further and that's prob about the potential for someone of your height and weight
that all being said, odds are you could actually compete at 140 but don't have the combination of knowledge and discipline
that'd be worth times about 4% faster than what you'd expect at 150
First, get on a body comp scale... If you are under 8% body fat then that is not an issue.
Secondly, consider the size of your shoulders, chest and arms. You can be carrying too much lean weight there... but I my only suggestion there is if you are lifting... stop, or curtail your lifting. If you never lifted... then don't start. If you want to run anything over mile type distances and you want to get an edge.... consider trying to lose five pounds of lean mass off of your trunk and arms.
is 5’8 150lbs too big to run fast times? Typically guys would be like 20lbs less and running mile times in low 4s
i have a lean, muscular build
it's honestly pretty comical how emotional MEN get about a question like this
and women probably react an order of magnitude more insane
for a more scientific answer: OP is about 10% heavier than what we commonly see for his height at international-class level at anything beyond 400 meters
assuming WR fitness but in a body magically 10% heavier we'd expect to see a time about 6.2% slower
thus, add 6.2% to all the world records at 800 meters or further and that's prob about the potential for someone of your height and weight
that all being said, odds are you could actually compete at 140 but don't have the combination of knowledge and discipline
that'd be worth times about 4% faster than what you'd expect the design dot at 150
At 5'8" and 150 lbs, your ability to run fast depends less on your height and weight and more on factors such as muscle composition, fitness level, running mechanics, and training. While elite sprinters and distance runners often have lean builds tailored to their disciplines, many athletes perform exceptionally well outside typical body stereotypes.
