Do you ever get tired of how you need to be skinny to run well?

If you want to make a substantial difference in your appearance without adding very much weight at all, try working on your shoulders. Shoulder presses and lateral raises work well. If you're a runner, it's very possible you're slow-twitch dominant, so try 1-3 sets of 10-20 reps 1-2 times a week. Maybe throw in a few sets of pull-ups for balance. Even fairly thin guys look sturdy and athletic if they have some shoulder musculature. And the small amount of additional muscle mass will hardly be a millstone around your neck.

My weigh has varied considerably in my adult life. At 5'10", I've gone from 129 lb to a lean 170 lb. In my personal experience and observation, there's truly a lot of diversity of preferences among women. Sure, some body types, particularly the classic mesomorph who is lean and muscular (but not to an absurd degree), have more purchase than others. However, have a distance runner's physique will certainly not sink your chances with a significant portion of the female population.

And how you dress makes a difference. I'm not saying you need to become obsessed with expensive or trendy clothes, or spend a huge amount of time thinking about your "image." I just mean that you should pay attention to picking clothes that have a good fit for you as an individual, because, believe it or not, that can make a big difference.

just somebody new wrote:

Tess wrote:

I actually lift HUGE weights at the gym for me:

I am 50 years old and female and bench press 105 lbs....

A bench press of 105 lbs can NEVER correctly be referred to as HUGE weights. It is far more accurately referred to as pathetic.

I don't know how much this old lady can bench press. But she can deadlift 2x her body weight.

3:45 aint fast.

For me, I ran because I was skinny.

I wasn't skinny because I ran.

I know for many of us "being Huge" isn't possible. At 6'0" I competed in college at 150-155 and hit the weights every day. Last year, I needed a break from running so I did CrossFit for 6 months. I did power lifting, very little actual cardio, was taking protein and creatine and was on a lean protein diet designed to gain weight. I maxed out at 175 and I was eating an insane amount of food to maintain that. I started running again more often replacing a couple of the crossfit workout and stopped the protein and creatine and lost 10 lbs down to 165 in about two week. I am now leveled out at 160 and if I get my mileage over 75 miles a week, I drop to college race weight in a couple weeks. So before you assume that every skinny runner is starving themselves and never lifting because they are thin, some people are just naturally built that way and the just won't ever put on weight.

Eh, it can be frustrating more-so knowing that you spent all winter drinking and eating and all of a sudden you're up 10 lbs over your desired race race only to have to cut back, eat lean, and lay off the booze a little.

That said, I think it's annoying talking to people who think that you HAVE to be skinny/borderline-anorexic to run well. I understand there's a science out there backing up the whole less weight=faster times. But there's also of plenty of science out there suggesting that each person has a race weight, which may not be the skinniest a person could be.

I, personally, race better when I'm not emaciated. Much to the chagrin of those other women out there who feel I'm "too big" to be fast. (Since when has 123-125 been too big?)

Gaining 20 lb in 6 months is huge. And the huge amount of weight you lost in two weeks had to have been almost exclusively water weight from the creatine. Even 10 lb in 6 months is still a major increase. I don't doubt that you, like me, tend to lose weight quickly and gravitate toward a lower weight. However, the reality is that "being Huge" requires both massive eating and consistent lifting for years, as well as keeping cardio fairly low but not non-existent. I think most distance runners would be shocked how much muscle and strength they could gain if that's what they trained for for two years or so.

Weight has a lot to do with it. As a baseline it's a good place to start. Frame size is also critical too.

Some guys who are 5'11" 155 pounds and very little bodyfat and small bone structure don't look half bad at all. Another guy with maybe 13-13 bf% and a larger frame will look horrible.

I'm just going to move to Japan where I can fit in with all the other skinny guys. Rather have that than fat people everywhere.

Its not a matter of being tired of it.. I would still be skinny and pathetic looking if I did not run so....might as well run!

What is running "well"

World class distance runners tend to be very thin. You *don't* need to be particularly thin to place in local races.

Chuckle.

Curious Delts,

Whats your take on all of it then? What has this change done for your quality of life if anything? Do you miss running and running at a lighter bodyweight?

I have personally thought of this for a while now, considering that I'm running in university next year... I don't have major self esteem issues just curious to know what the two lifestyles are like?

1/10 you were doing ok til you said 105. 105 is not impressive even for runners. You're that bad.

Tess wrote:

NO I do not need to get skinny.

I am not interested in being a teen age boy who is all bones.

I am not interested in being anorexic.

I actually lift HUGE weights at the gym for me:

I am 50 years old and female and bench press 105 lbs and can do 50 mens pushups consecutively.

I also can run a marathon in 3:45 which is BQ.

I am fine.

Shouldn't Xfit guy have commented by now about how BUFF and RIPPED he is? Maybe the time and DEDICATION required to be a world-class troll is just not fitting into his GYM schedule, and getting the HOT ladies.

185 lbs, 6' 2" at 26 years. I've run 32 min for 10k, 1:09 half in the last year. I'll never be anywhere close to elite, but I'm fast enough to enjoy myself. All depends on your preferences. You do what you can with the body you have.

Old Woman wrote:

Eh, it can be frustrating more-so knowing that you spent all winter drinking and eating and all of a sudden you're up 10 lbs over your desired race race only to have to cut back, eat lean, and lay off the booze a little.

That said, I think it's annoying talking to people who think that you HAVE to be skinny/borderline-anorexic to run well. I understand there's a science out there backing up the whole less weight=faster times. But there's also of plenty of science out there suggesting that each person has a race weight, which may not be the skinniest a person could be.

I, personally, race better when I'm not emaciated. Much to the chagrin of those other women out there who feel I'm "too big" to be fast. (Since when has 123-125 been too big?)

By "fast," I mean a sub 18 or 18 flat for the 5k.

Granted that's slow on LR standards but most adult male runners can't or don't accomplish such a time.

Speaking of the whole "Skinny/borderline-anorexic" thing I've wondered if it is possible to be TOO light... like right now I'm 5'10 at 124 pounds, but I dont starve myself and its probably due to my small bone structure.

Our varsity guys are all pretty heavy (for being a runner)... the "lightest" one is 5'8 at 133 pounds.

A couple things...

If you want to add muscle then 99% of the time you will need to stop all forms of cardio. This is especially true for trained distance runners. You are/were a successful distance runner because of a genetic advantage. If you want to gain muscle then you need to counteract your genetics by doing zero cardio. Can some people, if not most 'average' exercisers gain muscle while doing cardio? Yes, but your ceiling will be a lot lower.

If you want to run well while also being "larger" than the typical runner then it helps if you were at one point a much faster runner at a lighter weight. I knew a guy who had to be about 5'10, 180lbs and could still run a sub 3:00 marathon while benching over 225 for reps. He looked huge compared to other runners in the local races. On a personal note, I used to be 140-45lbs. At 5'6" that was still a good 10-20lbs heavier than most fast runners at the same height. Even running 100-120 miles a week my weight never moved and I never lifted. I still ran pretty good for a local/regional guy with a 15:47 5k and 2:32 marathon. So, at 165-170lbs now I can still run sub 18 and sub 5, which looks very awkward at my ht/wt. Can you say bull in a china shop?

Alan

Emaciation wrote:

The only negative point is to run well, you more or less need to be skinny.... bony chest, stick arms and legs.

Do you ever get tired of having a weak-looking physique? Or are you so used to it, you could care less?

Nice troll, but false. Skinny - maybe. Weak looking - no. And BTW, who gives a $hit?