Can somebody that regularly lifts heavy weights run fast marathons?

stride it out wrote:

Also, 120 lbs bodyweight is more than enough to bench 225 lbs. Any decent powerlifter can do that. Many highschool wrestlers can do that. If you weigh less than 140 pounds and can lift that much weight, then you have no hindering excess upper body mass. You are very lean and have a strength to weight ratio that neutralizes all of the additional muscle.

Pretty much this. You don't need meaningful 'bulk' to bench 225 (with proper form, to stay ahead of our spamming friend).

You know what else is doubtful? A dude who claims to have bench pressed 250 hitting the weight room once a week while training to be a distance runner.

Also, five posts in a row cutting down other posters makes you seem mentally ill. Go ahead and take a break from the message boards.

ClonedDuck wrote:

I know 4 guys that have gone under 2:30 and weigh around 160. All about 5'9 - 6'0.

Clean?

stride it out wrote:

Yes way Jose. Alan Webb is an example of someone that could easily have done 225 and sub 2:30 marathon. Do you not know who Alan Webb is?

Has he benched 225 and he has run a sub 2:30 marathon? Being capable of doing something, and actually doing it are two entirely different aspects. And if there are runners benching 225 and running sub 2:30 marathons (doubtful), I'd be suspicious of PED use.

There's this guy:

http://www.teamstrengthspeed.com/fastest-bodybuilder

Alan

I've got a buddy who is 6'1, 210 and can easily rep 225 and ran 2:58 in his last marathon. I'm 6', 185 and can bench 360, and rep 225 easily and shooting for about that same time in my next marathon. And we're both fairly new to running - started around 3 years ago, and we are 36 now.

Galen Rupp and Mo Farah are the first two individuals that come to my mind when discussing runners and weight training. The results they have produced have me rethinking my beliefs of what endurance athletes should be doing in the gym.

R. F. Sanders, III wrote:

Galen Rupp and Mo Farah are the first two individuals that come to my mind when discussing runners and weight training. The results they have produced have me rethinking my beliefs of what endurance athletes should be doing in the gym.

Research has shown over the last decade or so that heavy strength training and plyometrics improves running economy and performance in trained distance runners. So it's not a new concept. Just one most distance runners are slow to adopt.

Alan

Raptor wrote:

Has he benched 225 and he has run a sub 2:30 marathon? Being capable of doing something, and actually doing it are two entirely different aspects. And if there are runners benching 225 and running sub 2:30 marathons (doubtful), I'd be suspicious of PED use.

You need to work on your reading comprehension. The title says CAN they not DID they.

Doubtful Pre Doubtful wrote:

I just love this thread because it gives me a chance to vent about something that is very common among lifters and non-lifters alike!

Beware the guy who says he did 100 pushups!

Doubtful

You sound crazy.

I agree that some people cheat. But just because some people cheat does not mean that all people cheat. Several of us have heard of or seen people run fast distance times while being able to bench 225 or so pounds. That is not that much. The world record for that weight class is close to 400 pounds. That is with no cheating because there are officials there.

I'm sure there are guys out there who can do it but I think it would be a bit less common than the guys in this thread make it out to be. I have never seen someone who finished sub 2:30 that looked like they had even the slightest chance at pushing 225

lol at all the people mentioning ~3 hr marathons. That is vastly different than 2:30

aaaaa wrote:

I'm sure there are guys out there who can do it but I think it would be a bit less common than the guys in this thread make it out to be. I have never seen someone who finished sub 2:30 that looked like they had even the slightest chance at pushing 225

lol at all the people mentioning ~3 hr marathons. That is vastly different than 2:30

Who is making it out to be common? I never said it was common. Being able to push 225 does not require a body much different than that of a distance runner. Size and strength are mostly independent of each other and are mostly coincidental.

stride it out wrote:

You need to work on your reading comprehension. The title says CAN they not DID they.

Yes...I understand the title, but you're the one spouting off about Alan Webb being an example of "someone that could easily have done 225 and sub 2:30 marathon." You use the word "easily." I ask how do you know? Has he run a sub 2:30 marathon? Has he benched 225? Like the one poster said that I agree with, these sub 2:30 marathoners have no upper body strength. I think they might be able to bench their bodyweight or few pounds more and that's about it. And it's even worse with guys in my age-group (late 50's). None of these guys going sub 3:00, let alone anything remotely close to 2:30/2:45 have any upper body strength at all. They're mostly skin & bones! I don't think they even lift upper body...ever. Now as times get slower in the marathon, e.g., sub 4 hrs...sure there's probably a ton of guys that can bench 225...no surprises there.

Runningart2004 wrote:

There's this guy:

http://www.teamstrengthspeed.com/fastest-bodybuilder

Alan

Some nice accomplishments and kudos to him, but what a strange body. He has no shoulder muscles. I'm surprised he places very high in competition, but maybe it's in not very competitive divisions.

Yoked Distance Runner wrote:

As an example, take a guy that can rep out 225 lbs on the bench press (not super heavy, but fairly so by runner standards). I'm wondering if there are examples where somebody of that stature can throw down a time in the mid 2 hour range or less.

I realize that build is not ideal for a distance runner, but there must be outliers. Have you seen any fast long distance guys that can lift crazy heavy weights in the gym? Or is that a rock solid oxy moron?

Ever heard of Alex Viada?

Jim Ryun GOAT? wrote:

Yoked Distance Runner wrote:

As an example, take a guy that can rep out 225 lbs on the bench press (not super heavy, but fairly so by runner standards). I'm wondering if there are examples where somebody of that stature can throw down a time in the mid 2 hour range or less.

I realize that build is not ideal for a distance runner, but there must be outliers. Have you seen any fast long distance guys that can lift crazy heavy weights in the gym? Or is that a rock solid oxy moron?

Ever heard of Alex Viada?

Ya, he ran a 4:15 mile at 230 lbs on a trail in Hokas with a completely detached hamstring and a dislocated hip in the same season he raw squatted close to 800 lbs.

For the marathon he's run 3:30 or 4:20 or 4:00. Depends on when he's asked.

fan of the man wrote:

Ya, he ran a 4:15 mile at 230 lbs on a trail in Hokas with a completely detached hamstring and a dislocated hip in the same season he raw squatted close to 800 lbs.

For the marathon he's run 3:30 or 4:20 or 4:00. Depends on when he's asked.

Is he clean though?

I want to be like those guys wrote:

fan of the man wrote:

Ya, he ran a 4:15 mile at 230 lbs on a trail in Hokas with a completely detached hamstring and a dislocated hip in the same season he raw squatted close to 800 lbs.

For the marathon he's run 3:30 or 4:20 or 4:00. Depends on when he's asked.

Is he clean though?

He's never claimed to be clean.

I bet Alan Webb could have repped 225 for a few and thrown down a sub-2:20 marathon easy, if not 2:10ish considering his 27:34. He was quite built, look at the photos from his 2004 win.