Marcell Jacobs started working with a nutritionist and won a Gold Medal in Tokyo.
Josh Kerr started working with a nutritionist and he will win a Gold in Paris.
Josh Kerr is extremely thin AND didn't lose his power, as we saw it today.
Same for Marcell Jacobs.
Josh Kerr used to have a double chin in the NCAA, but if you look at his pics from Budapest 2023 he STILL looks fat compared to now. He has never been this fit
He really knows how to peak, I've never seen him so thin.
Gold is already his.
He is listed at 6'2", what do you think his weight is? Jacob is also listed at 6'2". I was surprised they were both this tall. I would have guessed 5'11". 6'2" seems on the tall side, especially for a 5K runner in Jingy. El G was 5'9". Coe was 5'9". Morceli was 5'9". Steve Cram 6'1".
These new guys are tall! 5'9" seems like the sweet spot.
Niels Laros is listed at 5'9 so we know these guys haven't been measured. Cole Hocker at 5'10 is one that stands out as hard to believe. With Kerr I think he could be a legit 6 1 and you have a pretty bad eye for height if you estimated Jakob and Kerr were below 6ft. My perspective is that as men rounding 6'1.3 up to 6'2 is par for the course but upping yourself more than an inch is a violation of reality.
I’m not crapping on Josh Kerr getting leaner, I’m crapping on the idea that smaller always equals better in running. Lots of people who are already at their ideal race weight, that should not be losing weight will cut off 5-10 lbs that they can’t afford to lose because there’s this idea that lighter is always better.
Probably any male athlete who is over 6% body fat could lose some weight and improve performance. But even at that body fat percentage it should be done under supervision with testing.
He really knows how to peak, I've never seen him so thin.
Gold is already his.
Jakob also looks very thin. Look at his recent Instagram post “My Olympic Games has begun.” Jakob is usually a few pounds heavier than most other distance guys but he’s looking really lean right now. Compared to his posts from a few months back, he’s noticeably much lighter.
JI’s weight loss looks like what you can do with diet. KH is noticeably leaner this season. JK has transformed in a short period of time, and it’s not like he’s in the first two years of going pro. What’s the trick? Ozempic? Clen?
I’m not crapping on Josh Kerr getting leaner, I’m crapping on the idea that smaller always equals better in running. Lots of people who are already at their ideal race weight, that should not be losing weight will cut off 5-10 lbs that they can’t afford to lose because there’s this idea that lighter is always better.
Probably any male athlete who is over 6% body fat could lose some weight and improve performance. But even at that body fat percentage it should be done under supervision with testing.
I disagree, some male athletes can healthily get that lean, but not most, let alone any.
I think a good place to look into it is natural bodybuilding. Natural bodybuilders put their bodies through absolute hell to get to 5%-7%, and they tend to have a hard time even rolling out of bed when their bodyfat% is that low. These guys usually aren’t trying to put up any kind of mileage and significantly decrease their lifting load as well.
I think part of being able to keep your bodyfat% that low and still healthily train/race is a big factor of talent in distance running. I think telling someone who’s already at a great race weight that just losing 5-10 lbs is like telling someone to run 100+ mpw to get better, not everyone’s bodies can do that.
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Getting into peak form for 4-6 wks at a lower weight is fine. The difference between males and females is generally males know it is for a short time whereas females with disorders can't seem to abide by the notion it is a temporary fix. The Africans have long had notions of out of season weight, in-season and competition weight. I agree it is a talent and to see what you can do with training and your body, it is fine. No one needs to tell people anything. However, monitoring and testing what works best should not be discouraged. Using what people have known (distance runners who are thin and maintain power run fast) should not be ignored.
If I was an athlete at this level, I would only consume the highest quality,
non junk food I could. I bet Lebrun James, for example, has the the best
diet imaginable. (and it doesn’t have to cost so much more to eat a quality
diet if you’re careful and creative).
I bet he doesn’t have the best diet at all. This is basketball , it’s skilled based not reaction based or 3:27 vs 3:32 shape to run from point A to B. Track and field is a pure performance sport
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