How much does weight effect performance? Like for instance, lets say a runner is 5 ft. 6 and weighs 147 and has p.r.\'s of around 16:40 and 10:00. How fast would u think this guy could run if he got his weight down to a \"normal\" weight for his height of about 125... estimates would be much appreciated.
2 sec per lb per mile till strength is affected by weight loss
Weight don't mean a damn thing. It's just a number. Look at me. How can you argue with success? Of course that little Jap bastard beat me the other day in the hot dog contest. That's not my fault though. He has more experience holding weiners and everybody knows it!
2 sec. per pound per mile... concievably then id be running a 8:40 3200 and 14:40 for the 5000... i think this ratio may be a bit off.
Not if your strength was maintained. For example, you might lose strength at 135# though and that's your ceiling until you train through (advance) your present fitness level by increasing your VO2 Max, red blood cell count, etc. That means you could still weigh 147 and run faster times because you are better equipped to do so physiologically.
Good Question. I think that your current weight is more indicative of your current training load and or your level of interest in running as fast as possible. Knowing nothing about your bone structure, I could still assume that with increased training, particularly with an increase in base, your weight would naturally drop to a more efficient level, as far as body weight to power ratio is concerned. Train hard and watch what you eat and your body would adjust itself to a suitable weight. I hope this helps.
MBWA
I always liked what Marty Liquori said about weight. Train your ass off, watch your diet, run a PR. Then weigh yourself. That, be definition, is your ideal weight.
isn't the whole "bone structure" thing scientifically unsound? likewise for the whole endomorph/mesomorph/ectomorph stuff? I mean, a 5'11" shot putter and a 5'11" marathoner probably have a small difference in the mass of their bones, but this is because of training adaptations not because of some intrisic bone structure they have. I have been called at various points of my life "small boned" when I ran track and cross country in high school, then "large boned" when I did construction work for several years and put on 30 pounds of upper body weight. About 18 months ago I stopped doing manual labor, started desk job and started running seriously again, then lost the 30 pounds of upper body, and people are calling me "small boned" again. And I've seen girls I knew who people always called "big boned" go on a serious diet and end up looking like Calista Flockhart (I'm not recommending that). And these people weren't being euphemistic, they really believed it was just the way these girls were built -- wrong.
If someone can site some scientific proof for this "big bone/small bone" or ectomorph endomorth mesomorph claptrap I'll shut up.
People always call me "big boned". :)
"big boned" lol
Prefontaine was 5'9, 150lb. Herb Lindsey (former US record holder halfmarathon) was also 5'9, 150.
If you are a runner and run a decent amount of mileage (lets say 70 miles a week) and you are 5'6', 147lb then you probably have a lot of muscle mass. If you don't do any weight training the this muscle mass is probably running specific. Meaning that if you lose this muscle mass it would probably hurt your performance. Body fat % is more important than weight. Find a way to get an accurate measurement. At 147 let's say you have 12% body fat. That means you have 129lbs of fat free mass and 18lbs of fat. So for you to get down to 125 you'd have to lose a lot of fat free mass which would mean a lot of muscle mass. It would be better to shoot for just under 140. Drop 9lbs of fat, get down to 5% body fat, you would weigh 138. Of course this is all based on you having 12% body fat. I'm 5'6' 140lbs, and had an hydrostatic weighing test done and they said I had about 9% fat, 128lb fat free mass. I've ran decent times of 1:09:40 for the halfmarathon and 2:33:58 for the marathon so don't let your weight guide your performance ability.
Simple train long and hard and your body will mold itself into it's best competitive shape.
Alan
Ernest Van Aaken's philosophy, Run long, run slow and don't eat like a pig.
Pre was over wieght most of the time. He was only 5 7"
what happenes if you 6'0 and weigh 135 and are also in the late teens
you impload then expload at 12:01 of your 20th birthday
i'm 6'1 158 and am a middle distance guy. I had a girl call me a "rail" the other day...the first day she saw me in a tank-top. What's funny is that she is a thin girl, and runs (mostly on the treadmill)...she is like 5'7 135.
I have a big "Bone"!
How ya doin'?