I am currently a relatively newdistance runner, running ~40 miles per week, and run the 800m, 1000m, 1600m and 3200m during the winter and spring, as well as cross country in the fall. However, I am quite frail and looking to build more muscle mass and tone in areas such as the arms and chest, but am worried about how this will impact performance. Will it cause slower times, or somehow increas them? Or do nothing at all?
Improving the strength of your core/upper body is more important to increasing muscle mass. If adding a few pounds of muscle can really increase that strength then no you shouldn't have to worry about any decrease in performance. For example, Centro doesn't look frail and has that toned look of not having any more muscle than is necessary
The only distance runners I've coached who have any issue with bulking up are the ones not taking their training seriously and slacking off, which is to say if you're prudently working out for better muscle mass and not just stuffing your face and also attending to your training for distance, you should be fine.
Centro, as someone already mentioned, is a good example. Rupp despite what people say joking about him actually has good muscle mass, especially now—look at his arms, in example.
I myself had the classic distance runner's body for decades until my doctor cautioned me at age 40 to bulk up as I play soccer and basketball too and he was concerned about severe injury at my age from one of those sports given how slim I was. In general, adding some bulk and muscle is good for most athletes. Of course, you're not going to run distance and have the build of a 6'4" NBA point guard, either, but you can bulk up a little.
Building strength is more important than building muscle, but (as pointed out above) a few pounds of *useful* muscle is more likely to help than to hurt your performance.
Use the Search function (or Google) to look for posts from Runningart2004 aka Alan--plenty of guidance there on building strength, though a general (very simplified) summary might be: few sets, few reps per set, heavy weights.
Bad idea. Muscle mass will hurt your running performance, though you will certainly look better. There is a reason why the best elite runners are skinny-- look at Gebreselassie, Farah, El Guerrouj.
Runner44 wrote:
Bad idea. Muscle mass will hurt your running performance, though you will certainly look better. There is a reason why the best elite runners are skinny-- look at Gebreselassie, Farah, El Guerrouj.
I think it also depends on what level you are at as well. If you are running a 13 minute 5k and trying to cram every second out of your time, every ounce of extra muscle is bad. If you run a 18 minute 5k and are looking to improve but not to olympic trials level, then I don't think hitting the weight room will be that bad. As someone else said, if you are doing enough milage, your body will find a happy median
You're new, just run. You'll gain muscle where your body needs it for running. Don't worry about it for now.
That being said, you would be wise to do some stuff for mobility....pistols, get-ups, even burpees. 3 sets of 10 ea.
Alan
"For example, Centro doesn't look frail and has that toned look of not having any more muscle than is necessary"
The man looks like a walking corpse!