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As an overweight runner whose weight varies depending how much running I have done etc. Has anyone done any research into optimum running weights, frame size, age etc. How much quicker will I get for each pound I lose until I am too slim and the graph goes downward again. I would like to set myself a weight target.
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Rather than trying to set a weight target based on your running, I'd be inclined to set one based on the healthy weight range for your height and build.
If you go to something like Yahoo! and search for "Body Mass Index" or BMI, you should be able to pull up some info on BMI, which is a recognised way of determining healthy weight ranges for your height.
If you can't find anything suitable, let me know and I'll send you some info.
I have personal experience of this - about 2 years ago I was *way* overweight and couldn't run upstairs without getting out of breath. I now compete, on road and track, for the local club and am having a great time with the running having lost 4-and-a-half stone to get back to my ideal weight.
One hint, though: Don't obsess on the scales! It's easy to do that.
One other thought just struck me - you could talk to your GP and they should be able to recommend a suitable weight?
Cheers,
Dave
I am a 40 year old, 5'10" man, and I used running as part of a weight loss plan. When I ran my first 10k race I weighed about 13.5 stone, and finished in a little under 44 minutes. Just over a year later, with my weight down to 10.5 stone, my 10k time was down to just under 35 minutes. Now, weight loss on its own didn't account for all of the improvement - I was training pretty seriously as well - but it certainly helped. The other point to bear in mind is that weight loss improves your ability to train hard and consistently, since it reduces the impact on joints, and therefore the risk of injury. The optimum running weight for me, by the way, is about 2lbs for every inch of height, plus 10 lbs. This calculation gives a BMI towards the bottom end of the healthy range of 20 - 25.
Cheers
Daniel
Obviously, losing weight will help you run more comfortably and probably faster, but aiming for that optimum weight is probably unhealthy. I agree with Dave that BMI is a good indication of where you might want to aim for. www.realslimmers.com have an online calculator which also gives the ranges that are considered healthy. If you want to be lighter than these guidelines, you should check with your GP as to whether it would be healthy or not.
The most energy efficient mode of gait is walking because the body's centre of gravity follows an almost straight path. As we run, we incorporate a flight phase into our gait which becomes longer as we increase stride length. (running speed is a product of stride lenth and stride frequency)
The longer the flight phase, the greater vertical distance travelled by the centre of gravity each step and thus the greater energy cost. This is independant of the energy used in braking and propulsion at each step.
In my opinion, the reduction in biomechanical efficiency coupled with the increased energy cost of respiration means that the amount of energy used per unit distance run increases with speed and does not remain constant.
I also know it certainly feels more tiring to run a set distance at a fast rather than slow pace.
Possibly (in other words I'm not clever enough to know for sure) the rule stands because the losses due to mechanical (in)efficiency are insignificant in comparison to the overall energy used in moving the mass of your body from A to B.
It feels more tiring running faster because you have to expend a similar amount of energy in a shorter time bringing all sorts of complex energy systems variables into play.
Don't run to lose weight, run to get fit and eat a healthy diet and you'll see vast improvements all round.
I agree that BMI is the way to go, but use it as a rule of thumb and don't get obsessed. You can rest assured that taking up running is one of the best things you can do, and you are going in the right direction. Just don't use it for anything other than
1. Enjoyment
2. To get fitter
3. To feel good
I know this is fairly basic, but if you're lucky you'll meet loads of like minded people who are very friendly, doing the same.
To find that out all you have to do is enter a race and get involved, or join a club.
I did both and now I feel great rather than wasting away watching Reality TV Fodder and stuffing curry down my neck.
Although I have to confess I still do this now and then, just not as often
I would like to add my 2 cents worth to this debate. I would not put too much faith in the BMI readings you get off different web sites, instead go to your GP and get your body fat measured and work towards lowering this figure if required.
The reason I say this is that BMI does not take into account body composition.
ie. If Arnold Swartzenegger (sp)in his prime had used a web site to measure his BMI it would have reported that he was obease which was clearly not the case as he had very low body fat % and a very high lean muscle %.
As I said, Just my 2 cents worth.
This one gives 150 lbs as my ideal weight. If I lost 15 lbs and reached that weight I would be really skinny - last time I was there people started feeding me apple pie spontaneously
It may be an ideal weigth for running though.
Mags2: women have more fat but usually also less muscle and smaller bones. A woman and man that are the same height, and both slim, maybe the man would be heavier?
(Hmmm... methinks my wee rant is off the subject of the original question!)
i think that runners like paula radcliff - although i admire her etc etc - are just too skinny - its just not natural. theres a couple of girls at my gym whom are sooooo skinny, i want to feed them up!
My running and training intensity have significantly improved this year also. IMHO the two factors (ability to train intensively and the lighter body weight) are interlinked, i.e. it is difficult to train intensively when you are heavier/overwieght without getting injured, but training intensively will also help you lose weight/keep it off.
I guess this might be one of the reasons why you should only increase you mileage by 10% a week..
I'll never run as fast as the world's natural skinnies, given that I have the build of a miniature Chieftain tank - definitely a pit-pony rather than a thoroughbred.
My BMI of 23 is "healthy" but the impedance scales show 31% fat. According to all the calculators in sports nutrition books, an "ideal" running weight is around 20lb lighter than my current 9st 4lb.
I give up. Even the fitness instructor at the gym took one look at my muscly little frame and said "give up running, take up rowing"!
I definitely feel I have that extra edge when racing or training if I am 10st 6 rather than 10st 11 which I can get up to after a few days unhealthy eating. (I am 5ft 10).
One reason I run in the morning as well as the evening is to burn extra calories so I can enjoy my food and drink.
Why is Paula `not natural'? Is there an ideal look we should all aspire to. To me she looks like a throroughbred racehorse. If she was a coal miner no doubt she would have to look different but she has the ideal bodyweight for what she does.
Peak Performance has an article on the optimum body weight for runners. For women, the formula they give is 100lb for the first 60 inches in height, add 5lb for every additions inch, then deduct 5-15% from the total. That would mean that my weight (I'm 5'1") may need to be as low as 6st 6lb, which sounsd freaky - at the moment I'm a little under 8st and my ribs stick out.
2lb/inch + 10lb would give just under 10stone, which is more realistic, but I feel best at 9stone8lb.
Just have to get there now..........