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ideal race weight

  • 18-02-2010 11:48PM
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,936 ✭✭✭


    At a local road race while waiting for the start, i was looking around at the other athlete's warming up, Some big, some small, some tall and some round, a taught struck me about ideal race weight.
    I'm 5' 9" and weigh 11' 6", not over weight by any mean's but a tad heavy compared to some of the other guy's on the start line. I was guessing the top guy's were about 9 and half to 10 and half stone.
    If someone like myself lost a stone and still done the same training would it be of any advantage to my times.:confused:
    So what should the my ideal race weight be ?.
    Anyone got any view's or taught's on this ?.


Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,525 ✭✭✭✭Krusty_Clown


    There was a calculator posted before, but don't know where it is. There's a table here, but not sure how scientific it is.

    tabel.JPG


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,905 ✭✭✭misty floyd


    Here it is.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,584 ✭✭✭✭tunney


    Ceepo wrote: »
    At a local road race while waiting for the start, i was looking around at the other athlete's warming up, Some big, some small, some tall and some round, a taught struck me about ideal race weight.
    I'm 5' 9" and weigh 11' 6", not over weight by any mean's but a tad heavy compared to some of the other guy's on the start line. I was guessing the top guy's were about 9 and half to 10 and half stone.
    If someone like myself lost a stone and still done the same training would it be of any advantage to my times.:confused:
    So what should the my ideal race weight be ?.
    Anyone got any view's or taught's on this ?.

    5' 9" and 11' 6" is about 19-20% BF, BMI is at the high end of normal.

    Ideally BF for a male runner is going to be 8 or less. Which at 5' 9' is going to be about 10 stone.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 53 ✭✭jcunniffe


    tunney wrote: »
    5' 9" and 11' 6" is about 19-20% BF, BMI is at the high end of normal.

    Ideally BF for a male runner is going to be 8 or less. Which at 5' 9' is going to be about 10 stone.

    Hmmmm, you still need to take body type into account.

    There's a big difference with someone 5'9"/11st6 of skinny build with plenty of spare fat and someone with more natural muscle mass but low body fat (typical of fit field sports players). The former could drop some of that 20% body fat and speed up no problem but the latter is going to have a tougher time achieving the weight loss without very low body fat levels given their tendency to retain more muscle mass.

    Ceepo said they're 'not overweight by any means' so would need to get an estimate of their current body fat and advice how much they can safely lose.

    John (who currently falls into the 'skinny build/plenty of spare fat' category)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,584 ✭✭✭✭tunney


    jcunniffe wrote: »
    Hmmmm, you still need to take body type into account.

    There's a big difference with someone 5'9"/11st6 of skinny build with plenty of spare fat and someone with more natural muscle mass but low body fat (typical of fit field sports players). The former could drop some of that 20% body fat and speed up no problem but the latter is going to have a tougher time achieving the weight loss without very low body fat levels given their tendency to retain more muscle mass.

    Ceepo said they're 'not overweight by any means' so would need to get an estimate of their current body fat and advice how much they can safely lose.

    John (who currently falls into the 'skinny build/plenty of spare fat' category)

    Why I said about 19-20% :) But very true and I should have stated that.

    However in my experience people are less than honest with themselves with regard to being overweight or not.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,340 ✭✭✭TFBubendorfer


    There's a difference between the ideal weight of the general population and the ideal weight for a distance runners.

    5' 9" and 11st6 is indeed not overweight by any means but for a runner it's on the big side, certainly if you want to be towards the front of the field.

    Have a look at this article, but I have to point out that I don't know anyone personally who has reached their racing weight. It's also clear that there are plenty of exceptions; Coe was way lighter and Zatopek a lot heavier than the theoretical ideal weight, and you can't argue with either's success.

    I'm halfway through a book called Racing Weight at the moment which deals with exactly that issue, but don't know if you're interested enough in the details to go through an entire book.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,435 ✭✭✭christeb


    Have a look at this article

    Your link seems to be broken TFB, although I think it's pointing here: http://www.serpentine.org.uk/pages/advice_frank02.html

    It's definately something I'm looking at for my next marathon, I'm 6'3 (and a bit!)" / 85kg, would like to get this down to around 78kg or so


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,340 ✭✭✭TFBubendorfer


    Oops, sorry 'bout that. Thanks, christeb.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,445 ✭✭✭mloc123


    Robbed from cycling, this should be your taget:

    http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/5776/rasmussen20finogm4.jpg

    ;)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 399 ✭✭estariol


    Not sure about this kind of thinking, surely weight, %BF and body type (endo/meso/ecto morph)has to be factored in to the equation. I honestly think bmi is pretty irrelevant for most sports people.

    In my own case I am running faster with 2kg of extra body weight and the same %BF as this time last year.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,239 ✭✭✭Abhainn


    christeb wrote: »
    Your link seems to be broken TFB, although I think it's pointing here: http://www.serpentine.org.uk/pages/advice_frank02.html

    It's definately something I'm looking at for my next marathon, I'm 6'3 (and a bit!)" / 85kg, would like to get this down to around 78kg or so

    In the article the reference to 110lbs equating to 56.2kg is incorrect (though I hope the latter is the intended value). If I use 56.2kg I've only 7kg to go :eek:or more worrying 13kg if not. :eek::eek:
    Either way if I'd be carted off to the doctors for suspected eating disorders


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,120 ✭✭✭Gringo78


    Abhainn wrote: »
    In the article the reference to 110lbs equating to 56.2kg is incorrect (though I hope the latter is the intended value). If I use 56.2kg I've only 7kg to go :eek:or more worrying 13kg if not. :eek::eek:
    Either way if I'd be carted off to the doctors for suspected eating disorders

    The 110lb figure is the correct one i.e 50kg. Only 3 kg to go to my ideal race weight :eek: I was 19kg off 12 months ago. My time improvement has been greater than the weight loss formulas would suggest but that is of course because fitness and training methods have improved as well as the weight.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,239 ✭✭✭Abhainn


    Gringo78 wrote: »
    The 110lb figure is the correct one i.e 50kg. Only 3 kg to go to my ideal race weight :eek: I was 19kg off 12 months ago. My time improvement has been greater than the weight loss formulas would suggest but that is of course because fitness and training methods have improved as well as the weight.

    I was suspecting that. And me at work sipping a cappuccino from our fantastic coffee machine. Shouldn't feel guilty I suppose at just one a week.

    Great progress there dude


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,120 ✭✭✭Gringo78


    Abhainn wrote: »
    I was suspecting that. And me at work sipping a cappuccino from our fantastic coffee machine. Shouldn't feel guilty I suppose at just one a week.

    Great progress there dude

    You really have 13kg to go?? Have you put on weight since you ran 2:47 or did you have 13kg to go then aswell? You have some serious scope for improvement in times still if you could lose the weight....you'd be heading for that new elite marathon squad, no exageration.

    I started losing weight once I accepted that I could not run off everything and gave up the frys for breakfast (still have them weekends though but in moderation), gave up the fizzy drinks, gave up the packets of jaffa cakes, reduced bread intake, ate more fruit, ate porridge instead of cereals. Stopped having chips with my dinner, had potatoes instead, small things which really made a difference. I still have chocolate etc but in moderation. I have given up the alcohol since Jan 1st which has also made a big difference. (Alcohol not a problem, but high calories in a bottle of wine or 5 pints of the black stuff)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,239 ✭✭✭Abhainn


    Gringo78 wrote: »
    You really have 13kg to go?? Have you put on weight since you ran 2:47 or did you have 13kg to go then aswell? You have some serious scope for improvement in times still if you could lose the weight....you'd be heading for that new elite marathon squad, no exageration.

    I started losing weight once I accepted that I could not run off everything and gave up the frys for breakfast (still have them weekends though but in moderation), gave up the fizzy drinks, gave up the packets of jaffa cakes, reduced bread intake, ate more fruit, ate porridge instead of cereals. Stopped having chips with my dinner, had potatoes instead, small things which really made a difference. I still have chocolate etc but in moderation. I have given up the alcohol since Jan 1st which has also made a big difference. (Alcohol not a problem, but high calories in a bottle of wine or 5 pints of the black stuff)

    I am 1.75 meters in height and was 75kg at Dublin. Im in the 73kg range now, which is still 4kg above "normal" according to that article. Just a few kg to go then!!

    You have some discipline


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,936 ✭✭✭Ceepo


    Definitely some food for taught. (Excuse the pun)
    I'm not the very skinny type but not the big muscle type either and don't look as to be as heavy but Suddenly i feel fat at 18 to 20 % BF,
    Average Weekday's diet
    Breakfast = Porridge, cup of tea
    10 o clock = 4 * slices brown bread, banana and apple, cup of tea
    1 0 clock = same as above,
    Dinner around 7 ish
    So all in all i'd sat i don't eat to bad
    I wouldn't have said that losing 1kg could result in a 20 sec difference or that 2kg could be as much as 38 sec's,
    But i would love to be proved wrong, Crash diet on the way so :D.
    Thanks for posting chart's as i had not seen it before but as i said i don't know how much faith i'd put in it.
    I'm not running as well at the moment but was putting it down to work, stress, and the usual other factors but that said i would be a few pound heavier than i was. most lads's around me in races are at lease 1/2, 3/4 stone lighter but struggling to see where i could lose 3/4 of stone.
    Any idea's

    mloc123 ..> Jaysus that's scary perfer to be fat lol, But Good lad on a bike it has to be said


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,049 ✭✭✭groovyg


    mloc123 wrote: »
    Robbed from cycling, this should be your taget:

    http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/5776/rasmussen20finogm4.jpg

    ;)

    :eek: wish I hadn't opened that picture..he looks in need of some food!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 201 ✭✭Raighne


    I wrote an article on this topic after reading "Racing Weight" the book Bubendorfer refers to earlier: http://www.mountain-runner.com/2010/02/article-racing-weight-1.html

    There'll be a second instalment on this article eventually. My basic stance is basically that of coach Wetmore quoted in the first line. Personally, I have a natural aptitude of leanness and will not rest until I'm down around 3.3% body-fat. The process of getting there in one piece and without reducing your power to weight ratio is obviously the art of it.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 201 ✭✭Raighne


    groovyg wrote: »
    :eek: wish I hadn't opened that picture..he looks in need of some food!

    Good old Michael Rasmussen, well it worked! One of the best climbers in the business. There's no room for vanity in sport! ;-)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,441 ✭✭✭Slogger Jogger


    Weighed myself after my long run today. b*****k naked mind. 67kg / 6 foot. And I eat all around me. The only thing I'm crying out for at the moment is crisps. C'mon Lent.. hurry up.


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