Does Weight Gain Affect Running? (Should runners be skinny?)

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Do you really need to be skinny to run faster?
What was your weight when you started running? Does it affect your performance when you run? Let's talk about this!
There are several myths that have been talked about the ideal weight as a runner. Today, I reveal the truths that you need to know especially if you are new to running and being bothered by your weight.
I share my story as a runner and what happened with my performance when I gained weight. I also mention the functional and non-functional weight that you should be aware of as there's an exception who needs to gain or lose.
Tune in now to learn the things you need to give more attention to than those myths some people are saying to you.

[@NDAsDontCoverIllegalActs]

I just know how I like my body in terms of ability and appearance. Has nothing to do with weight per se but I've noticed I run faster the less visual weight I have regardless what the scale says. Bulk gets in the way once you start moving.

[@Shevock]

Good video. Great points. Optimal race weight isn't the same as healthy. Not only has Ryan Hall lived your points but Nick Symmonds also talks about how unsustainable his race weight was and that he had to plan to drop to it for big races but then go back up to his healthy weight. All that suggests to me that 40 something 5k, marathon and ultra runners probably should not be flirting with optimal race weight.

[@Solpri]

Unsustainable definitely is the key word. I also wonder what (if any) negative effects the kind of yo-yo weight management might have on a person despite their high levels of fitness.

[@johnnybonnyy]

currently 5,9 and 140ish lbs. last year i cut down to the 129-130. extremely lean and light, im genetically and naturally very muscular from my dad, but thin from my mom. i agree that healthy weight is not equal optimal race weight. i typically am heavier earlier in the season but at the end i’m very light. it worked last year, ran 4.05 and 14.16. but afterwards i don’t mind carbing up and eating fats and all. i’m usually at a low body fat year round, but end season im peeled. it’s not very sustainable, but you sure run fast. great video!

[@lean2281]

Dude how skinny are you

[@yijuntey]

I know im 2 years late to this video but thanks for touching on this topic. Im a 172cm 60kg and 21 yrs old male and objectively, i think im at a pretty good and healthy weight but i cant stop thinking about my weight whenever i go to training or races. I keep going between overeating to under-eating which isnt exactly healthy either but this video was nice to see

[@yijuntey]

Just to add onto this, i currently run a 16:15 5k and im also a triathlete so i feel like your story was really motivating to hear

[@Solpri]

It's still an important topic for me. I think part of the mentality is fueled by the elite runners who tend to be very thin, but my argument is basically we are not all born to be the top of the world so our genetics may dictate a larger or smaller build to achieve our goal times. It's a balance with power to weight ratio, but I do think you see more and more even elite distance runners willing to have bigger builds. My personal bend: focus on proper fueling and recovery then let your body be the size it's going to be. The work you put in will dictate how your muscles need to grow. Always remember an under rested under weight athlete is going to underperform a slightly heavier, well rested, well fueled athlete. Plus injury rates go down when you're well fed.

[@yijuntey]

@@Solpri wow well said, thanks!

[@gm2407]

I am quite heavy. I don't want to push speed training until the weight drops off as it takes a lot of strength to push this body forward. So happy to concentrate on long slow runs and risk my joints less. If I can maintain most of the muscle when I lose the weight I will have a change in the power to weight ratio when I run.

[@iosifkovalenko8364]

I’m 5’10, weigh 205, run a 1:51 marathon, sub 47 min 10k and sub 22 5k. Definitely not impressive #’s but i can do 20+ consistent pull-ups and bench press 355 for 1 rep. It’s all about a healthy balance. With that said, i’m at 14% body fat and look forward to losing 10 lb.

[@nidunihad8205]

Will weight loss of 12 kg improve my timing in 800m by 19 seconds. My present timing is 2:30

[@kingtali1985]

you made a great point about just because you're skinny, with low body fat, doesn't guarantee you will have a six pack. There's plenty of elite marathon runners with like 6-7% body fat that dont have super shredded abs. Could just be genetics.

[@Solpri]

I think genetics definitely play a factor. I could get the top 4, but the bottom two were always elusive. Whereas my teammate always had really well defined abs without trying too hard (of course we were all working hard, but he wasn't putting in extra work just to have his abs show). There's a poster of Olympians from one or two Olympics ago where they're all in their underwear to show just how different even Olympic caliber bodies look which I really appreciated. It's definitely not the same as the "cover model" look from fitness magazines.

[@VRietySociety]

So this might be years late. i have look at various studies and spoke with quite a few people regarding this subject. so yes the studies used dead weight so to speak but the main aim was to compare weightloss from fat not muscle. you can't run with just a skeleton after all. now gaining muscle can make you faster BUT just like there should be and asterisk on the skinny=faster there should also be an asterisk on more muscle=faster. it depends. it always depends. 100m to the 5km to the marathon ideal race weights will look very very different. And ideal race weights are not always healthy which is why it should be left to the pro's with access to coaches, nutritionist and medical staff. But if you aint at least seeing most of your abs You can probably do with losing some weight regardless of the distance and get faster. Just dont try and loose weight too agressively. around 12-15% body fat is healthy going below that you are starting to flirt with reds,injury's and a whole load of medical conditions. most people with shreded 6 packs dont have that year around or they are on ped's. thats the sad unfortunate truth.

[@Solpri]

It's an ongoing conversation, even if I recorded this years ago now so thanks for your input. I think you hit on largely my point - "it depends," but also that I want to try and get people to move away from the "must be as thin as possible" culture since I don't think it reflects reality of performance. The 6 pack thing I think is... also dependent. I've never had a 6 pack, likely a little too many carbs, but a college teammate also always had a 6 pack no matter what he did. I was almost always faster than him. It's an okay indicator, but fat positioning does vary person to person so the best indicator I think is focusing on, as you mentioned, overall body fat percentage and sustainability in that area.

[@nick-ish]

Old video I know, but i feel like this topic isnt talked about enough. I was a 10+ year bodybuilder who switched to running after a major injury while lifting. At the time I was lifting, I was 5'11 205 lbs and muscular, but fluffy. People around me who ran said for my height, I needed to be in the 160's at the very least to see significant time improvement and injury prevention. What ended up happening is that my body fat naturally came down as I dipped into daily runs, and my weight loss plateaued at a lean 185 lbs, running a 19:48 5k and still improving. The difference really does lie with the type of weight. Think of pulling a wagon with 50 lbs of bricks in it, versus pulling an empty wagon with a 50 lb motor on it. The motor will definitely make you faster (to a reasonable point, of course. Edge cases exist.)

[@Solpri]

Hey Nick - since I've been on video hiatus a while now they're all old videos, but I still get notifications for comments. Thanks for sharing your experience. It's definitely a topic that's multi faceted, but normalizing different optimal weights for people racing is where my aim was here so I hope that's what came through for you. I hope your running journey continues to be fruitful.

[@lean2281]

​@@nick-ish19.48 is damn slow

[@nick-ish]

@lean2281 I'd consider anything in the upper teens as relatively fast for casual running, if you'd like to upload a video of you running faster than that at 185 lbs or higher, feel free to show me up

[@Solpri]

@lean2281 You might check out my "what is a good 5k time" video. Slow is relative. Trying to win high school state championship? Yeah, pretty slow. Being the size of an NFL wide receiver? Not looking too shabby anymore.

[@lean2281]

@nick-ish I have an obese friend who runs faster than you. Stop thinking 19.48 is fast haha. Go to your local 5k race and watch the runners come in and you'll then see with your own eyes how slow it is

[@rebelllionlad8049]

its a big no am tennis player & ati mid wieght i can run faster than thiner player never had problem

[@MoparATL]

im 220 at 5'7 how more fast would I run getting down to 150 ? I know , how do I let that even happen but I gained 40 pounds over quarantine which isn't healthy

[@MoparATL]

for every 15 pounds we lose , do we really run 30 seconds faster ?

[@Solpri]

First, many people including myself gained some amount of weight over quarantine. We all dealt with a tough situation differently so don't beat yourself up over it, try to focus on accepting where you are now and where you want to go moving forward. As for the speed, my intuition would suggest there's too many variables in losing 40 pounds to guess how much faster you will go. You could end up 1:20 faster per mile like the rule of thumb suggests, but you could end up the same speed. Often as people lose weight they also lose muscle. So power to weight ratio is important. Oppositely you could end up even faster if you have the right genetics. I ran with a number of guys who were overweight kids that ended up losing that weight and becoming quite fast, one of which got his pro license in triathlon. Like most things in running I truly belive in the philosophy of focusing on the process and letting the results be what they are. Slow, sustainable weight loss over time will help you protect muscle tissue and give you the best chance at maintaining or gaining speed as you get leaner.

[@Solpri]

Also if you get the chance - check out my conversation with former pro triathlete and PhD candidate researcher Alex Coates. She researches energy deficiency in endurance athletes and some of the downsides of where people end up when they don't take in enough fuel. So though I can't remember exactly where in the conversation we definitely talked about weight loss and how that fits in with a training schedule. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGaaqoWbar-dq8U