How to Find Your Ideal Race Weight

[@NickSymmondsToo]

MORE FREE SHOES!!! :D If you want to enter for a chance to win, follow me over on Instagram instagram.com/nicksymmonds

[@jesusjordan1574]

Finished! Cool & Inspirational so make sure to follow him!

[@julianduron5671]

@@jesusjordan1574 yes sir

[@henryschoon7816]

My coach lost a friend to an eating disorder due to the "skinnier is faster" mindset. Real glad you're enforcing positive weight ideals for training!

[@trevorlei4096]

Man yeah I was struggling with this mentality for a while now but I think I've gotten over it. I've started working out and I'm trying to become a healthier athlete overall like Symmonds.

[@eligrdado172]

Man I don’t even need shoes, I just want to be able to say that Nick Symmonds sent me a pair😂😭

[@bojangles-brawlstars5921]

Sameeee

[@charlesthorndike2702]

I would love to see weight classes in running. I wonder what the world record would be in the 800m or the marathon in the super heavyweight class

[@charlesthorndike2702]

I might add, when I was in the military (a couple of weeks after Symmonds WC silver), we ran a 3000m. I ran it in 10:12. My weight at the time was 71-72kg (156-158lbs), my height was/is 177 (5'10). One of the other guys in my troop ran it in 10:30-10:35 and he was like 185 (6'1), 105kg (231lbs). Super impressive.

[@johnpontes812]

@@charlesthorndike2702 I know a guy in the SA navy ran 2.4 km in 7 min 30 at 80kg 6ft1 The big boys can run way faster than what they get credit for. If a guy like that lost weight amd didnt like his steaks he would smash records

[@SS3213gsdf]

@@johnpontes812 80 kg 6 1 is not heavy lol

[@nocapproductions5471]

@@SS3213gsdf it is in long distance running

[@carsonmalleet4367]

Hey nick, I’ve got a pretty similar build to you, sitting at 6’1 170-175 lbs. I tend to always get comments like “you seem too big to be a distance runner” and “have you ever thought about being a sprinter or jumper?”, and although people meant to compliment me by making these comments it’s always made me a bit self conscious. I used to always cut down to 165 lbs for track and 155 for XC, and I’d get injured every gosh dang season! By Jr year I got to the point where I just didn’t wanna see my weight anymore, and it stayed at about 165 for XC. I started running course PBs by more than a minute on almost every course that year! It was weird because I did not look at all like a cross country runner, they’d line up the top 10 at meets for pictures and I’d look way bigger than any of the guys in those pictures, but the important thing is that I was in those pictures.

[@epiconan270]

How was your body fat percentage?

[@carsonmalleet4367]

@@epiconan270 It wasn’t ideal at the time but it was relatively low, you could see my abs at the time.

[@cristinagray9399]

Absolutely agree! “Skinny does not equal fast” 👏🏼👏🏼

[@Dougson]

Is 6' 140lbs considered skinny?

[@genysmenrunner1677]

Dougson_ I believe it is very skinny. I know people 5’8” in 135lbs and are skinny enough. But if you feel good well...

[@josefernando377]

@@genysmenrunner1677 yeah im 5'8 and 128 pounds any less than that i start feeling weak and my muscles are getting eaten up.

[@420jettt2]

@@josefernando377 one of my XC friends is 5’10 and 125 lol. Sophomore year I’d have lunch with him and he’d barely eat even after hard workouts like 7 mile repeats or 16 400s.

[@xpsolo8610]

Help i'm 5'5-5'6 and 109 lbs i don't feel skinny but these comments are scaring me Male btw

[@kaireed634]

Yeah I struggled with weight as a distance runner. In Middle School I was obsessed with being as thin as possible. I got down to 98lbs, and felt very fatigued. Now, 4 years later, I’m 140lbs and healthiest I’ve ever been, running my best times and loving the sport. It’s so nice to hear people saying that I can eat, saying that being thin isn’t fast, and saying that I can be heavier than my mind wants me to believe. Thanks Nick, you have contributed to me having a more positive mindset about my weight.

[@ParkerMax]

Two Nick videos in one day!! Awesome day!

[@rayleehunt1661]

Parker Max I watch your channel, congrats on your race I know you were not to happy but I think you did awesome and all your hard work will pay off.

[@closmasmas9080]

I definitely agree that skinnier isn’t always faster. If you look at elite triathletes, a lot of them are considered more bulky compared to purely distance runners, but they are a lot faster than most “average” runners

[@r.lalrinmawia7633]

nick i used to watch ur videos everytime N it used to motivate me , i need to join army cuz of family financial problem , to support my family , for better life N to giv my family a better life last month i started to train , 1 mile is what we r given to finish witin sub6 minute to join de army , i started to record my time N it was pretty bad i finish at 7:56 min which is pretty slow , N i watch ur videos i.e, routine , tempo run , etc..... N i motivate myself every single time , today i just finsih at 4:48.4 min / mile Thank u nick

[@nicholaswan8872]

Thanks for the advice! Also I had Run Gum today for my race and we won!

[@prostechlapec9247]

Me, aged 17, 400m runner while being 130: oh no, he was sick when being under 160😂😂

[@Nico-yy1fj]

lmaoo me too. I’m like 125 and I feel fine

[@dominofuel8050]

Looking back at my last year of training, I can definitely see correlations now between my weight and health. During late 2019-early 2020, I was training for a marathon running 40-45mpw and weighed 135lbs (5'9" btw). In January I got injured, in February I got sick, and I ended up not racing as well as I would have hoped in March. Although it wasn't really a focus, over the last few months, I've put on a few and I'm sitting at about 141-142lbs, and I recently just strung together possibly the best 3-week training block I've ever had running 55mpw. I'm feeling super prepared for my first trail 50k next month, especially now that I'm feeling a lot healthier.

[@evandonahue5456]

Lol at first I thought you meant 55 mph lol

[@LuisSanchez-oh1nl]

Mhm I’m also 5’9 but 130. Maybe I’ll gain a little more, just to try and see how it feels. Thanks for your self evaluation btw

[@benr6340]

I’m 5’9 and only around 100 lbs. I don’t try to stay under a certain weight in fact I’ve been told by a doctor to put on weight but I can’t really. I haven’t gotten any bad injuries yet due to my weight and I feel good and run fast. But I have a teammate who is the same height as me but weighs around 130 and he is just as fast as me. Weight really doesn’t matter as long as you feel good.

[@evandonahue5456]

I’m 5 5 and 105 lbs

[@attentionseeker420]

I think skinnier=faster is followed so much because its very true for heavy people who get massive improvements just from losing weight so its hard not to see that and want to apply it to yourself

[@wardfreeman7533]

Thanks for discussing this topic. Finding that 'sweet spot' is definitely a challenge. I find it hard to keep my weight up when I train hard, clean up my diet and avoid lots of added sugar and 'empty calories'. 5'9" 130 basically the same as in 1975.

[@gabriellloyd]

I did my first 100 mile ride this summer and it was tough! good luck!

[@alisonsezonov1420]

Great video on weight and long distance running. I am the 'heaviest' I have ever been but also carrying the highest percentage of muscle mass. I wish this was more seriously discussed and re-iterated to teenage girls that run long distances as I have known many that are very successful in academics and sports and others areas of life and fall victim, because of male coaches, that they need to be skinny, and only skinny to run faster. I like the idea that you need to get the balance between strength and running fast. Often if you build up real strength from lifting very heavy but still run long, you will still be lean (not skinny) but faster!

[@liftingiq8658]

"That's not exactly a scientific formula". I'm a scientist and I'd beg to differ. It sounds like you empirically determined your race weight, which is very much scientific IMO. I enjoyed listening to your take on race weight, even though I'm not a runner, it's always interesting to hear about that strategies in other sports-- it's very similar to competing in weight class sports oddly enough (training weight, target weight, off-season weight, etc). Purposeful weight alteration is something I've never thought about for non-weight class sports until now.

[@ParkerMax]

Thank you for making such an informational video. I think it helps all runners to have these types of videos from such a credible source :)

[@loganseaburg8041]

I had my first ever cross country meet ever today and I look up to you so much as a role model. Absolutely love this channel, keep up the awesome work!

[@ir5047]

I read your whole book how to become a better runner it awesome Thanks for book 😊

[@lukehewko260]

Being 6'3 and an ex powerlifter, I got down to 159 running up to 100 miles per week but was mega slow. Now that I'm putting the weight back on I'm getting way faster, especially anything 5k or under. I sometimes worry that in the running community the most dangerous advice isn't necessarily that lighter is better, it's that lighter is better AND more mileage is automatically better. It fosters eating disorders in a huge way and increases your risk for injury tremendously.

[@malachimacias4477]

I’m 5”9 and move up and down from 132-135 ,but I genuinely think 128 and 130 is best when racing.When I’m training in the summer I think it’s safer to stay on the heavier side .

[@ir5047]

I think one day I'm becoming sprinter

[@Dougson]

Well, start now!

[@martinwright9639]

I'm 1,79 m (5'10.5'') and I feel fat if I'm over 150 lbs. I feel my best at around 140 lbs. I used to weigh around 175-180 lbs when I was younger and into weight lifting. Now I'm a long distance runner.

[@ir5047]

When I see nick 800m olmpic race he always inspired me

[@DevRunner]

Great topic! I learned a lot. It's been a long learning curve for me to find my ideal race weight! Great new thoughts for me to mull over! I'm an endurance runner for 9 years now. I'm also a KZbinr. I love sharing advice, reviews and interviews to help runners reach their goals. Thanks for posting this - I'm following!

[@carterjerome5685]

Can you do a video on burning out mid-season and what to do to fix it in the same season and how to not make the same mistake of burning out in future seasons?

[@jdaniels1313]

Was interesting to hear the part about how you target your weight to hit an ideal weight for a future competition timeframe, meanwhile staying at a healthy, resilient weight the rest of the time for training and just living life. As a sprinter-jumper, weight concerns weren't part of my HS world. The relationship between weight and health ties in with what you said about your World Silver and everyone else getting injured shortly after the 2012 Olympics, while you kept riding your wave of fitness into the World Championships.

[@zachmeyer2718]

I don’t even go by weight now because I’m still growing. I just go off of feel now. Do I feel heavy? Do I feel lean? Do I feel healthy right now? It usually evens out by diet changes and training changes that naturally occur during the season and off seasons.

[@ruffians7]

There are different aspects of health, not just physically. There’s also mental, psychological, etc.

[@notjesuss120]

I’ve been following nick for a while and I’ve been the first to comment on his posts for about 5 times in a row

[@jesusjordan1574]

YAY! Another Nick video!! 2 for one today! THX for teaching us and sharing Nick!! It would be cool to get a DM or followed back! Have a good day!! :D

[@NickSymmondsToo]

big week!

[@sojournern]

Not sure why you need two channels Nick. But you have interesting content for me.

[@charlesthorndike2702]

I found this quote about Wladimir Klitschko's training regime. It's simply incredible: "Vladimir hits very hard, harder than (Mike) Tyson. At one point, they ran 12 800-meter [roughly a half mile] sprints, each under 3 minutes, with a minute rest between each one. I timed every one and every one was under 3 minutes. I never saw a heavyweight do anything even close to that. They work their asses off. To be able to do that, two 250-pound guys - whew. They're two of the best athletes I've ever trained." - Freddie Roach (the former coach of both Klitschko and Tyson)

[@charlesthorndike2702]

(BTW 250 pounds = 113.5 kg)

[@Dougson]

Welp, I've been using the Brooks GTS 20 and they are *wooorn* out. New shoes would be kewl.

[@colinisnowlostincolorado]

Great information. I understand that not everything can be a calculated problem. I will definitely have to take in some trial and error to figure out a good training weight, race weight and recovery weight. I have always been very skinny through high school and college and even getting near my 40s. I am a mountain biker but have started to run a bit more and also lift weights.

[@neenaschramm7447]

Thanks nick! Gonna try and put on some weight in the pre-season to make sure I’m good to all track season!

[@Robzabest25]

thought if u are heavier u would also get stress fractures

[@resheflaor4817]

What would you say the ratio of working out you lower body to working out your upper body in running? Is running by itself enough?

[@ConceitedCamelyt]

I was 145 Ibs. at 14 years old and I could run 5 miles without getting tired. 12 years, 45 Ibs., and 10k joints later, and I'm struggling to keep running after the 3 mile mark...

[@sommer447]

I’ve been the same range of weight 134-136 for the past couple years and I can’t seem to gain weight no matter what I do even when I double what I’m eating before and after a workout.

[@mamadove76]

Love this video! My 18 year old daughter is a rower and senior in HS. She made a smart and conscious decision recently to move from a lightweight (under 130 for females) to open weight rower. She plans to do this until later in the spring 2021 season when the club is trying to qualify boats to Nationals. You have to weigh in on race day, and they race nearly weekly in the fall and spring. She's 5'10", long and lean. She well was under 130 as a 16 year old, and as a 17 year old hovered around 130. She could easily drop a little weight before races if need be. She continued to develop and mature (loved you used those words, especially for adolescents), and now has reached a natural weight of 136-138. It's too big of an ask on her body to keep her weight under 130 week after week. Initially she tried, but illness and general aches were becoming common. She simply told me one day she didn't want to fight what her natural weight anymore...at least until spring. So, I think she found her healthy training weight for most of the year all on her own! Obviously I support her, but the best news is her coach does as well!

[@robertfitzpatty]

This video was really helpful and interesting, thanks.

[@wakimura303]

:thonk: im only an 8th grader and this is actually a difficult thing to hit, as I get stronger and grow larger also

[@ThatOneGuy-ll9vu]

still have peg 34s would be cool to win some shoes 😁

[@noah_0448]

Can you try to run a sub 4 mile in alphafly in the same corse as you did with the vaporfly?

[@jonathanhole2972]

I wonder what Asbel Kiprop’s recovery weight was

[@glizzy_lizzy2118]

I’m getting Instagram and I will finally follow u

[@NickSymmondsToo]

see you there!

[@thelegends222]

i want it so bad it’s hard to convince your parents lol 😂 , trust me you will be the first that i follow.

[@glizzy_lizzy2118]

Bryce Revo true

[@Jsbdbjamnsx]

Target race weight went from 105 to 125 in 2 years 🤣

[@shrekisthebest8795]

Nick ur my inspirationnnnn!!

[@siulau7498]

Being 6ft, seems like I can be the fastest being very close to 170 however if I get lighter, I could run for even longer distances at a decent pace, but it does seem like having a bit more weight but not too much allows me to have better top end speed. I'm near 190 now that I've been trying to get stronger in my lifts but still able to run a sub 6 minute mile, just would have trouble with lots of miles.

[@dnb895]

Yessir new Video 🔥

[@amdreasmoors408]

IM 6 feet and weigth 121 pounds All year araund

[@benjamintownsend2607]

I love this question

[@Youkodoll19]

Yeah another video!!

[@derekrubis6652]

Thanks for this question but for me with The Body Weight Issues it hard for me

[@seanlawson8661]

Thanks Nick 👍🏽💪🏽

[@szaszmisi]

Hi Nick, I really like your videos. Not many olympians are willing to share anything. Keep it up! Do yo think that "Lighter is not always faster" refers differently to an 800m runner and a 10k runner or anything in between? What would be one good suggestion for a master runner to stay leaner while loving to eat? Thanks a lot and good luck with everything. MK from Europe.

[@nidunihad8205]

If I lose 12 kg fat will it can improve my timing by 19 seconds in my 800m as present timing is 2:30

[@anthonym3232]

Could you talk about how you gain and lose weight so easily? Do you bulk up on muscle and try to burn that or fat? I’m 120lb 5’6” and I struggle to gain weight. I can can lose 5 lbs easily but I can’t seem to get over 120. I run a 16:35 5k at 120lbs but I think it’s more beneficial to train at 130lb then cut down for states.

[@tricktwins3600]

What is a good way to get leaner though besides running more?? If you want to get lighter

[@julianduron5671]

How many questions do you have to answer in this year 2021

[@menahelmy4131]

Another vid lets go

[@martinnavas2120]

Can you put the weight info in IS units please ...

[@eddygilbert8908]

Any tips for leaning down?

[@wooldog8811]

#AskNick even though you specialized in 800 how do you train for jumping and hurdles

[@itsdvon6269]

may i ask what camera was used in this video ?

[@puffer5522]

194 pounds as a freshman, and i got 57.03 as my best 400 time, i dont know if i should lose like 10 or 7 pounds

[@puffer5522]

add one: I was 5’11 as a freshman

[@bradleyb6128]

WOOHOO free shoes

[@cianmckiernan579]

Good luck with the cycle, that's gonna hurt

[@Villasenorbrandon]

How tall is nick tho??

[@fabiangonzalez1922]

I think you should carry lower body fat it’s not about being skinny

[@novennelagua3151]

You look like Nick symmonds😅

[@laurenm6287]

Sorry Nick, I think this is inappropriate given you are not a registered dietician or medical provider.

[@alokpatel629]

No offense but he literally said it’s trial and error and he explicitly stated that do stay at the weight that works best for you.