Ideal Orienteering Runner's Legs

[Freefall]

I will not go into my BMI but here is a curious thing. I went to see the chiropractor after suffering from a sore back. As I lay stretched out on the couch he commented on the very great difference in size of my right and left leg (circumference not length). I have suffered various major injuries included a locked knee (cartilage removal in 1977 and 2003) as well as a snapped achilles. I thought my left leg was "wasted" (thigh 20 inch, calf 15.5 inches) compared to my right leg (thigh 22 inches, calf 16.5 inches) but in his opinion my left leg was in proportion and the right leg was "heavy". For a 33 inch inside leg what is correct, and is there an optimum ratio a fit orienteer should be aiming for?

[frog]

Was anyone else expecting to see a picture?

[Freefall]

I'll put one up but it is not pretty

[King Penguin]

Have you been contouring round all those Scottish mountains much more one way than the other ?

[andypat]

We should do a survey and compare vital statistics to ranking points (or some other measure of success).

[Freefall]

This is them (scratches from Polnaise night event)

[Mrs H]

does your car have a very stiff accelerator pedal?

[SeanC]

Presumably this is because of health and safety rule 1272.A in Scotland which says that north facing slopes should only be run in a west to east direction to prevent exposure running into the wind. I believe there was carnage at an event a few years ago when the planner ignored this advice and all the orienteers tumbled down the slopes to be picked up by the highland orienteer collectors.

(see old joke told to tourists about haggis's).

[greywolf]

some general principles for success:
left leg ~ right leg
thigh > calf
thigh + calf > waist

[Red Adder]

When it said ideal runner's legs I was expecting to see maps of various events in East Anglia.

[andypat]

I seriously hope no-one saw you taking that photo!

[Freefall]

It is a very useful forest - thanks to PhotoShop the same forest (Culbin) was also used in the Event Scotland photo (and the one I think you have seen). I was tempted to add a fake PhotoShop tan too! Off to work on the quads with a run in the snow just before it gets dark here....

[HOCOLITE]

You certainly don't have hockey players thighs!

[graeme]

Even if there is an ideal, I don't think an individual do anything to get to it. Just run with what you have.
On the other hand, you should not be asymmetric (unless you have nerve damage ). It is surprisingly easy to become so after an injury when you favour one leg over the other, and it can persist for a long time. Get some exercises to work on the "wasted" muscle.

BTW: according to the NHS BMI healthy weight calculator, I am, and always have been, overweight. Many people have ben kind enough to express surprise at this, which leads me to be unbothered..

[awk]

BTW: according to the NHS BMI healthy weight calculator, I am, and always have been, overweight. Many people have ben kind enough to express surprise at this, which leads me to be unbothered..

Same here. At one time, in fitter years, I was measured in the sports science labs at work at 9% body fat with a BMI that said I was marginally overweight. I do have a bit more than that nowadays, so presume I'm now definitely 'overweight'.