Weight/BMI

[harry]

Only in so much as you would if you took a 2.5-3kg rucsac off your back and then ran

Exactly but that's the whole point, any fatty tissue is dead weight, take off the "rucksack" and run faster. If you can't pinch any excess fatty tissue then where are you going to lose weight from? Muscle wastage? then you'll probably get slower/weaker.

[mharky]

who you calling dense? i floated over the marsh that you brooner and alan trudged through. im like a nimble elf.

fat protects your joints aswell, if you dont have body fat you will get arthritus more easily. plus it keeps you warm, if you dont have the insulation then you will use energvy from your muslces to keep warm, and then you wont be able to train aswell coz you been shivering.

the scales i used were probably a bit wrong, but using a calculation like that is going to be well unacurate. it doesnt really matter what your body mass index is, or body fat(min is under 7% i think), if you can run fast you can run fat.

Mr Kirilova aint so fast

[Kitch]

im like a nimble elf.

you're probably going to regret that

[Bogle]

Mr KIRILOV (without A) isn't so fast? Of course.. but enough!

[CHS]

[quote="Stodgetta"]
Only in so much as you would if you took a 2.5-3kg rucsac off your back and then ran [quote]

Does anyone train with weights, I mean running with weights in a rucksack? If you are then racing without it, it would surely improve your performance and perhaps another method of strength training for those without access to good hills. Comments?

[Jene]

Does anyone train with weights,

i dont run, so cant comment, but do train with weights on my bike....tho think this has only benifited my up-hil riding...

[chrisecurtis]

There was a whole issue of "National Geographic" a few months ago about "fat". Quite easy to read and summarising a lot of recent research.

They agree with the worries about increasing obesity but say:
1. Measures like BMI are very misleading - they are just based on averages across populations. You have to figure out what weight works for you. Different people have different metabolisms and this changes through life. E.g. you should have a different BMI when you are 18, when you are 40 and when you are 80 even if you are a perfect weight throughout your life.
2. Diets do not work, at least not for very long. The body is brilliant at storing fat and conserving energy reserves. Cut your calorie intake significantly, or increase your energy output substantially and your body will just get better at storing fat, and make you crave energy rich foods. It's part of survival.
3. Small changes can make a big difference - saving 100 calories (a small glass of apple juice or a few sweets) or expending an extra 100 calories (say ten minutes extra running) every day is equivalent to 5kg in a year.
4. Well-exercised and trained bodies "self-regulate" - they tend towards a weight that gives them the right balance of energy reserves for the activities they are doing, just like your muscles adapt to how much you need them.
5. Different people are meant to be different shapes and weights. Some people are naturally very skinny, some are naturally well-covered. Fighting that will make you ill.

So the science backs the common sense advice. Forget about dieting to lose weight. Eat a healthy diet with lots of variety of "whole" foods and train well. If you want to run faster, train more.

[Sarah Rollins]

Have just spent last 5 mins catching up with this topic. Not going to add much extra as I think the sensible answer has already been reached :
1)The less you weigh the less you have to carry around - potentially you will run faster.
2)The less you weigh the more prone you are to sickness/injury
3)Body fat rather than overall body mass is the more important issue - ie carrying extra muscle isn't a problem as it propells itself forward. Fat just weighs you down.

One thing I did want to add is that running with weight is dodgy and I would recommend caution :
1) your bones/joints/ligaments/muscles are used to carrying around your weight. Introducing extra weight suddenly can lead to injury - and is very risky.
2) carrying extra weight can lead to stronger muscles/ bones/ joints/ ligaments BUT introduce them very slowly and best of all if you really want to do this then start by just WALKING with the extra weight. Try some walking uphill reps with 20kg - they certainly hurt enough without running!

Hope this helps
Sarah

[SJ]

I did my first walking trip just over a year ago with a stupidly over-laden bag and knackered my ankles for a long while...wish I'd read the above

[CHS]

When I mentioned weights I was meaning probably upto 5kgs max, not much more than running with a couple of litres of water expect that the ammount doesnt decrease as you go.

[bedders]

you're right, suddenly running with extra weight knackers your joints.

did the karrimor without practising running with a rucsac and my knees hurt after day one, let alone day two! still a little more practice should improve that aspect of running.

[SJ]

For those who have done the karrimor (or similar) - how many years had you been running before you first tried it?

[bedders]

erm...about 3 properly, orienteering for just over a year, but i did do it with an extremely experienced partner (my aunty Alice Bedwell) so all was well