I remember reading here a while ago the effects of gaining weight on running times, but I can’t find the thread. Does anyone know how much faster one could run if weighted one pound less? Is there scientific research out there on this? I think it was 10sec per mile slower on a marathon or something like that. Anyone knows?
You won’t notice 1 lb at all. If you drop 3-5 and up then you’ll start to see some results but I think that there is such a variance in individuals that to say for example, 10 sec/mile is impossible to calculate but you could test yourself.
it depends on how much you weigh… if i lose one pound it wont make a damn bit of difference cause i am already pretty much at my ideal weight.
there is no way for me to drop 10 seconds per mile from going to 170-169, if i did i’m gonna drop to 160 cause i should be running 5:00 min miles in a 5k then lol
Grant
I would say, “Tons”!
Ok… so how much weight would it make a difference, let’s say for a 125lbs woman 5’2? I would think that having less pounds (any amount) would require less energy to carry around the distance perhaps making it easier to go faster. I just keep hearing a lot of people making that general statement and just wondered what your thoughts were… thanks for your comments.
it will make a difference but if you are already in shape its going to make less of a difference.
Also it matters more if the course is hilly or flat. However if you are losing the weight and you end up losing muscle its not going to help.
There is a happy medium that you have to find.
Moreover, for people in shape its more likely that spending the time running will make more of a difference then worrying about an extra 2 lbs and how to lose it.
Grant
That depends on the relative VO2 vs running pace curve for each athlete. If you assume that running pace varies linearly with relative VO2 (VO2/weight), then if you drop weight and VO2 stays the same, relative VO2 goes up, which means that you run faster. With hypothetical numbers you can do the math yourself and arrive to your own numbers.
No doubt that losing weight will make you a faster runner. How much? I would say the longer the race, the more you would notice it. At 5-2 and 125 lbs, I think you would notice a pretty big difference with 5 lbs. I’m 5-10 and weigh 168 in the “off season” (if there is such a thing), and I go into IM or my upcoming marathon at about 155 (I’m 156.5 now). Along with the high weekly mileage (hence the weight loss, and of course, increased speed), I can definitely notice 5 lbs, so I’m sure you could.
Thanks for your comment! It makes sense (at least mathematically speaking) too bad I dont have any VO2 values for myself yet. But it would be interesting to get tested and do a little analysis.
It’s doubtful 1 pound will make any difference. Your weight can vary that much just by the amount of fluids you have in your system. I’m a heavy sweater and when it’s hot I have had runs where I lose almost a pound per mile. I have lost as much as 6 pounds for a 6-7 mile run. Of course, it all comes back when I drink after the run. Not much effect on my run speed though - it stays constant throughout the run.
I think we are assuming “real” weight loss, not water loss with excercise. I lost 7 lbs today (and I don’t have that to give: down to 148 at 5-10) as I ran 24.5 miles today (messed up my planned 20 mile route) and I sure as hell wasn’t faster after either as fatigue during the run obviously offset the water loss.
In this case the assumption is that the weight is lost in a healthy way, so there is no loss in muscle mass or water, just fat. The one pound figure was just a data point, I just wanted to see what was the relationship between healthy lower body mass vs. faster times.
The figure always given to me by some late 1970"s and 80’s stud marathoneres is 2 seconds per pound per mile.
The “classic” teaching is that 1 pound = 1 min over a marathon. So 1 pound = a bit over 2 sec/mile.
Yeah - course matters, yeah - starting weight matters…but the above is what I heard.
No idea what this is based on, how accurate it is…or anything else about it for that matter.
Dave
seventy-hundred and twenty.
four.
Thanks for all the input!!
I’ve found that for me, about 5 lbs of weight loss and I run 1 min per mile faster on training runs (when i’m just logging miles). Now I’m sure some of it has to do with the extra weight, but it also has to do with the fact that I’ve been running a lot (which is what caused the weight loss) and am in better shape.
I remember reading here a while ago the effects of gaining weight on running times, but I can’t find the thread. Does anyone know how much faster one could run if weighted one pound less? Is there scientific research out there on this? I think it was 10sec per mile slower on a marathon or something like that. Anyone knows?
I remember coming across a non-scientific study that found for each 5lbs of fat lost there is a savings of 20 seconds per mile. From my personal experience I have found it to be somewhere around 15 seconds per mile for each 5 lbs of fat lost.
According to this link, it depends on your current speed and current weight.
Interesting link, merci!