[painholic]

painholic on May 1, 2008 at 6:53 am #14528

I am currently sophomore 800/1600 runner (800m time :2:05 , 1600m time : 4:50)

But im also interested in muscle building.

I used to do very intense lifting but i currently stopped doing it because

i’m too busy running track right now.. well right now i’m doing bodyweight training

such as dips,pull ups,push ups,hand stand push ups ..etc .. and some kettlebells too.

I am planning to do some acrobatic training too. When i start to do the acrobatic

training ,I will probably quit doing bodybuilding stuff.(ex:bench press)

I want to be good runner , but i also want to have a good muscles.

I know sprinters lift weights a lot.. But i don’t know about the middle distance runner.

Unless i’m going to be a professional runner, is it ok to have a lot of muscles ?

I already have a good amount of muscles.. my thighs are bigger than any other sprinter’s

thighs even though im middle distance runner .lol

I think i got a biggest thigh in my state. ….. 🙂 jk

Anyways, this was my question. I’m looking forward to see good answers ! ^^

My goal for next year is run sub2 800m and 4:30s in mile. I m wondering if that’s possible

with high amount of muscles. Does muscles actually slow you down ??

Is the low body fat is more crucial than have high amount of muscles for middle distance

runner?

[Mike Young]

Mike Young on May 6, 2008 at 1:13 am #69591

The short answer to the question “Is it possible to be a muscular endurance runner?” is yes, just not a good one.

Note, by muscular, I mean having a lot of muscle not being lean. To be a good distance runner, you need to be lean and slender. IMO, this is one of the primary reasons why Americans struggled to compete with their African and Middle Eastern counterparts in the 90s and early part of this decade. All the U.S. guys were 155-160 running against men who weighed 20-30 lbs less.

ELITETRACK Founder