StringShredder
Don Juan
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2004
- Messages
- 122
- Reaction score
- 0
- Age
- 53
When bodybuilders think of marathon runners, they call to mind magazine-cover images of world-class elites busting through the finish-line tape. The images are of ripped torsos and gaunt faces, but with low muscle mass in the upper body, and even lower legs. Conclusion: running makes you slender.
The problem with that is that elite long distance runners are not typical long distance runners. They are members of a rare breed who is genetically selected for the sport, and heavily optimized to perform well. Their bodies look that way because that's part of what makes the difference between a 2:08 marathon, and a 2:18 marathon. They deliberately allow their bodies to look that way. The training that they do isn't directly responsible for that appearance. For an analogy, consider the track-and-field sport of hammer throwing. Hammer throwers are, shall we say, big. They don't get that way from throwing the hammer.
To see what long-distance runners look like, go to the starting area of a local marathon before the gun goes off. You will find all kinds of body types, male and female. If you are to follow those bodies through the race, you would be surprised, too. The stereotypical long-distance champion bodies will dominate the front pack, but after that, it's unpredictable. The chubby 43 year old guy with a spare tire around the middle may well be seen bounding past the ripped 27 year old six pack abs at the 17 mile mark.
Here is what one 34 year old long-distance runner looks like, namely me!
http://xs404.xs.to/pics/05126/pose-5-shrunk.jpg
That's a candid shot of what I look like everyday. No special preparation, no oil on the skin, just kneeling on my bed with an overhead 60 watt bulb, that's it. It should be obvious that while I'm not a body builder, I have somewhat bigger deltoids and pecs than the stereotypical long distance elite, haha. Six foot two, 168 pounds, about 5% body fat by various skinfold and circumference methods. I'm built more like a 400 meter sprinter, maybe slightly less.
I'm doing all I can to avoid putting on mass while maintaining what is there! Months ago, I reduced my upper body weight lifting routine to just once per week. I'm still seeing small gains, which I can basically control with protein intake. Whatever I put on is completely lean. The fat level is still trickling down. I want to see whether I can cut down from around 5% to 3%, just for the heck of it.
I run 60 miles a week, currently, six days a week. Monday is a 22 mile run, which I do quite fast: it's a quality workout. I ran my last one at a pace of about 7:15 minutes to the mile (not counting stops for water, traffic lights, washroom breaks). These runs don't deplete all my glycogen anymore, and all I need is water, no sugars or anything. I don't get into any fatigue zone. The remaining five days are about 8 miles each, up to about 12 maximum, down to a 4 minimum. I try to get a track workout in, too. Currently that is 6 miles of repeats bookended by a 1 mile warmup and 1 mile cooldown. The repeats are six fast 1200's with 400 meter recoveries.
I eat quite strictly, avoiding too much saturated fat and fat in general. The running cycles my carbs. I eat carbs when my glycogen stores are low, which I can tell from my legs starting to feel heavy and slow. When I'm fueled up, I cut down on the carbs. By not eating carbs when your tank is full, you avoid turning carbs to fat. This is called carb cycling: swinging your gas tank between near empty and near full, so that you can let decent quantities of carbs pass through your body for the nutrients, without the fat gain. My weight swings over about four pounds during the week, due to hydration and glycogen.
I've never done any ``cutting diet'' where I'm counting calories and consuming ridiculously small amounts of carbs. The idea of doing next to no activity out of fear of losing muscle mass, and eating next to nothing, just seems ridiculous to me. I'd go insane if I couldn't run for at least an hour at least four times a week. But I still eat way less carbohydrate than the average North American, who eats like he's running 100 miles per week.
I get my protein from soy powder, salmon, limited consumption of other meats like chicken and beef, and in smaller amounts from other sources like cottage cheese, beans, and so on. When I have the munchies, I drink espresso coffee or munch on carrots, celery sticks or apples. Carb sources are oatmeal, brown rice, and sometimes bread and peanut butter. I take a high potency multi-vitamin, multi-mineral everyday. I go through quite a bit of 1% milk, since my coffee is very strong, and I milk it down.
The problem with that is that elite long distance runners are not typical long distance runners. They are members of a rare breed who is genetically selected for the sport, and heavily optimized to perform well. Their bodies look that way because that's part of what makes the difference between a 2:08 marathon, and a 2:18 marathon. They deliberately allow their bodies to look that way. The training that they do isn't directly responsible for that appearance. For an analogy, consider the track-and-field sport of hammer throwing. Hammer throwers are, shall we say, big. They don't get that way from throwing the hammer.
To see what long-distance runners look like, go to the starting area of a local marathon before the gun goes off. You will find all kinds of body types, male and female. If you are to follow those bodies through the race, you would be surprised, too. The stereotypical long-distance champion bodies will dominate the front pack, but after that, it's unpredictable. The chubby 43 year old guy with a spare tire around the middle may well be seen bounding past the ripped 27 year old six pack abs at the 17 mile mark.
Here is what one 34 year old long-distance runner looks like, namely me!
http://xs404.xs.to/pics/05126/pose-5-shrunk.jpg
That's a candid shot of what I look like everyday. No special preparation, no oil on the skin, just kneeling on my bed with an overhead 60 watt bulb, that's it. It should be obvious that while I'm not a body builder, I have somewhat bigger deltoids and pecs than the stereotypical long distance elite, haha. Six foot two, 168 pounds, about 5% body fat by various skinfold and circumference methods. I'm built more like a 400 meter sprinter, maybe slightly less.
I'm doing all I can to avoid putting on mass while maintaining what is there! Months ago, I reduced my upper body weight lifting routine to just once per week. I'm still seeing small gains, which I can basically control with protein intake. Whatever I put on is completely lean. The fat level is still trickling down. I want to see whether I can cut down from around 5% to 3%, just for the heck of it.
I run 60 miles a week, currently, six days a week. Monday is a 22 mile run, which I do quite fast: it's a quality workout. I ran my last one at a pace of about 7:15 minutes to the mile (not counting stops for water, traffic lights, washroom breaks). These runs don't deplete all my glycogen anymore, and all I need is water, no sugars or anything. I don't get into any fatigue zone. The remaining five days are about 8 miles each, up to about 12 maximum, down to a 4 minimum. I try to get a track workout in, too. Currently that is 6 miles of repeats bookended by a 1 mile warmup and 1 mile cooldown. The repeats are six fast 1200's with 400 meter recoveries.
I eat quite strictly, avoiding too much saturated fat and fat in general. The running cycles my carbs. I eat carbs when my glycogen stores are low, which I can tell from my legs starting to feel heavy and slow. When I'm fueled up, I cut down on the carbs. By not eating carbs when your tank is full, you avoid turning carbs to fat. This is called carb cycling: swinging your gas tank between near empty and near full, so that you can let decent quantities of carbs pass through your body for the nutrients, without the fat gain. My weight swings over about four pounds during the week, due to hydration and glycogen.
I've never done any ``cutting diet'' where I'm counting calories and consuming ridiculously small amounts of carbs. The idea of doing next to no activity out of fear of losing muscle mass, and eating next to nothing, just seems ridiculous to me. I'd go insane if I couldn't run for at least an hour at least four times a week. But I still eat way less carbohydrate than the average North American, who eats like he's running 100 miles per week.
I get my protein from soy powder, salmon, limited consumption of other meats like chicken and beef, and in smaller amounts from other sources like cottage cheese, beans, and so on. When I have the munchies, I drink espresso coffee or munch on carrots, celery sticks or apples. Carb sources are oatmeal, brown rice, and sometimes bread and peanut butter. I take a high potency multi-vitamin, multi-mineral everyday. I go through quite a bit of 1% milk, since my coffee is very strong, and I milk it down.
