From Running Times online…
Why Masters Runners Should Stay Lean
Plus a practical guide to determining how lean is lean enough
By Pete Magill
As featured in the JanFeb 2011 issue of Running Times Magazine
Masters runners want to eat their cake and run with it too.
"I'm trying to decide if the 20 pounds I've gained in the last decade is muscle," says my friend Jonathan, "or if I need to lose it."
Jonathan's not alone. The average American male gains a pound a year from age 35 to age 60. Proportionally, women gain even more. We'd like to believe that this weight gain represents increased muscular strength. Or at least excuse it as a byproduct of decreased metabolism. But there's no denying its impact on our running performances.
"Adding weight for running is normally counterproductive," says coach and exercise scientist Tom Schwartz. "A 45-year-old male who adds 10 pounds to his 142-pound frame will lose about 1 minute on a 17:30 5K time."
But don't take Schwartz's word for it. Just watch the finish line of any masters championship race.
Read on here.
No comments:
Post a Comment