Matt Fitzgerald - Ideal race weight
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I am 5'7" and weigh 148 currently. The calculator gives me answers ranging from 143-146 depending on how I tweak the inputs. I think that is probably a fair estimation of my ideal race weight as I found in the past that I was fastest when I was between 143 and 145. I try to get down to 142 a few weeks ahead of an A-race and then allow a little bit of a "bump" back up over the taper period.0
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I am 5'0 and currently right around 102 lbs. The calculator gives me an ideal racing weight of 94 lbs.(although I have no clue what my current body fat% is, so I guessed). I have been down to that weight in the past year (due to illness, not choice) and I was not at all comfortable there. Yes, maybe it was good for my performance, but it wasn't really good for everything else in my life. I guess it depends on where your performance falls in terms of priorities. I feel like it is a pretty high priority in terms of how I spend my free time, but my over all health is a much higher priority and I do not feel at all like I could be in great health and be at that weight.0
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It says that I should be around 162 as my ideal weight (currently 170). I've read both his Racing Weight and his 80/20 books. His point is that if you have haul something around, it should be muscle and skeletal tissue that will help get you from point A to point B the fastest. The trick is to lose fat and not muscle mass.
When I was last down at 162 (a little over a two years ago), I can't say that it necessary looked "good." But then again, I was only walking and hiking, not running. The combination of running and other cross training has changed (and continues to change) my body configuration. When I started speed work last summer, my weight jumped up from the increased activity before gradually dropping back down.
I have set 165 as the next weight goal for my next goal race.
One other thing. I have attempted, with some success, Fitzgerald's fueling plan (10-14 day caffeine cutoff, three day carb load, and in-race fueling). It won't make up for or completely offset poor race execution (e.g., going out too fast for conditions), but it can help. I have been amazed at just how good I've felt at the end of most recent marathon races compared to my earlier experiences.0 -
Ideal race weight is 174...which is the upper limit BMI for me. My body was just not built to be a runner. #foreverFatty
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I was surprised at mine - 221 pounds. Supposedly my ideal BMI is 180. I'm currently 235, so I'm happily surprised to be that close to a good running weight!
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His online calculator is close for me. It says 150-153lbs, and my goal weight is 155. I'm 44 yr old 5'8" female. Seeing as that's 17-19% BF, though, might be why I'm having a hard time losing these last few pounds.0
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Does anyone want to link the online calculator?0
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I am not entirely convinced the calculator really tells you anything. It seems to give me what I think is my ideal race weight, but I am *really* lean already.
I'll paraphrase the slowtwitch.com "mantra" on race weight: The idea is to keep losing weight until you start hearing your coworkers whispering about your weight. Then you know you are within 10lbs. Once your family starts asking if you have a cancer-like disease you are within 5lbs. And when they finally stage an intervention, you are there.
That is a bit tongue-in-cheek but really you find your race weight by continuing to lose weight until you start getting sick too often, and you actually notice your run times are getting worse, then gain a bit, and that is your ideal race weight. For most, that is going to be downright gaunt.0 -
I am not entirely convinced the calculator really tells you anything. It seems to give me what I think is my ideal race weight, but I am *really* lean already.
I'll paraphrase the slowtwitch.com "mantra" on race weight: The idea is to keep losing weight until you start hearing your coworkers whispering about your weight. Then you know you are within 10lbs. Once your family starts asking if you have a cancer-like disease you are within 5lbs. And when they finally stage an intervention, you are there.
That is a bit tongue-in-cheek but really you find your race weight by continuing to lose weight until you start getting sick too often, and you actually notice your run times are getting worse, then gain a bit, and that is your ideal race weight. For most, that is going to be downright gaunt.
At 191 I am almost there, coworkers saying I've lost too much, RW is suggested at another 15lbs down, I would be downright gaunt. My wife already complains that I am just skin and bone and that my calves are as big as my thighs. She exaggerates a little, but they are big. My guess is that I could lose half that, but I love food more than I love fast times!!
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FitFitzy331 wrote: »I was just wondering how much stock to put into the Matt Fitzgerald Ideal Race Weight calculator. I checked it out and it's saying that my ideal race weight is 123lbs and 13.6% BF. Right now I'm maintaining around 133lbs (5'4") and I can't really imagine myself 10lbs lighter. The last time I was 123lbs, I was a sophomore in high school and at the time I felt fine but looking back at pictures, I looked a bit gangly.
I would like my pace to be faster overall but I guess I'm wondering how much of a difference those 10lbs could make. I'm deciding between just continuing to maintain and train as planned or go back to aiming to lose weight for another 5lbs or so and see if that along with my continued training will help me get faster.
So does anyone aim for the "Ideal Race Weight," consider it a guideline within a range or is it just completely ignored and focused solely on training and nutrition?
I'm just looking for other opinions on this, I plan to think about it more before making any decisions on my personal goals.
I am near "ideal" race weight and my performance improved drastically as I was moving closer to my current weight. However its hard to evaluate how much of that was because of weight and how much because my increasing mileage. I have a feeling most of my progress was a result of increasing mileage, not decreasing weight, since I was never overweight to begin with.
My guess is that the more weight you have to lose, the more it matters.
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I have the book. He recommends using a body composition scale. Anyone one they recommend?.0
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Right now I'm at 122. It said my ideal race weight was 116. I set pretty much every PR in 2013 when I weighed 115. So I'd say spot on for me, and I need to get on losing a few pounds before fall marathon time!0
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I am not entirely convinced the calculator really tells you anything. It seems to give me what I think is my ideal race weight, but I am *really* lean already.
I'll paraphrase the slowtwitch.com "mantra" on race weight: The idea is to keep losing weight until you start hearing your coworkers whispering about your weight. Then you know you are within 10lbs. Once your family starts asking if you have a cancer-like disease you are within 5lbs. And when they finally stage an intervention, you are there.
That is a bit tongue-in-cheek but really you find your race weight by continuing to lose weight until you start getting sick too often, and you actually notice your run times are getting worse, then gain a bit, and that is your ideal race weight. For most, that is going to be downright gaunt.
I was at 205 a couple summer's ago. That was partly helped by training for a half and getting sick for an entire week. (Also less beer because sick) People were asking questions and everybody was making comments. My girlfriend made a reference to a WWII camp. I was never so fast as I was then. I'll have to work on that.0 -
The formula in the book is more useful because it takes into account the idea that you are trying to move down 10% according to the chart, which takes into account where you are now.
I got down to 115/15% and have set my PRs there. I'm toying with the idea of trying out 112 for Chicago. If I go sub-3 (the goal!), I think I would use that as my new race weight...performance based. Maybe try it out for the warm up half 5 weeks out...
Definitely keep track over the training cycles and races. The calculator and formula are only guides, it is performance that really matters.0 -
I'm 6ft1, and it's recommending 143lbs.
Probably need to read the book to get the context, but that sounds unrealistic in the real world for me.0 -
How are people determining their starting BF%? I have done the hydrostatic bodyfat testing and find the Racing Weight recommendations to track pretty well with what I'm currently seeing for me. If people are trying to use a measuring tape, electrical impedence scale, or (God forbid) BMI for their estimate, that could be part of why some recommendations seem unreasonable.0
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How are people determining their starting BF%? I have done the hydrostatic bodyfat testing and find the Racing Weight recommendations to track pretty well with what I'm currently seeing for me. If people are trying to use a measuring tape, electrical impedence scale, or (God forbid) BMI for their estimate, that could be part of why some recommendations seem unreasonable.
I am going simply by visual guess. I show a 6-pack but not a perfectly sculpted or defined one, and I have just the littlest bit of pinchable fat at my belly button. Therefore I said 12%. Even if I bump it to 14 or 15 it only changes the answer by 1lb though. This calculator really is just trying to determine how much weight you could stand to lose and still be at a good body fat % to still run strong. That doesn't mean the weight it spits out actually is an ideal race weight. As I mentioned above the only real way to determine that is to lose so much weight your performance suffers, then put a little back on.0 -
I was expecting this to give me a totally crazy low number. I tend to be at the higher end of the scale for my height, even when lean. I'm only estimating BF% but if I change it from a lower end estimate to higher end estimate I get between 133 (if my BF is higher now) and 143 (if my BF is lower now). I usually maintain at 150lbs which is fairly lean for me. I competed in Figure at about 140 lbs, so 133-143 isn't crazy. I doubt I'll ever get to 133lbs, I don't want to be that size but I could definitely be around 140.0
