Training Tips

Body Mass Index (BMI) and Speed

The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a ratio of a person's height to weight. BMI is often used as a quick determination to see if a person is underweight, at a healthy weight, overweight, or obese. For more information about BMI, link to the CDC site.

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BMI and Speed

What's Your Ideal Weight?

Dropping five pounds will make you healthier and faster -- as long as you have them to lose

From Runner's World, July 2007, article by Amby Burfoot, pp.67 - 69

"The Cooper Center studies show that aerobic fitness is a powerful predictor of longevity. Indeed, it is often better to be fat but fit rather than lean and out-of-shape. Fitness can trump fatness.

Of course, some runners are more interested in fastness than fitness. They want to know: What's my best weight for fast 5-Ks and marathons? Will losing weight help? The answer is almost always yes. But, as with BMI, only to a point. Lose too much weight, and you become weaker and slower, not stronger and faster ...

Still, there's no denying that healthy runners will race about two seconds per mile faster for every pound they lose. Weight loss boosts maximal aerobic capacity (VO2 max), an essential contributor to distance-running potential, because the less weight you carry around, the more miles per gallon you get from your oxygen. And because losing a few pounds makes running easier, you should be able to increase your workout distance and speed. So losing weight helps you train faster."

Lose Weight, Gain Speed

"The following table, based on changes in maximal aerobic capacity, provides a rough estimate of how much your race times will improve if you lose weight. (Providing you have extra pounds to lose. If your BMI drops below 18.5, you're at risk of becoming weaker and slower.)"