Ideal Running Weight

[Neil Price]

Sasha,

My comment was a little hyperbolic, I admit, but according to the US Navy my lean body weight is somewhere around 152 lbs.  I know I can stand to lose more than a few lbs of fat but if my math's right than I'd have to lose all of my fat and quite a bit of lean muscle mass to get anywhere near 140.  Here's my question:  If I were to lower my body weight to say 155-160 lbs and maintain all of my muscle mass so that I have a body fat % of 3-5% could I still achieve similar results as a 140 lb male runner that has an equivalent body fat %? 

FWIW, I know a former D1 offensive lineman who weighed 3 bills in '03 when he graduated and got down to 210ish by '05.  Granted he's 6'4", I'm only 5'10", but he's lugging around a lot more weight than me, I'm currently at 178.  After 2 years of training he was already running sub 3:00 marathons and 1:25 halfs.  Is he a freak of nature or is body fat % and fitness level more relevant toward predicting a certain level of performance?  I'm desperately hoping the latter is the case.

[Sasha Pachev]

How do you know US Navy is right on your lean body weight? I do not think you can be that sure unless you get disected. Even if they are right, it is very possible that you might have build 20-30lb of muscle solely for the purpose of supporting the fat. Once the fat is gone, those muscles will reduce themselves to their normal size.

Thinking about how much weight you can lose, or how much you need to lose to reach your goal will not get you there. Training and healthy diet will. I suggest from now on you make a resolution to not skip one workout and to stop eating lesser foods (aka. junk), no excuses, no exceptions. Follow that resolution religiously and see where it gets you in a year.