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Ideal Triathlon weight

Just was wondering what the ideal triathlon weight (or bmi) was for a triathlete. Alot of the elite ironmen must be around 11.5 tone i reckon (prob a bmi of 20ish). Is there a ideal wieght, assuming body fat is very low? And how much difference does a few pounds make do you think?

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  • shadowone1shadowone1 Posts: 1,408
    sam_thebatman wrote:


    Just was wondering what the ideal triathlon weight (or bmi) was for a triathlete. Alot of the elite ironmen must be around 11.5 tone i reckon (prob a bmi of 20ish). Is there a ideal wieght, assuming body fat is very low? And how much difference does a few pounds make do you think?



    I loved to know where the 11.5 tonne triathletes were, I might stand a chance of winning!!1



    LOL
  • sam_thebatmansam_thebatman Posts: 112
    Yeah, that is sort of wishful thinking actually, as i could probably make that weight, anything closer to 11 there is no chance and i wouldnt want to.



    I read in the last issue of 220 that there was an ironman, who was the best cyclist and he was 90kg! I have a feeling that Faris al Sultan is probably about 11st.
  • TommiTriTommiTri Posts: 879



    hehe,
    I loved to know where the 11.5 tonne triathletes were, I might stand a chance of winning!!1
    I think the ideal BMI for a triathlete is somewhere around 20, which for a 6 foot athlete would give them a weight of about 10.5 stone, which if you look at someone like brownlee I'd say that was about right.

    I am 6"1 and weigh about 10 stone 9 pounds, so I'm pretty much on my ideal weight now.



    But remember, its not weight that counts, its body composition, muscle weighs more than fat and it will send you forward!
  • JulesJules Posts: 987
    I'm 6 foot 2 - a BMI of 20 is quite a distance away! I have just dipped under 14 stone to 13st13. Hurrah. Bang on the border between "normal" and "overweight" so far as BMI is concerned.



    I was 15 stone at the start of the year though. The reduction is almost all excercise and a tiny bit of eating and drinking less crap.



    I'm not arsed. Alastair Brownlee I am not, and never will be [:D]
  • TommiTriTommiTri Posts: 879
    Thats great stuff jules, as I said I don't think its completely necessary to aim for a low BMI, the reason I have got so low is for increased running speed, I have probably paid the price on the bike!
  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    I got to spectate at the Bolton 10K the other day (cheering on "Team JH" to new PBs!), First time I've actually watched a race - rather than run it. To get to the point, it was surprisingly easy to spot the difference between the "Runners" and the Triathletes (obviously, I'm taking about the top 10 places in the field - the differences are less marked as you get down). Basically, the triathletes tend to have an upper body, which the runners don't. The legs (cyclists quads) are also a bit different. They are all lean though - so similar body fat percentages - but triathletes are a bit bulkier, so would have a higher BMI.



    But Tri covers such a wide range of distances, there is probably a bit of difference between a "sprinter" and an "iron man".



    Personally, for my last race at the end of March I got down to about 14% Body Fat - which gave me a BMI of around 22 and a bit) - but I'm still more runner than triathlete (i.e. weedy). I would probably be around the 75kg mark - but with a lot less fat. Might be able to get as low as 72Kg for best performance - BMI around 21.5 - 22.5. Interestingly. my waist hip ratio was around 0.8 - which almost makes me a girl! - no tummy (it's grown back a bit now) and big quads/glutes). I suspect the leanest I would be able to get - given the time I have for training - would be 12%. You need 10% for you six pack to show, apparently.



    Of course, I'm old and past it, and not elite. As you get older, your body fat percentage trends upwards. Not sure if this is a true aging effect, or a lifestyle/cultural one though (i.e. because most of the population on which the stats are based take little exercise as they get older).

  • just2trijust2tri Posts: 198
    Jack - what method do you use to establish bodyfat percentage? I am using Tanita scales and AccuMeasure clippers. When I am lean (90-91 kg or 198-200 lbs) I get to 8% bodyfat with Accumeasure and about 16.5% with Tanita. This is when I see a six pack, anything above that ...... lovehandles come back. The only way for me to get to that stage is a recudtion in carbs (below 200g a day) and none after 12 noon during the day, so all in the morning.



    The issue I have with that is the lack of energy for training. So for the time being I have accepted to eat (good) carbs throughout the day with my weight around 93-94 kg (205 lbs) and no six pack .... maybe more training and a change from carbs to protein would fix it?! What would Soreen say ....
  • I've heard that a bmi of 21 for males and 20 for females is ideal. I have been weight training and bulked up to 11 stone. I found that I had gotten faster on my swim and had more power in the legs but over distance I wasn't that great as I was before but that could have been to a lack of fitness aswell as the extra weight. I've since lost 8 pounds of fat with a fat percentage of around 7-8 and I've noticed an improvement in my performance. Before I started lifting my bmi was 20.5 and I can say my triathlon time has improved my 7 mins. I'm still trying to lose a bit more fat to get my bmi under 22 and also to speed up my swimming
  • I'd imagine distance/event is relevant too.... low body fat is fine for shorter distances but at Iron distance events many top coaches suggest too low body fat is a bad thing - Brett Sutton is very critical. You need some fat to fuel you over those distances.

    I wouldn't obsess on a weight, BMI, BodyFat etc... just be healthy. I've noticed a few folks obsessed with losing weight who then aren't fuelling themselves correctly and thus are causing a lot more harm.

    Eating sensibly and training 14 hours a week, my weight has stabilised around 73Kg, at 5ft 11 that gives me a reasonably high BMI of around 23, body fat is

  • I'm mean for shorter distance such as a sprint triathlon but for an ironman distance you'd need fat as it is used as a second fuel otherwise you'd start burning muscle
  • rob chalmersrob chalmers Posts: 113

    WOW!

    I'm currently dragging 90.9kg, a BMI of 30.2 (5'8) and BF% of 20.5 around my Olympic and 70.3 distance tris!!

     

    11st is weight I haven't seen since I was about 14!!

     

  • MacaroneMacarone Posts: 58
    just2tri wrote (see)
    Jack - what method do you use to establish bodyfat percentage? I am using Tanita scales and AccuMeasure clippers. When I am lean (90-91 kg or 198-200 lbs) I get to 8% bodyfat with Accumeasure and about 16.5% with Tanita. T
    Have you set youself as an 'athlete' on your tanita scales? When you create your user setting, there might be an option between a graphic of a man standing or running - if you choose the running one, then you might find your body fat readings are closer to the Accumeasure. I can't remember why the athlete setting gives you a lower body fat, (something to do with expected lower hydration levels I think). Just thought I'd mention it.


    .

     

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