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Answers from Danny M O'Dell:

Q. Hello,

I’m a competitive 5km runner and I’m trying to better my race times; I have been increasing my protein and I have found out that I have gained around 5lbs? My clothes fit the same but I would like to lose my 5lbs because I feel heavy; I believe its muscle that I have gained but I’m wondering if this will affect my race performance; I’m 5'5-5'6" approx. and weigh around 124-125lbs; I was 120lbs in the summer. I tend to have a lot of muscle and small built. What is a good competitive weight for a female 5km runner? Will dropping weight help my race performance even if its muscle gain that I put on? Also this weight gain seems to stay the same in the mornings and in the evenings; I don’t seem to weigh less in the morning, which is strange. Any advise would be greatly appreciated because I have races coming up and I’m a little stressed over this.

Gina

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Answer:

Hi Gina,

Without knowing what your body fat level was before you started taking the protein it is hard to tell if in fact the extra weight is muscle. In my opinion unless you have been strength training it is highly unlikely that it is muscle.

Adding more useable muscle to your frame will help you run faster, if not carried to the extreme. Dropping any muscle as far as I can see will not help you run faster. It will however make you slower.

If you are concerned about your added weight get it checked out to see if it’s fat or muscle. I would encourage you to continue with a resistance training program as it will help with the kick at the end. Do higher intensities of your 1RM, i.e. 85-95%, for low reps of two to three per sets of five to six. These exercises would be for your legs, mid and upper torso. An added, yet normally undiscussed, advantage of extra muscle is it helps move your limbs at higher velocities, which in your case means a quicker pace.

Danny M. O’Dell, MA, CSCS*D