Hi guys,

I think I've found my goal physique. The guy on the cover of this magazine isn't a professional runner, but he's got pretty much the "athlete" type physique that I'm shooting for: very lean (visible abs), but also some decent upper body size (arms, traps, neck) without getting into bodybuilder territory.

Basically, he's lean but he can take his shirt off without looking like he just came out of a concentration camp or he could wear a sleeveless shirt without looking pitifully skinny.

I was just wondering what you guys here think of this kind of physique as a goal and if you could give me an idea of this guy's body fat % or of how much he would weigh if he were about 6 feet tall (my height).

Thanks

if you could give me an idea of this guy's body fat % or of how much he would weigh if he were about 6 feet tall (my height).

155-165 lbs. 9% bf. :nod:

I think you're a few pounds shy for the height, rtestes. I estimate at least 175 pounds at 9% body fat.

Looks like a great goal to me. Keep in mind that not everyone has the same body type. Your bone structure and fat distribution might not be the same, and you might put on muscle in different ways. John Stone at 174 pounds 9% body fat (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/all/front/579.jpg). (August 2004. He's 5'11.5") Similar, but different.

See this thread (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?p=350370) I posted in today. These guys seem to have the same body shape as that model, karatetricker specifically.

I think guava is close in weight based on what I see in myself. I'm not that lean, but could see myself at a similar leanness give or take 5 lbs of fat/muscle. I carry an extra inch of height, so I'm not sure how much weight that would add.

My goal would be a bit bigger than that, but that would be a great start. I would like to be up near 190 with similar to slightly less leanness at 6'1".

I think you're a few pounds shy for the height, rtestes. I estimate at least 175 pounds at 9% body fat.
I could be wrong the shot doesn't allow much to judge perspective. That model could be 6'2" or 5'7". He is defined but is missing size. But anonjohn wanted to put same body on his 6' frame. My guess with no legs, back or chest of size the weight would have to be lighter. If anonjohn had shown his body, we could have taken a WAG as to what it would have taken for him to get there.

When I was young I wanted this body - Steve Reeves at 6' 205lbs.

Haha...

As a baseball player, I have to go with Brady Anderson, the old centerfielder for the Baltimore Orioles (best known for hitting .297 with 50 homeruns in 1996).

I'm lean enough, just need to add another 10-20 pounds of mass. Brady is on the left, I'm on the right.

By the way, for all those folks who think that his 1996 season was steroid induced, let me just say that it is my understanding that this photo of him was taken at least 3 years prior to that, so he was always in outstanding shape.

Tim

Personally, I'll know what I want to look like when I see it in the mirror.

Hi guys,

I think I've found my goal physique. The guy on the cover of this magazine isn't a professional runner, but he's got pretty much the "athlete" type physique that I'm shooting for: very lean (visible abs), but also some decent upper body size (arms, traps, neck) without getting into bodybuilder territory.

Basically, he's lean but he can take his shirt off without looking like he just came out of a concentration camp or he could wear a sleeveless shirt without looking pitifully skinny.

I was just wondering what you guys here think of this kind of physique as a goal and if you could give me an idea of this guy's body fat % or of how much he would weigh if he were about 6 feet tall (my height).

Thanks
His workout routine looks like it would consist of running, bench press, pull-ups, and bicep curls. If you have the right body-type, merely cutting down your BF% with running, doing some hill sprints and hitting those three exercise in the gym will give you that body in no time at all. :gl:

OK, this thread made me feel fat.

Or was that the meal I just ate?

His legs are skinny. Even for a runner. No quad mass. Can't see his calves, though. Just my guess but I'd say more model skinny than runner skinny.

OK, this thread made me feel fat.

Do these squats make my butt look big?

Thanks for the replies, guys. I appreciate it. There's one thing I forgot to mention in my original post regarding my goal, though. Here goes...

I don't want to be a professional runner, but I really like running and want to get fairly good/competitive at it. In other words, it's not just about getting the physique, it's just as much about the sport.

So, what I'm asking is: what is the upper limit weightwise that I can reach and stilll be a decent runner, not have joint problems, etc.? In other words, how heavy can I get (obviously, I'm thinking about muscle here) without compromising my running ability/competitiveness (keeping in mind that I'm not a pro, nor do I intend to become one)?

What I've always heard and read (in magazines such as this one) is that over 80kg (176lbs) you start to have problems with weight-related injuries and the like. However, I kind of wanted to get to a lean 87kg (192lbs). But if I do that (and I realize it's no small feat), will I be screwed for running?

Basically, I want to reach a balance between these two factors, the runner in me and the bodybuilder in me.

Any ideas?

6' tall and 190 lbs lean is a decent size. You can be a good runner at almost any lean weight -- it just takes hard work.

With that said, it's hard to reach a bodybuilding goal (bulking up your lean mass enough to get you to a lean 190 lbs) while simultaneously becoming competitive in distance running. If you want to become a distance runner, your best bet would be to bulk to the size you want and then start your real running (i.e. training); it's much easier to maintain muscle while running than it is to build it. You should also take into account that you're going to need to eat a lot of food to maintain your size (even more if you try to do both at the same time). Cost and appetite can be huge limiting factors.

If the type of running you enjoy is sprinting, however, then it's a whole different ball-game. Sprinting tends to be conducive to muscular size because of its relatively short duration and smaller number of calories burned during exercise. At the shortest distances, it can even provide enough overload at a high enough intensity to build some muscle mass. It can also help keep you lean by elevating your metabolism (basically raising your HR slightly for hours afterwards).

The possibility of weight-related injuries can be mitigated by a very gradual, planned increase in training volume and intensity.

:gl:

Great reply, chic. That was really helpful. Thanks a lot. Now I'm going to have to make a decision as to what I'm going to do, though. :confused: Does anyone else have any ideas?

Ananjohn, I'm in the exact same situation as you. As I said, reaching my own goal physique would require adding another 10-20 pounds of muscle. But at the same time, I've been running 30 miles/week and I'm finally starting to reach my goals as a distance runner. Getting lean was really easy with all that running, but now I'm trying to start adding the muscle, and I know that this is going to be the hard part. Now, I figure that it mainly comes down to eating enough, at LEAST 4000 calories/day, but then my fear has been that I'll put on some fat again and go back to being a slow runner. Even still, I'm going for it.

For what it's worth, I have seen some decently sized runners. Watching the Boston Marathon this year, I specifically remember seeing one guy who finished quite high (in the top 50, maybe) who had quite a bit of mass to him. I remember being very surprised when he ran by because all the other guys had looked like twigs. I have also worked with many non-competitive runners (but fast enough to beat me) in the military who have good builds; 190+ pounds.

So it is possible. It depends how fast you want to be. Personally, I'd be thrilled to be able to run a couple of sub-6:00 miles (I can do a couple 6:20-6:30 at the moment) or maybe hold a 7:00 pace for 5 or 6 miles. With that, I think that a lean 175-180 pounds at my height, 5'9, is very achievable. And I'm pretty sure that if I just keep up my running while I lift and eat to gain weight, then it won't regress. It is just going to take a while and a TON of food to get there.

The good news is that as I have raised my calories, my running has just gotten even better.

A big problem down the road might be adding the requisite amount of weight without doing heavy backsquats (since they really interfere with my running, and vice versa) and adding a lot to the lower body.

Anyway, we should talk. We are in this together. Check out my thread... http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=29434

Tim