Running.
Possibly nothing in the fitness world is more polarizing than the different opinions on the subject.
In one corner, you have the meatheads’ who swear that two steps into a jog you will lose ten years of gainz.
On the other end, the high-level competitive runners that love to share with you the complexities of their training protocol and race day minute-by-minute fueling breakdown.
What about those of us in the middle?
Those of us who want to be well-rounded: strong & lean with endurance.
Is it possible to strike a balance between the two without working out 3 hours a day and spending an extra hour icing down pains and slurping energy gels before and after every run?
You probably landed here with a lot of questions.
- Is it even smart to run?
- Lot’s of people get hurt from it, right?
- Should you run to lose weight and get lean?
Answers:
- it depends
- yes
- no
Let’s address these common questions we have about running in more detail, and then I will share with you a guide to make running a sustainable part of your fitness habits.
Is it Even Smart to Run?
Running is about as human as it gets. Running is more natural than anything else we could do in the gym or any other sport in existence for that matter.
Being able to run is something we are all born and wired to do. Running was required for survival. You had to be able to chase your food and run from danger.
Relatively speaking, humans are not very strong compared to other types of animals. But, we are uniquely wired for endurance. Research shows our ability to sweat helps keep us cool and perform for extended periods of time. Our lower legs and feet are also fascinating in that they act like springs and enable us to walk or run far and fast. We also have impressive cardiovascular systems.
(Check out this research and study by the National Geographic detailing these facts from a fossil study.)
So, it seems quite simple that running is smart.
Well, not so fast.
When you have been sitting for years and wearing shoes that are the equivalent of high heels, things tend to change.
For one, we are not meant to be overweight. All the extra weight is something we have to carry around everywhere we go.
Walking with extra body fat is tough enough and stressful on our knees, ankles, and feet.
Running with extra weight just compounds the problem.
Being overweight AND running is a not a good idea.
Forgetting about the body composition factor for a second…
Most of us spend a ton of time sitting.
Way more than we spend standing or walking. Over time this takes a toll and changes our body mechanics.
Even though we are born to run, we are living to sit.
Rushing into running after years of inactivity and sitting is not a good idea.
Lot’s of People Get Hurt from Running, Right?
Yep.
But, not because running is bad. We are born to run, remember?
We get hurt for all the reasons I just mentioned. Namely, rushing into it without taking the time to prepare our bodies.
Many us might want to lose weight or get fit, so we lace up our shoes and step out the front door. Boom, we have access to running.
This easy access is part of the problem.
Just because we can do something, doesn’t mean we should.
If we jump in headfirst: carrying too much extra weight, with poor movement mechanics, and trying to run: too much, too hard, too soon.
…WE WILL GET HURT.
This isn’t running’s fault; it is our own.
Should You Run to Lose Weight and Get Lean?
No.
It can be part of a total fitness plan, but just hitting the pavement to lose weight is going to be an uphill battle. It may result in some weight loss, but not the right kind.
The essentials of losing body fat are gaining muscle and proper nutrition.
Resistance training and eating mostly plants and animals is the key to getting lean.
The simple fitness concoction of jogging and crash dieting is a one way street to overstressing our body and setting ourselves up for gaining body fat.
Resulting from a combination of:
- too much running at a high heart rate
- no resistance training to maintain muscle
- not consuming enough calories from crash dieting
The running we are not recovering from, and low-calorie intake from a crash diet leads to a significant loss in muscle weight.
Some people see the scale go down and think it is working, but actually, it is just making things harder. Eventually, your body will force you to binge eat through intense cravings (this is your body trying to save you).
Starting the cycle of:
- Exercise and diet hard
- Burnout and binge
- Rinse and repeat
This isn’t runnings fault.
It is our fault for not respecting running. Understand it is a demanding activity, and we are athletes. Therefore, we need to eat like one and not severely restrict ourselves.
Why Even Run in The First Place?
Running is arguably the best way to exercise our aerobic system and improve cardiovascular health. Riding the bike, rower, swimming, etc. are all great, but nothing has as much fitness carryover as running.
*see every boxer or fighter in history. Ali, Frazier, Tyson, Mayweather, Bruce Lee and even Rocky 😉 all logged a ton of miles running.
If you can earn the right to do it pain-free and want to maximize your fitness and cardiovascular health, it is worth considering.
But, you don’t have to. You can train your aerobic system and improve cardiovascular health by doing some conditioning on the bike, rower or swimming. They are still all awesome and effective.
A great option for most of us is walking.
Walking is essential. In fact, many people who are overweight should just walk. In the beginning, walking alone can be challenging enough to cause a positive training effect on our aerobic system.
Eventually, as you get in better shape, you will need to up the ante by making walking more challenging. Going on hikes, wearing a pack or eventually running.
But for those of us who have no desire to run, have serious knee/hip/feet injuries and/or a lot of weight to lose…
Walking along with the other options will simply be better for us than running.
What To Do
You made it!
If you have decided running is the “mode of transportation” you want to use to reap the cardiovascular, health, and recovery benefits from doing aerobic exercise, then read on.
Step 1
Get to a healthy body composition first.
It is going to be too difficult to avoid injury and stay in the preferred heart rate range to make running efficient and build your base.
If you plan on doing races and competing in the future, then it is even more important. Losing 5lbs of fat will do more to give you a competitive edge than any amount of running or extra intensity in your running can give.
Focus on your nutrition, resistance training and utilize low impact conditioning tools like hiking, bikes, rowers and sleds in the meantime.
Step 2
Get a heart rate monitor. The chest strap kind.
I recommend following the Maffetone Method.
Check out this article for more detail, but essentially you take your age and subtract it from 180. That is going to be your “max” aerobic heart rate. Until you build your base, you are going to want all your workouts to stay under that number.
For most people, simply keep your heart rate between 120-150bpm.
You will notice two things by doing this.
- Difficulty keeping your heart rate below your number and having to walk a lot.
- Feeling a lot more refreshed after your workout with a ton of energy.
If you experience number 1, it can be frustrating. All it means is that our aerobic “engine” is small and needs to be improved. You must fight the urge to do more and remain patient. Stay patient, and you will end up healthier AND be a faster runner in the long run.
The other significant component to running pain-free is giving your joints, ligaments, and connective tissues time to adapt.
You may feel like going farther and faster if you just turn up your music loud enough you can ignore the pain and “push your limits” from day 1.
But do this often enough, and you will end up on the sidelines.
Take your time in the beginning. Establish your base and give your body time to adapt.
Your fitness will reward you in the long run. (pun intended)
We will give your body this chance by doing run/walk intervals. Slowly over time, the walking will be less and the running more as your body adapts.
Two 30-60 minute aerobic workouts a week is a great, sustainable conditioning base to integrate into your workout plan.
Therefore, this program will work you up to being able to do two 30min runs a week, pain-free. From there you can progress to doing longer runs (up to 60 minutes) and/or add in a third conditioning session to your week. Doing more would only be warranted if you want to pursue higher levels of the sport of running and compete in longer races, but not necessary to maximize health.
The total workout time will be 30 minutes. Slowly over time increasing to a complete 30-minute run. Each week you are going to do the prescribed intervals for two sessions. Ideally in-between your strength training workout days. (Tuesday and Saturday for example.) If at any point you have excess soreness or pain in your lower legs, stay on that phase another week until you can get through that interval period with no lingering soreness or pain.
8-Weeks to Running Pain-Free Plan:
- Week 1: Run 1 min – Walk 5 min x 5 rounds
- Week 2: Run 2 min – Walk 4 min x 5 rounds
- Week 3: Run 3 min- Walk 3 min x 5 rounds
- Week 4: Run 4 min- Walk 2 min x 5 rounds
- Week 5: Run 5 min- Walk 1 min x 5 rounds
- Week 6: Run 7 min- Walk 3 min x 3 rounds
- Week 7: Run 9 min – Walk 1 min x 3 rounds
- Week 8: Run 30 minutes!
* Remember, your heart rate over-rules all. If you must slow down and walk to get your heart rate in your aerobic range, then do so.
There you have it.
A guide to running pain-free for the beginner.
There are a ton of other things to consider: how your foot lands, type of shoes, best surface to run on, etc.
It can be quite overwhelming. My best advice is to visit a local running shoe store and have them analyze you and make recommendations.
Get started, build your base, and listen to your body.
Training doesn’t have to be painful.
Don’t go so hard until you just get hurt and physically can’t do anything. Take it easy, give your body a chance to adapt. It may feel “easy” and less productive, but it is just as or more productive than going hard 24-7. We are giving ourselves a chance to reap all the health benefits of quality activity and avoid the pitfalls that derail us time and time again.
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