Running for Beginners

Running as a newbie is tough, I will admit it.

The body isn't use to the feel of running and the new impact your putting on your body, getting use to what feels like max heart rate work for the time and distance your aiming for. If your still reading I commend you.

What I will tell you is running is up there as one of the more rewarding things in fitness as you get better and the developments in health you get across the board so the 'juice is worth the squeeze'.

So how do you get over that first hump? That's what this blog post will help teach you.

Volume isn't always your friend, intensity is.

Gunning it straight from the off leads to a ton of work for the body which takes longer to recover from.

Controlling heart rate and intensity is a big step to helping you get more runs in more consistently. This is because your body doesn't take as much stress on and can recover quicker.

This is done by one of two ways.

Taking it super steady on your runs and keeping your Heart rate down - this is normally the harder option as anything like traffic, hills or weather conditions can massively effect this.

A run-walk protocol where you run for a certain distance then drop to a walking speed.

Like you would in the gym, you progressively overload either your speed, distance or time as your fitness improves and if your goal is to lose weight, the amount of weight you're carrying reduces.

• Beginner: A good starting point for those new to running or returning from a long break.

  • Warm-up: 5 minutes of brisk walking.

  • Intervals:

    • 1 minute running / 4 minutes walking, repeated for a total workout time (e.g., 20–30 minutes total activity).

    • Alternatively, 30 seconds running / 30 seconds walking (a 1:1 ratio) can be a common starting point.

  • Cool-down: 5 minutes of easy walking and stretching.

• Intermediate: As fitness improves, you can increase the running duration while keeping the walk break the same.

  • Example Progression: Move from a 1:4 ratio to 2:4, then 3:4, up to 4:4 (a 1:1 ratio).

  • Another option: A 2-minute run followed by a 1-minute walk, or 7 minutes of running followed by 1 minute of walking.

• Experienced/Performance Focus: Experienced runners can use the method for long runs or races to improve recovery and potentially run faster overall times.

  • Example: A 9 minutes running / 1 minute walking ratio, or even 14 minutes running / 1 minute walking.

  • Walk breaks can be used with distance, e.g., run one mile a bit faster than race pace, then walk briskly for a quarter-mile. 

As an added bonus you can cross-train and complete other forms of cardio to help boost your fitness levels alongside.