Ok "Another" running Question!!

[Coreyatdel]

I am 27 5'10 and I currently weight 255. BF is about 23%. This is the heaviest I have ever been and I just cant take it anymore. So i am starting to work out again. I just want to know how much cardio (mostly running) should I do? I have heard if your trying to lose the fat you should run at least 6 times a week! That is fine but I dont know if sprints or long distance or mix it up would be better. Please let me know, Thanks in advance..

Well the first thing I would do is make sure I have the best running shoes for my feet that money can buy.

Then I would begin with brisk walking, 5-6 days a week, for 30 minutes minimum. I'd do this for at least 2 weeks. You can always ratch up the intensity of the walking by walking faster, or better yet, walk in a hilly area if you live where there are hills.

Then I would slowly begin running, maybe 2-3 minutes running and recoverying with 1 minute of walking, again for 30 minutes, three times a week.

As you get fitter, then I'd start to increase the running duration and decreasing the walking resting duration until you get to a point that you are running for 30 minutes consecutively. Again, I'd do this 3 times a week.

After you have at least 2-3 weeks of running for 30 continuous minutes at a respectable pace, then you can start considering an interval workout. Once you are there, post again and I'll give you some sample interval workouts. After you have some interval training under your belt, then you'll be ready for some sprints. I've had great success with hill sprints. Once you are there, I'll be glad to suggest what you might be able to do.

The short answer, I believe 3 times a week is a sufficient running program with the right intensity, but until you are ready for that, you can walk briskly 5-6 days a week. And you can add 2-3 days of brisk walking on top of running 3 days a week.

But don't neglect a good weight training program to go along with the walking and running as you'll need both to achieve your results.

I hope this helps. Good luck and keep us posted. Better yet, start on Online Journal and start posting your workouts so we can read about your fitness transformation.

[sooner_ed]

Pierini gives good advice but I personally wouldn't worry about how strict I am with running/walking.

It really depends on how quickly you want to make things happen. Two and a half years ago, I stood at 5'6" and weighed 221. I lifted and ran six days a week and took the seventh day off. I dropped 55 pounds in five months by being very strict with my diet.

Please understand you need a total lifestyle change consisting of diet and activity. When you go for a run, just jog what you can then walk. When I first started, I tried to run 1.2 miles. It took me 30 minutes and I was heaving and gagging when I got back to the house. It was ridiculous.

Point is, listen to your body. If you're able to jog, jog. If your body says I don't think so, walk.

Best advice I can give is be very strict with your diet, lift in the mornings if that's possible, and jog/walk in the evenings for only a mile or so.

Also, understand that ANY activity will burn calories. Cut grass one last time before the winter, shovel snow during the winter, clean house every day. Get the picture? Be active. Find ANYTHING to do. The more you do, the more calories you burn. It's all about diet and activity.

[Coreyatdel]

Thats some good info. I just heard more than one suggestion so I wanted to know what you guys thought. I heard that if you do(if you can) sprints it would be the best if your trying to loose fat. Because it keeps your heartrate up. And long distance if your trying to gain stamina. And wow sooner_ed, 55 pds in 5 weeks? Good stuff. You both gave great info and I will start. And I also will do an online journal. So guys let me know what you think. And any other tips would be great... thanks again.

[SarahPT]

The others gave some good advice. Starting with brisk walk is good idea. Sprints are good for fat loss, but I would not start them right away. Work up to it. 5-6 days a week of running isn't necessary. My most typical recommendation is a mixture of high intensity intervals (sprints) on some days and longer, steady state sessions on some days. I would wait until you feel you are in fairly good shape before starting the high intensity intervals though.

Sarah

[CF-OC_gal]

Originally Posted by Coreyatdel

I heard that if you do(if you can) sprints it would be the best if your trying to loose fat. Because it keeps your heartrate up.

This is the beauty of doing intervals. While you are running your heartrate is elevated to as much as 85% of max and while you are recovering your heart rates drops back to about 60% of max.

Suppose you are running for 30 seconds and walking for 30 seconds to recover. If you do 15- 20 minutes of training overall like that then you have had your heartrate elevated for 15-20 minutes even though only 7.5-10 minutes of it was actually running.

Of course you could also run for a whole 15-20 minutes at a lessor pace and your heart rate will still be elevated, but not likely as much as 85% for the whole session.

Me I guess I'm always looking for the short cut. If I can walk (recover) for half my training session and still benefit from an elevated heart rate then I'd rather do that

[sooner_ed]

Originally Posted by Coreyatdel

sooner_ed, 55 pds in 5 weeks?

Whoops, five MONTHS. Sorry.

[Coreyatdel]

Ok well that sounds good to me. I just always thought that if your trying to lose alot of weight that you should run everyday for a long time. But I am wanting to run on the days that I dont lift weights. So I will be running 3 times a week and weight lifting 3 times a week. I think that should be good!!