What weight to start running/jogging?

I've started eating better and have massively cut my calorie intake in the last month or so and would like to start running. The problem is I'm around 22 stone and I can't imagine it being a great idea. I've started walking a lot as well (10-14k 3-5 times a week) and other than chafing and profuse sweating I'm finding it completely fine. :P Is there a rough guideline about what weight running/jogging would be advisable?

generic2012

Maybe use an elliptical to get the heart rate and breathing up first, be easier on the legs and back until you get to a weight you're sure you can run comfortably with....no point getting injured and undoing all your good work! Nice to see a bit of enthusiasm about too!

conzy

fair play for making the change. Running is tough on the joints in general, If you want to get out and about cycling would be a much more rewarding pass time for the time being I'd say. Losing the weight is mainly down to diet so do whatever cardio you enjoy and focus mainly on keeping your nutrition on track

nc19

OP


I was prob around 19 st when I started

I did the couch to 5k and couldnt recommend it enough. Within the yr I was down 1.5 st and doing 20 to 25 mins on the treadmill. All when to pot when my daughter was born due to tiredness and no time but back at it the last while.

just back from the gym and a 20 min run

generic2012

generic2012 wrote: »

Maybe use an elliptical to get the heart rate and breathing up first, be easier on the legs and back until you get to a weight you're sure you can run comfortably with....no point getting injured and undoing all your good work! Nice to see a bit of enthusiasm about too!

Unfortunately I can't afford a gym membership at the moment.

conzy wrote: »

fair play for making the change. Running is tough on the joints in general, If you want to get out and about cycling would be a much more rewarding pass time for the time being I'd say. Losing the weight is mainly down to diet so do whatever cardio you enjoy and focus mainly on keeping your nutrition on track

Cycling is a bit of a challenge as well at my weight :P Have been on friend's bikes and since I hit about 19 stone or so none could take the weight without the tyres being under tremendous strain. Definitely want to get into cycling in the future though.
I know the diet is the main thing for weight but I want to work on fitness while I'm at it. Frustrating to be the state I am looking at my old Football, GAA and Badminton medals. :pac:

BikeQueery

Deleted User wrote: »

Unfortunately I can't afford a gym membership at the moment.



Cycling is a bit of a challenge as well at my weight :P Have been on friend's bikes and since I hit about 19 stone or so none could take the weight without the tyres being under tremendous strain. Definitely want to get into cycling in the future though.
I know the diet is the main thing for weight but I want to work on fitness while I'm at it. Frustrating to be the state I am looking at my old Football, GAA and Badminton medals. :pac:

I'm looking at fitness equipment myself and if you look at spin bikes most of them seem to take 19-20 stone. Worth a gander.

generic2012

Deleted User wrote: »

Unfortunately I can't afford a gym membership at the moment.

Go to a set of flats/apartments/multi-story public building (where you don't know anyone!) and walk up and down the stairs, it will get the heart rate up and also give you a very good resistance workout that would be hard to get in your situation (heavy and without a gym membership).

BikeQueery

BikeQueery wrote: »

I'm looking at fitness equipment myself and if you look at spin bikes most of them seem to take 19-20 stone. Worth a gander.

I'm literally getting by on under a tenner a week for the next few months so that won't be happening.

BikeQueery

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I'm literally getting by on under a tenner a week for the next few months so that won't be happening.

That's rough but you've got a great attitude if that's the case! Fair play to you, I wish you the best.

LuckyLloyd

Don't forget to get some pushups, air squats, glute ham raises, planks, etc in at home too. Nothing too crazy, a couple of sets of each on the days you aren't running adding an extra rep here and there as you can. At the stage you're at, it will represent great bang for your buck - i.e. a few movements done in under a half hour that provide a good benefit for a period.

ronn

FairPlay to you,
Start off running 20 yards slowy today and 30 yards tomorrow and 40 the next day.
Or go to a football pitch run the short side walk the long side,
Build up your running gradually and slowy,
Keep it up

UnknownSpecies

Best thing to do is keep up the walking and make sure you're in a calorie deficit. Doing 10k walks will be more beneficial right now than straining your joints on 5k runs. Good job on making a start, keep it consistent and you'll get there!

LuckyLloyd

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Don't forget to get some pushups, air squats, glute ham raises, planks, etc in at home too. Nothing too crazy, a couple of sets of each on the days you aren't running adding an extra rep here and there as you can. At the stage you're at, it will represent great bang for your buck - i.e. a few movements done in under a half hour that provide a good benefit for a period.

Been meaning to get squats in, found them to be a big benefit before. Pushups are a bit away yet. :P

dorgasm

dorgasm wrote: »

Best thing to do is keep up the walking and make sure you're in a calorie deficit. Doing 10k walks will be more beneficial right now than straining your joints on 5k runs. Good job on making a start, keep it consistent and you'll get there!

Yeah I'm wondering just when would be the time to start running. I remember in school at probably 19 stone any running outside had my shins on fire instantly but even before than at about 18 my knees would be in bits a few hours later and it'd be a few days before I could do more than walk from the car into the school.
I'm probably just being a bit keen tbh, theres been a few times lately I've just been buzzing about 10k into a walk and been tempted to run. :P

I'm happy enough with the diet side of things. I'm probably on a bit too much of a deficit but I'm not denying myself food and I think a deficit as big as I'm running probably won't be overpowered by the fabled starvation mode my friends keep warning me about. :P

UnknownSpecies

I know the feeling man, running while carrying all that weight isn't fun! I've lost 28kg (4.5 stone) and running still isn't fun. I think it's one of those trial and error things. Give it a go and see how you feel, then keep it up when it feels ok. I'm still not feeling ok haha :P The money situation is a balls though but as soon as you're in the position to do it, hit the weight room. It will do so much more for your physique than running.

What sort of a deficit are ya running at the moment? Have to be wary of starvation mode :P I kid, but in my own experience, running too high a deficit can cause ya to burn out and have one too many cheat meals in a week, which isn't what ya want obviously. Happy medium is what it's all about!

I'm taking in well under 2000 calories a day at the moment but making sure to keep veg intake as high as I can and drink about 5 litres of water a day. The last cheat I had was about a third of the filling of a kebab with a friend whereas I used to eat one on my own with a bag of chips. :P

I got below 20 stone at the start of last year with a calorie deficit (and under 20g of carbs a day, drinking ended up putting a stop to that :P ) and a few compound lifts 3 times a week. I'm looking forward to getting back into the gym but for now I'm gonna make the best of things and try to get to the stage where I can walk up a slight incline in a pair of jeans without breaking into a sweat :P

A friend of mine is into all things military, and decided to try his hand at the Army Reserves. They sent him out a letter saying he had a trial in X days and as part of completing the basic training he had to do a run in a certain time.. I think it was 2.4km in 11 or 12 minutes or something like that, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, he said it to me, and I thought 'that'll be a bit of craic, sure why not!?', and I decided to tag along. We found a stretch of road that was 1km long and decided we'd start with 1k and work up.

(edit: when I say 'tag along', I mean tag along with him getting ready for it, I had no interest in the army or anything like that, or doing the 2.4km run)

I hadn't done any exercise prior to this and the most running I'd ever done (which was a fairly miserable effort) was about 3-4 years previous, at the gym, on a treadmill. I lasted 7 minutes of jogging at 8km/h on a treadmill and that was my Personal Best, if i recall correctly.



This was in March, and I completed the 1k, without stopping, by slowly jogging. My heart felt like it was going to explode. My chest and neck felt tightened, my shins were absolutely killing me, and my breathing was horrendous. That was the day I learned that I get Exercise-Induced asthma. The sweat was unbelievable, that came off me. I was literally steaming from the head! :eek:

That was sometime in Late March. Unsure of exact date.

We did it about three times a week and it didnt once get easier. I went out for regular walks (no jogging or running, just casual walking) in between to try and prepare myself a bit better.


I was 18st 11lbs when I weighed myself on the 21st of April. Tonight (tuesday night) I weighed in at 15st 13.5lbs. I can also jog 5k (an enormous achievement for me, and something I never thought I'd be physically capable of).


So I'm gonna go against the grain here and say that I think you should push yourself a bit.

In my first fortnight of doing the 1km jogs, i think i went out jogging about..7-8 times.. after the 7/8th time I ended up missing a week of it cause I'd hurt myself. Legs weren't able for it, to be completely honest. I knew i was gonna hurt myself too (i got plenty of warning pains.. you know the kinda pain.. it's a pain pain, rather than an exercies pain..). But I kept pushing ahead.


That's the only thing I'd have changed. I should have taken it a little handier before that, because a week off did me a lot of harm and could have put me off it altogether.


Now, I do realise at 19st I wasn't as heavy as you, and at 19st (and even at 16st) my joints do feel the crushing impact, so I'd imagine that at 22stone it's not a lot of fun, either. So I'm genuinely not saying 'go out and run til you bleed', but I do think that pushing yourself a little is the best way forward. I did a fair bit of interval work when i was starting out to try and 'build myself up', so I was doing, for example, 20 seconds of jogging pace, followed by 1:40 of casual walking. It sounds like nothing, but do it for an hour and those 20 seconds start feeling longer, and longer.


If you're anywhere nearby me (Drogheda/Louth) I'll happily head out for a few casual walks with you. It's always good to have someone there to go with you. Helps motivate you to get out and do something, I find


I also find that if I do a bit of cardio, it's like a natural appetite suppressant to me. I don't feel hungry after an hour walking. So it's a double whammy for me and I would 110% say that the walking/jogging has massively impacted my weight loss (for the better).


So I would say, personally, as someone who started jogging at 19st, there is no set 'weight' to be. Your legs will always feel pain* when you're starting anything new, but you'll adapt and improve as you go. I'd say just go out and give it a shot some time and be prepared to be hobbling home. Haha. That's what I was like (you'd want to have seen me trying to walk up stairs the day i did my first run... I was like ED-209!).


*it's important to know the difference between exercise 'pains' and real pains though. Your joints, shins, etc. will always hurt initially, breaking into any new exercise, but a sudden, out of nowhere, sharp pain through the legs, for example, means it's probably time for a rest day! :P




(as an aside, I realise that being proud of being able to do 5k on this forum is probably laughable to a lot of the posters here, many of whom are likely capable of running full-on marathons, but I'm very happy with my 5k efforts, personally).

Also, I'm only giving anecdotal advice based on my experience.. everyone's different

LuckyLloyd

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Been meaning to get squats in, found them to be a big benefit before. Pushups are a bit away yet. :P

No shame in scaling!

Wall Push Ups / Kneeling Push Ups / Box Push Ups...

LuckyLloyd

[Deleted User] wrote: »

(as an aside, I realise that being proud of being able to do 5k on this forum is probably laughable to a lot of the posters here, many of whom are likely capable of running full-on marathons, but I'm very happy with my 5k efforts, personally).:)

Absolutely not, sounds like you've made tremendous progress in a short period and should rightly be delighted with yourself. These things are all relative. Anyone out there trying and making forward progress in their health and fitness should be commended.

boredatwork82

I started jogging last October at around 22 stone. For the first few weeks It was jog/walk short intervals, but after a few weeks I got up to 6km non stop, but it took me a good while.

Yes, I was sore after it, was I was uncomfortable at times, yes I sweated profusely, and yes I probably looked comical this big guy, huffing and puffing trying to run, where in my mind it felt like I was moving real fast, but to everyone else it probably looked ridiculously slow.

But here is the thing, most people don't look at you, and if they do they will just think fair dues to that person for making an effort to change their lives.

I started walking, then jogging, then running , then got bored, took up cycling, cycled the ring of Kerry 182km in one day, and now I am focusing on cross fit.

I have dropped 4 inchs off my waist, 2 inchs off my shirt neck size, lost 3 stone, all in less than a year, and I am getting ready to go play rugby in the best condition I have been in since I was in school.

So to you I say , I think you are clocking up enough walking distance, so you should try running, Keep pushing challenging yourself, if your not able for it, just scale it back a little, and try again a few days late. And keep adding variety into your exercise or else you will get bored. run/walk/cycling/fitness classes anything and everything, and 1 last thing EAT PROPERLY!

Stay Positive, stay focused, and keep up the good work, it will all be worth it when you see the results, and improvements in energy and everyday life.

atilladehun

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

No shame in scaling!

Wall Push Ups / Kneeling Push Ups / Box Push Ups...

I was going to say this. Do them at an angle against the wall. They'll still help you.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

(as an aside, I realise that being proud of being able to do 5k on this forum is probably laughable to a lot of the posters here, many of whom are likely capable of running full-on marathons, but I'm very happy with my 5k efforts, personally).

Not a chance - I did c25k a couple times, I know that pain, and fair fecks to ya for achieving that

Good luck OP, lots of good advice ...

Mink

boredatwork82 wrote: »

But here is the thing, most people don't look at you, and if they do they will just think fair dues to that person for making an effort to change their lives.

This is very true. The only people who notice joggers/runners is other jogger/runners.

When I ever I see anyone out (whether big or small) I think fair play to them and it inspires me to get out or do a workout at home.

One thing that will help shin splints, sore knees/joints is having decent runners. At least I found this when I first started. I know you said you're seriously strapped but maybe when you have a few bob you could invest in a good pair in a sale or something.

Sometimes there are nearly new ones on adverts and the like. Also don't run on concrete, very very jarring. Grass is good or if unavailable then tarmac.

kevpants

I'm well down the running road now at this stage, Still 100kg+ (16st+) so fairly heavy by running standards. A few observations:

- You will get "hurt" quite a bit but not quite injured. It takes a little time to know the difference but there is no hope of landing 100+kg down again and again without things starting to hurt. I'm a forefoot striker so my calves are the culprit for me. Most people are heel strikers, in this case your shins and knees will hurt. Just know when to take a little time off and when it's ok to gently ease back into it.

- Regardless of running style there's a lot to be said for good padded shoes. I've Saucony Kinvaras and they're suited to forefoot strikers but are very well padded without being bulky. A company called Hoka make a massively padded shoe. They aren't cheap but if you're up around the 20 stone mark I'd definitely look into them.

- I'm up to running 12k in just over an hour, sub 20 minute 4ks so it's coming along nicely. The big thing that has helped me speed up and go longer/faster is my cadence. Long strides as a big guy are a massive no no. Your run should be quick and choppy keeping your feet underneath you as much as possible. Dont stride out or kick back very much. You should think "I look like a moron" when you first do it but the "ultra shuffle" as it's known is the big runner's friend. You will gas quickly trying to lengthen your stride.

Gave it a go and knees are already in bits. Think I'll leave it til another stone or two comes off before going again. :pac:

SamforMayo

Deleted User wrote: »

Gave it a go and knees are already in bits. Think I'll leave it til another stone or two comes off before going again. :pac:

Good man for giving it a go. You are going well at the walking so why don't you try to up the pace there for a few minutes at a time then slow down to regular walking pace til you get your breath back then really push the walking pace again and repeat, also add in some hills for more of a challenge.

SamforMayo

SamforMayo wrote: »

Good man for giving it a go. You are going well at the walking so why don't you try to up the pace there for a few minutes at a time then slow down to regular walking pace til you get your breath back then really push the walking pace again and repeat, also add in some hills for more of a challenge.

That's pretty much what I'm at. Keeping the sweating going and trying not to let myself catch my breath for 5/10 minutes at a time. Diet has been spot on and I no longer have any jeans I can wear so I'm happy enough with how it's going. :P

SamforMayo

Deleted User wrote: »

That's pretty much what I'm at. Keeping the sweating going and trying not to let myself catch my breath for 5/10 minutes at a time. Diet has been spot on and I no longer have any jeans I can wear so I'm happy enough with how it's going. :P

Sounds like its going great, carry on with the good work;)

Starting a log now instead of always bumping this thread. I found out tonight that running in the rain is very different to walking in the rain when it comes to nipple chafing. :pac: