Posted: 2/18/2013 7:17:55 PM EDT
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I was reading about this fitness test and was thinking I could probably do pretty well. Until I got to the 3 mile run in 30 minutes with 25 lbs vest. That just wouldn't happen. I've never been a good runner. My cardio condition is good but I just suck at running. I hate it. I'm a fencer so my cardio exercise is done in short bursts with a small break between each point. What should I do to get started running? 5k would be about the max I'd want to do. I lift Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Do karate on Thursday, and do fencing on Monday and Friday so there's not a lot of time to fit running in. http://militaryathlete.com/page.php?page_ID=43 |
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Start running.
Don't go for time at first - go for distance. Set a goal and try. You will build up to it. Don't quit. Your mind will be your biggest obstacle. Or some old lady in a Buick - and if she don't kill you then your mind will be your biggest obstacle...ok and maybe stairs... Over time keep increasing your distance - you improve your time by conditioning yourself to run longer. Don't quit. Be patient. Get good shoes if you are going to run with any weight. Don't destroy yourself before you take the test. Jiu jitsu has helped my cardio more than anything. But then again, when a large sweaty black belt has me pinned to the floor bending me in to a pretzel, I'm extremely motivated to push myself because the old tried and true "play dead bear defense" just don't work... |
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Quoted:
would running two days a week be enough? Honestly? No, Id shoot for three days a week. Best advice I can give you is RELAX when you run, don't treat it like a chore. Accept that your doing it for x amount of time and let your body loosen up your body and feet will thank you. Every once in a while step off the beaten path hit a trail or a new route that will keep it fun and you might just start looking foreword to those runs. |
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first and most important. Work on your form, even hiring a running coach for one session. (one session is way cheaper than a million trips to the knee/foot doctor)
Most people have TERRIBLE form. You can hear them coming from a mile away WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM listen to a good runner, silent, they just glide and their impact is low. (and don't kid yourself, running is an impact activity) Whatever little foibles your body has (and everyone has some) the coach should be able to point out and suggest corrections (either form or shoes) BUY GOOD SHOES for your running style. And running shoes wear out, quickly. and if you hate running, DON'T DO IT, do something else. You aren't going to continue doing something you don't like. There are a TON of different exercises and fun things to do, do those instead. |
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What is your goal with this?
Given you do karate and fencing, distance running would not be very beneficial. You can get good cardiovascular exercise without distance running, you just might not have the endurance. I would suggest repeats in the neighborhood of 200-400m with 2-5min rest between. Add in circuit workouts to your lifting, great way to up the heart rate and maintain or improve stamina. |
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Quoted: What is your goal with this? Given you do karate and fencing, distance running would not be very beneficial. You can get good cardiovascular exercise without distance running, you just might not have the endurance. I would suggest repeats in the neighborhood of 200-400m with 2-5min rest between. Add in circuit workouts to your lifting, great way to up the heart rate and maintain or improve stamina. I was thinking 5k and no more. I don't want to do too much and start losing fast twitch muscle. My cardio conditioning is already pretty good. My resting heart rate is in the high 40s to low 50s, but my running form and speed suck. I'd like to improve that. The sprinting with breaks might be a better idea though considering the other sports I do |
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As you said, there's not a lot of time to squeeze in more workouts. Probably the best thing you can do is to incorporate running into your exisitng workouts. The fact that you are limiting yourself to 3 miles makes this easier.
First thing to recognize is that you have to balance your goals and should expect that some will suffer as you improve others. You'll probably still make overall progress on all goals, just not as much in each individual one if you only focused on one goal, say powerlifting for example. i would recommend incorporatin running with your lifting. Depending on your lifting program, you may want to scale back how much work/volume you do. But incorporating enough running to improve 3 mile runs shouldn't be much. I would incorporat both interval running and and straight three mile runs at a consistent pace. I would also vary running after lifting and running before lifting-- cuz sometimes you have to lift heavy things when you're tired. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
What is your goal with this? Given you do karate and fencing, distance running would not be very beneficial. You can get good cardiovascular exercise without distance running, you just might not have the endurance. I would suggest repeats in the neighborhood of 200-400m with 2-5min rest between. Add in circuit workouts to your lifting, great way to up the heart rate and maintain or improve stamina. I was thinking 5k and no more. I don't want to do too much and start losing fast twitch muscle. My cardio conditioning is already pretty good. My resting heart rate is in the high 40s to low 50s, but my running form and speed suck. I'd like to improve that. The sprinting with breaks might be a better idea though considering the other sports I do I used to train exclusively for jumps/sprints, less than 100m, for over 4 years, not running over 200m non-stop in that time frame. I went out and ran 5 miles one day with some friends (because I'm crazy like that) and ran at 8min/mile pace just last year. I figured out I had not run non-stop over 1mile in 8 years. The last mile was a bitch but I did it. |