question for Chinagrl or others who run at the gym...
#208356 - 08/25/05 07:27 AM
|
|
|
|
|
|
I'm totally clueless.. whats a good way to run at the gym. how much, intervals etc.
I've never been a runner and lately i've been thinking that its pathetic that I probably couldnt' even run for my life if I had too. So yesterday and a few days before that I've began running. 1.5miles is the most I can go thus far without wanting to cry.
Any help... pointers...
would be much appreciated!!
Also..is running a good form of cardio.. bc ideally i'd like to lose weight, so if there is a better form let me know. 
--------------------
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
Hey Ashley!
Running is a good form of cardio, but like any other form you have to switch it up or your body gets used to it and you're not working out enough. My trainer actually told me that the most effective way would be to move from machine to machine, so I rotate amongst the elliptical, the treadmill, and the bike depending on how long I feel like doing whichever. I find the bike to be least effective, but also least stressful on my stomach. So I generally save it for cool downs, or days when my tummy hurts.
The best way to start running (if you're not a runner) is to build up to it. When I started I ran 20 minutes, most days, throwing in a 30 minute day twice a week. I also kept the pace pretty slow, somewhere around 5 mph or so. Then I built up my abilities and now I run anywhere from 20 minutes to 60 depending on my mood and IBS. I also change things, like running 10 min @ 6 mph (I'm still not that fast, so that's booking it for me), or upping the incline some. The best idea is to start slow so you don't get frustrated and quit. You could also run 10 min and take a 1 min walking breather. Intervals are a great idea in general, but I find them impossible on the treadmill. It takes a while to change speeds and that blows the whole interval thing.
Oh, since you're doing this for cardio purposes, keep an eye on the time, don't worry about distance. I never rack up the miles because I'm not that speedy, but I still get in my 200 min of cardio a week, and that's what I care about.
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
I agree with chinagrl....start slow and work up to it, you don't want it to be something you dread. I haven't run on a treadmill since the weather got warmer, but when I first started I did and I'd walk, run, walk, run, over time decreasing the time I walked. Initially I had a distance goal of three miles. My knees aren't stellar, so my goal is exercise, not distance now. I don't expect to ever run more than 5 miles at a time.
However--I've got a race coming up in October with my husband, 10 miles, and at all times one of us is running, and one is biking, so we switch off. So I started biking more this summer, and last week started practicing the switchoff between biking and running. I think adding biking has really helped overall with endurance AND toning/fitness. So I definitely agree that you should switch it up. It keeps things more interesting and is better for your body. A lot of "real" runners (which I am not) always say crosstraining is key.
--------------------
 
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
thanks good points!! I started running because I felt as though the bike isn't that much of a hard time, and the eliptical is also relatively easy (or at least easy to be lazy on). When you run, you kinda have to go for it, and can't cheat.
I ran about 25 mins yesterday, but I only ran at about 4.8 - 5.0 range (and to be honest I only lasted at 5.0 for a few minutes).
I'll try your advice definitly. For some reason I find it a million times easier to run on the treadmill longer than I can outside. I'm not sure why that is though.
--------------------
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
--------------------
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
I'm not sure I know why. I tell myself its because my asthma is in check because I'm away from extreme heat/cold and allergens. But who knows? Plus, like you said you kind of HAVE to keep going, you can't just stop and rest, or you will fall off!!
And it's SO easy to be lazy on the elliptical, which is why I don't do it that much. And biking seems "easy" but trust me it makes your legs look nice (and not big). I think running has decreased the fat on my legs, and biking has toned them. Nice combo! Now, if only my gut was similarly affected.....
P.S. 5.0 really isn't bad. My peak on the treadmill is 7.4 and at that speed I feel like my legs are doing their own thing. You'll get faster in no time.
--------------------
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
Yep. They say that for a treadmill to even begin to approximate running outside you need to up the incline to at least 1%.
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
oh really.. I didn't know that. hmmmmm
--------------------
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
i second that about the bike actually being work! last time i was going to the gym regularly (before the loss of free gym with college graduation  ), i noticed a difference in my legs after just a couple of months - catching their reflection in storefronts, even! it definitely works my thighs, and calves if i'm going hard.
i can't tell, though, if it works my butt or if my butt is getting sore from the seat. (i do the bike with a chair back so i don't strain my hips, but how my butt is bony with the rest of me as i am i will never know.)
--------------------
jaime
ibs-a (mostly d) // vegetarian
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
Posts
