Dorothy FarrarJogging for beginners
Jogging as a fitness and health sport is becoming increasingly popular with many people . Hardly any other sport is so simple and effective at the same time. Jogging improves condition ( endurance training ), helps to reduce stress , strengthens the cardiovascular system and can thus prevent cardiovascular diseases .
However, the joy of jogging can quickly be over if the technique is incorrect or the training is inappropriate. Therefore, beginners in particular should observe a few important technique and training rules so that they can enjoy this beautiful sport for a long time.
Why start jogging?
Jogging is a form of running and describes a relaxed continuous run at a comfortable pace. It is primarily used for training general endurance and the cardiovascular system . Regular jogging can make an important contribution to recovery ( stress reduction ), the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and thus to general health maintenance .
Jogging is one of the most popular leisure sports. Jogging can be practiced by any healthy person at any time. Since there is usually a lack of time, equipment or the necessary framework conditions for many sports, endurance training often focuses on jogging.
You don’t need a club, a sports hall or expensive equipment. Only good jogging shoes and appropriate sportswear are required.
Jogging is a very popular endurance sport, not only because of its low effort and low material costs. Jogging as endurance or cardiovascular training has many positive effects for maintaining health, especially for preventing cardiovascular diseases .
Jogging is an extremely efficient way to improve overall fitness while shedding a few pounds . Hardly any other endurance sport converts as much energy with the same intensity and duration as jogging. Because of all these requirements, jogging is an ideal leisure and health sport .
How high should the load be at the beginning?
You have decided to start jogging – a very good choice at first. Scientific studies have shown that jogging is one of the most beneficial sports for your health – provided you are healthy and do it correctly.
The good thing about jogging is that as a beginner, with regular training sessions, you can make progress relatively quickly (after 3-4 weeks). This is a very good motivation, especially at the beginning.
If you have not done any sport for a long time or if you have health problems, you should definitely have a medical check-up before you start jogging. If all risks are excluded, nothing stands in the way of jogging.
- Duration of training before speed: Better slow – but longer
If you are not pursuing any specific performance goals, but simply aim to get fit and healthy, basic endurance training is completely sufficient. That means they run in a heart rate range of 70-80% of their maximum heart rate .
If you do not have a heart rate monitor to determine the right speed, the running speed should be set so that you can still talk effortlessly during exercise (comfortable speed).
After a workout, feeling slightly tired and having a healthy appetite are completely normal. Overall, you should have a feeling of pleasant exhaustion and well-being, but by no means of being overworked.
How often should I jog?
- at least 2 – better 3 training units per week
The number of training sessions depends not least on their physical condition. Although jogging only once a week is a good start, the training effects would wear off after a few days without any new stress stimulus. This means that if you trained once a week, you would start from scratch every time!
Therefore, 2 or 3 training units per week should be the goal in order to achieve effective adaptation effects for the muscles and cardiovascular system by improving basic endurance . To avoid overtraining, it is important to take a rest day for regeneration after a day of training.
Running apparel and jogging equipment
When it comes to clothing for jogging, there is relatively little to consider. However, extremely hot weather or temperatures below 0°C are not ideal conditions for jogging. However, the weather shouldn’t keep joggers from their training schedule.
Basically, you should dress according to the weather conditions, but be neither too warm nor too cold. Clothing should be loose and comfortable. Almost more important: it should be breathable so that sweat can be transported to the outside and the body is protected from overheating. Modern sportswear usually consists of breathable and water-repellent synthetic fibers (hydrophobic synthetic fibers).
In spring or summer temperatures, a normal T-shirt and short running pants are often sufficient. If the temperatures drop below 15 °C, it is important that the upper body in particular is kept warm. Many runners therefore do without long running pants even in cold weather.
However, we always recommend wearing long clothing below zero degrees Celsius to prevent catching a cold. Additional accessories for cold temperatures should include gloves, a face mask (temperature well below 0 °C) and, in any case, a hat.
Bad weather shouldn’t stop a jogger from running. On the contrary, a light rain can be very refreshing, especially in very hot temperatures. In cold rain or wind, you should wear a light, wind- and water-repellent jacket (windbreaker), which also has the breathable properties mentioned above.
Of course, a complete set of jogging equipment also includes good jogging shoes . Since this is the most important piece of equipment for every jogger, you will find a separate article about it under running shoes .
When and where do I go running?
In principle, they can jog anywhere they are allowed to jog. It is precisely this simplicity that makes jogging so special. However, the following applies: the more resilient the surface, the better. Asphalted or concrete roads and paths are not suitable for long jogging. Due to the lack of elasticity and resilience, they cannot absorb the impact force of the foot and therefore the weight of the body.
The consequences can be chronic injuries to the legs, ankles and knees. If possible, you should definitely go jogging on a springy surface, such as forest, meadow or field paths.
There is no generally accepted optimal time of day for jogging. Everyone should find the ideal time to run according to their biorhythm and well-being.
Basically, you shouldn’t go jogging when you’re completely starved, but you shouldn’t go jogging shortly after a hearty meal either. Give yourself 2 hours after your last meal. After that, the meal is already digested. Running suppresses appetite for the next meal, which increases the weight-loss effects of jogging.
Training program for beginners
The first steps
For jogging beginners, we recommend the change variant: run – walk – run, as we have had the best experiences with it in our training practice. The principle: You run for a short time (2-3 minutes), then switch to brisk walking (1-2 minutes “walking break”) and repeat this process 5-6 times. Please remember that from a health point of view, it is not the speed but the duration of the load that is decisive.
- Rather slowly – but longer
- Run 2-3 minutes – then walk briskly for 2 minutes (“walk break”)
- Repeat this process 5-6 times
Training progress after a few weeks
After regular training sessions (3-4 weeks) there will be a noticeable improvement in performance, as the muscles and cardiovascular system have slowly adapted to the increasing loads. You will notice that you can complete the previous requirements more and more easily.
Now it’s time to raise the body’s stress threshold to achieve new adaptive effects in the form of improved fitness and health . This means that you continuously increase the running phases by 1 minute per training week and keep the walking breaks unchanged.
After a few weeks, the body will also have gotten used to the new stress stimuli and you can gradually do without the individual walking breaks, so that a continuous run is possible.
If you’re able to easily complete 30 minutes at a time, you can slowly increase run times by 1-2 minutes per week of training. Listen to how your body feels and stop exercising immediately if you notice signs of overexertion. For optimal training planning for advanced runners, we recommend the article: endurance and endurance training .
- Increase in running phases by 1 minute (per training week)
- maintain walking breaks
- Gradually drop the walking breaks
- Connected running phases (30 min.)
- Increase in running phases by 1-2 minutes (per training week)
Avoid physical discomfort caused by overexertion
Many beginning runners make the mistake of overexerting themselves because they want to achieve too much – too fast. Please be careful not to overexert yourself to the point where you are out of breath and unable to converse.
If you experience dizziness or nausea, you should immediately slow down and keep walking until the situation returns to normal.
In order to avoid acute and chronic complaints that limit jogging or even make it completely impossible, you should ensure that you have sufficient rest and regeneration phases. This means that after a “running day” there should be a non-running day if possible.
The wrong technique is often the reason for long-term physical problems. Typical symptoms of improper jogging include: blisters , injuries to tendons, ligaments, bones and joints, overexertion (dizziness, headache , nausea ), side stitches , muscle cramps , heat damage , sunburn , skin irritation (inner thighs, nipples), stomach bowel problems.
Common causes and errors for such complaints are:
- Incorrect or insufficient heating
- Incorrect running technique
- Incorrect or insufficient stretching or stretching
- untreated orthopedic pre-existing conditions (e.g. correcting misalignments with insoles)
- fake jogging shoes
- Signs of wear and tear (overexertion due to over-motivation and too intensive training)
Try to eliminate all causes of potential complaints in advance in order to ensure continuous and successful training. In any case, avoid overloading. Take your time. Little by little you get a feeling for your body and how it reacts to stress.
Hello and welcome to my Health Guide & Encyclopedia! My name is Dorothy Farrar, and I'm the founder and main author of this platform.
My passion for health and wellness started at a young age when I became interested in the connection between the food we eat and the way we feel. This fascination led me to study nutrition and dietetics in college, where I learned about the importance of a balanced diet and the impact of various nutrients on the body.