New to exercise - thoughts on the Couch to 5K programme?

The ideal place to discuss running or ways to start. Anything from clothing, equipment, technique and race meets goes.

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Quazimoto
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New to exercise - thoughts on the Couch to 5K programme?

Post by Quazimoto »

Hi guys,
First let me say this looks like a great forum with a HUGE number of sections - looks great so I'm looking forward to getting in on it.

OK so I'm an almost 28 y.o. , from age of 3 to 25 I was skinny without the slightest effort (guessing I had a high metabolism?) which means that only very recently when I noticed myself really putting on weight, have I had to back off the junk I eat (and that was a LOT of junk). I have checked out the diet section and will be trying to take some of the advice I read there, cheers.
I'm currently 81kg, 179cm (slightly over 5 ft 10") which may not sound THAT unhealthy but believe me almost none of that is muscle. I have very obviously flab around the place.

So, I've also started running, due to a lot of recommendations for the Couch to 5K app. I'm sure people have heard of it, but if you don't know it's 9 weeks, which 3 exercise routines a week. If the exact routine is important I'm sure you can Google it.

In terms of WEIGHT LOSS, it wouldn't seem to be the most beneficial, because you gradually spend more time running and less time walking, until you're just running for 28 minutes (in which you're supposed to get 5km).
Now that's probably fine if you just want to run 5km, but question is, for myself, remember I'm trying to lose weight - would it be preferable to do something with shorter intervals of more activity (for example, 30 seconds of running quite fast, then a minute of walking)?

I'm happy to keep going with the Couch to 5K programme, because it motivates me, trying to get a little bit further (in distance) than I did the last run, just by making the running sections more intense, and it's good to track your progress and everything - but I'd also like to know the thoughts of those here who know a lot more than I do. Cheers guys,
Quazi.
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Boss Man
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Re: New to exercise - thoughts on the Couch to 5K programme?

Post by Boss Man »

Hi Quazi, good to talk to you.

I've heard of couch to 5k, but I'm not overly familiar with it, but if you're having any doubts you can always switch and the kind of regime you're talking about, with the speed sections regularly interspersed throughout the slower sections, it shouldn't be very adaptive, because your body is not being put through exactly the same thing time and again in terms of the same continuous level of heart rate.

So this way of looking at things could be effective for you, but obviously you need to decide what's best for you.
Quazimoto
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Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2014 11:19 pm

Re: New to exercise - thoughts on the Couch to 5K programme?

Post by Quazimoto »

Thanks.

Just to clarify "adaptive" is when the exercise routine is too familiar, and your body makes itself more efficient at performing that routine, and therefore makes it HARDER for you to burn energy, because you've made your body "adapt"?
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Boss Man
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Re: New to exercise - thoughts on the Couch to 5K programme?

Post by Boss Man »

Yes. If something become adaptive, it means it loses its efficacy, whereas the jog / sprint method you're wanting to employ shouldn't do that so you should be okay with that for a long time :thumb:.
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