Running for Overweight Beginners: 12 Week Running Plan + 7 Essential Tips
If you’re overweight and feeling like running is not your thing…
Or, You ever started your running journey and given up…
Then I want you to stick and be glued to this article from start to end.
You’ll discover achieving the running goal for an obese person is all about having the right mindset and following the right strategy.
In my guide “Running for overweight beginners” I reveal it all for you.
So, Without any further delay let’s dive into the most comprehensive guide on the subject…
Things to Keep in Mind Before Starting the Running Program
So, before starting your running journey, you should keep the following few things in mind:
1. Consult with Your Doctor First
When you plan to run being overweight and are not used to exercising regularly, avoid getting started without consulting a doctor.
Inform your doctor if you want to start running in order to get fit.
Your doctor will conduct a full medical evaluation to monitor your vital signs, such as blood pressure and heart rate.
Your doctor will also recommend that you take a blood test to assess levels of cholesterol, hemoglobin, etc. Inform the doctor about knee pain, back pain, or other issues to ensure that running is the best workout for you.
2. Visualize Your Goal First
Visualization is going to prepare you psychologically.
It’s an easy way to boost the chances of being successful.
It contains the type of runner you want to become and imagine yourself in your mind.
As if that had already occurred, imagine yourself as accomplishing your running target.
How you’re going to do, what you’re going to experience and see – work over it as though it’s going to happen.
Also, keep replaying this image in your head.
By doing this, not only can you feel more optimistic, but you will also be more confident.
Running Plan for Overweight Beginners
Daily running lets you lose weight and keep your weight under control.
And if you are overweight, you should run or do other workouts, such as cardio and weight lifting.
Things to take care of before you start running:
Running puts pressure on your joints.
This raises the chance of injury.
You will be a good runner with a good instructor and a proper running plan.
Your training should be free from injuries so that you can resume running without having a break.
So, in this section, we will discuss a complete 12-week running plan for overweight beginners.
We have prepared this plan, especially for the overweight beginners who are willing to start their running journey in a productive manner.
We will give a slow start, and then gradually, we will increase the level.
It is because our sole aim is to motivate you to run every day.
So, here we have come up with an easy and effective running plan, especially for overweight beginners.
So, what are you waiting for!!!!
Let’s give a kick start to your running journey.
Week 1: Running Plan For Overweight Beginners
Day 1: Run for 2 minutes, then walk for 2 minutes. Repeat the same 6 times.
Day 2: Run for 2 minutes, then walk for 2 minutes. Repeat the same 8 times.
Day 3: Take Rest.
Day 4: Take Rest.
Day 5: Run for 2 minutes, then walk for 2 minutes. Repeat the same 6 times.
Day 6: Take Rest.
Day 7: Take Rest.
Week 2: Running Plan For Overweight Beginners
Day 1: Run for 2 minutes, then walk for 1 minute. Repeat the same 8 times.
Day 2: Run for 2 minutes, then walk for 1 minute. Repeat the same 10 times.
Day 3: Take Rest.
Day 4: Take Rest.
Day 5: Run for 2 minutes, then walk for 1 minute. Repeat the same 8 times.
Day 6: Take Rest.
Day 7: Take Rest.
Week 3: Running Plan For Overweight Beginners
Day 1: Run for 3 minutes, then walk for 2 minutes. Repeat the same 6 times.
Day 2: Run for 3 minutes, then walk for 2 minutes. Repeat the same 8 times.
Day 3: Take Rest.
Day 4: Take Rest.
Day 5: Run for 3 minutes, then walk for 1 minute. Repeat the same 6 times.
Day 6: Take Rest.
Day 7: Take Rest.
Week 4: Running Plan For Overweight Beginners
Day 1: Run for 5 minutes, then walk for 3 minutes. Repeat the same 3 times.
Day 2: Run for 5 minutes, then walk for 3 minutes. Repeat the same 4 times.
Day 3: Take Rest.
Day 4: Take Rest.
Day 5: Run for 5 minutes, then walk for 3 minutes. Repeat the same 5 times.
Day 6: Take Rest.
Day 7: Take Rest.
Week 5: Running Plan For Overweight Beginners
Day 1: Run for 5 minutes, then walk for 2 minutes. Repeat the same 5 times.
Day 2: Run for 5 minutes, then walk for 2 minutes. Repeat the same 5 times.
Day 3: Take Rest.
Day 4: Take Rest.
Day 5: Run for 5 minutes, then walk for 1 minute. Repeat the same 4 times.
Day 6: Take Rest.
Day 7: Take Rest.
Week 6: Running Plan For Overweight Beginners
Day 1: Run for 5 minutes, then walk for 1 minute. Repeat the same 4 times.
Day 2: Run for 5 minutes, then walk for 1 minute. Repeat the same 5 times.
Day 3: Take Rest.
Day 4: Take Rest.
Day 5: Run for 7 minutes, then walk for 2 minutes. Repeat the same 3 times.
Day 6: Take Rest.
Day 7: Take Rest.
Week 7: Running Plan For Overweight Beginners
Day 1: Run for 7 minutes, then walk for 2 minutes. Repeat the same 3 times.
Day 2: Run for 7 minutes, then walk for 2 minutes. Repeat the same 3 times.
Day 3: Take Rest.
Day 4: Take Rest.
Day 5: Run for 10 minutes, then walk for 3 minutes. Repeat the same 2 times.
Day 6: Take Rest.
Day 7: Take Rest.
Week 8: Running Plan For Overweight Beginners
Day 1: Run for 10 minutes, then walk for 3 minutes. Repeat the same 2 times.
Day 2: Run for 12 minutes, then walk for 3 minutes. Repeat the same 2 times.
Day 3: Take Rest.
Day 4: Take Rest.
Day 5: Run for 20 – 30 minutes at a comfortable pace, then walk for a few minutes. and cool down.
Day 6: Take Rest.
Day 7: Take Rest.
Week 9: Running Plan For Overweight Beginners
Day 1: Do strength training.
Day 2: Run 2 miles.
Day 3: Take Rest.
Day 4: Run 2 miles.
Day 5: Do interval training.
Day 6: Run 2 miles.
Day 7: Take Rest.
Week 10: Running Plan For Overweight Beginners
Day 1: Do strength training.
Day 2: Run 2 miles.
Day 3: Take Rest.
Day 4: Run 2 miles.
Day 5: Do interval training.
Day 6: Run 2 miles.
Day 7: Take Rest.
Week 11: Running Plan For Overweight Beginners
Day 1: Do strength training.
Day 2: Run 2 miles.
Day 3: Take Rest.
Day 4: Run 2 miles.
Day 5: Do interval training.
Day 6: Run 3 miles.
Day 7: Take Rest.
Week 12: Running Plan For Overweight Beginners
Day 1: Do strength training.
Day 2: Run 2 miles.
Day 3: Take Rest.
Day 4: Run 2 miles.
Day 5: Do interval training.
Day 6: Run 3 miles.
Day 7: Take Rest.
So, this was our 12-week running plan for overweight beginners.
You can increase the miles gradually over weeks and months.
Do not get demotivated early.
I know you might face failures initially but don’t lose hope.
Push your limits and be your own competitor.
Give yourself new challenges and targets daily.
Running Shoes for Overweight Beginners
Choosing the wrong running shoes for your legs and running style will lead to injury and general pain when you’re running.
If you’re overweight, the extra weight and strain on your knees will make you much more prone to injury, so it’s important that you get the best running shoes for you.
Go to a good store where professional salespeople can do a running gait evaluation and he can surely recommend the right options for your running gait, foot, and body type.
It would be best if you buy running shoes with additional cushioning, strong arch support, or any other special features.
A pair of good and worthwhile running shoes is so very important for running.
Shoes are supposed to be shock absorbent.
Running in poor shoes causes knee Pain, Tendonitis, Shin Splints, Achilles, and also some other injuries.
Based on your foot style and your speed of running, you should pick your shoes.
While these shoes are pricey, they are worth buying, which will benefit you in the short and long term.
Expert Tip
You should change your running footwear after every 300 to 500 miles, but this will vary based on how you run, your weight, and the type of landscape you run over.
Overweight runners typically need to change their shoes more often than others.
Running Techniques for Overweight Beginners
Now as we have discussed the 12-week running plan for overweight beginners.
Now let’s have a look at the running techniques that you should follow as an overweight beginner.
Let’s get started.
1. Keep Yourself Tall and Upright
Good posture when you’re running is crucial to ensuring that you don’t cause imbalances in your muscles that often lead to injuries.
Stand up tall and keep your shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles straight when you’re running.
Lift up your chin and move your shoulders back.
It’s wonderful what these tiny improvements will do to your running form.
When you start lifting your hips, the other portions of your body, including your chest and shoulders, will also straighten out.
2. Keep Swinging Your Arms Continuously
While running primarily uses your legs to push you along, your arms play an important role as well.
Rundown with your arms relaxed at your feet.
You’ll find that this causes extra work for the back, hips, and legs and makes running feel very awkward.
Swing your arm helps to push you forward and lift your body off the ground with every step.
If you let your arms cross your body so far, it can move your spine to the thorax and produce an inefficient running design.
Drive your elbows out, keep them close to the sides of your spine, and keep them loose in order to prevent pressure in your shoulders.
Often note to keep the elbows at an angle of 90 degrees – try not to straighten them out too far.
3. Strengthen Your Core
A healthy core ensures that you are able to maintain a strong and steady posture for longer, enabling you to hold on to the desired form and posture.
Your back and abdominal muscles are the main components of healthy core strength.
Unfortunately, running alone isn’t going to boost your core muscle, you need to indulge in strength training as well as running to actually show progress.
There are a lot of conditioning drills you can perform to strengthen your core strength.
Tips For Overweight Runners
So, as we have discussed, our 12-weeks running plan for overweight beginners.
Don’t go directly!!! First, read our tips for overweight runners.
Half knowledge is always dangerous.
So, before starting, you must have a look at the tips provided by us.
We have brought some secret tips from expert trainers.
So, let’s bang on!!!
1. Healthy Warm-up
A healthy warm-up is also important as it increases the supply of blood to the muscles and helps reduce strain or damage.
Warm-up with stretching and walking at a normal speed for 5 minutes, is one of the excellent methods for overweight beginners to start.
2. Take Breaks In Between
Firstly, run for a minute.
After you’ve been running for a minute, walk for almost two minutes.
Walking after running will encourage the body to recover from running for another minute.
3. Don’t Make Huge Targets
Don’t make huge targets that are impossible to achieve, it will also make you feel demotivated.
Increase your limits gradually and slowly, not all at once.
Push your limits slowly.
Make efficient as well as possible goals.
4. Always Be Hydrated
You should be well hydrated before, after, and while running.
When you’re running, you’re producing more heat than when you’re resting.
You lose water, sodium, potassium, as well as electrolytes by sweating.
This also contributes to dehydration.
When you are dehydrated, you get exhausted, have cramps, headaches, and an elevated heart rate that can affect your performance.
Maintain hydration since water controls the body’s temperature, provides energy to your cells, reduces waste, and cushions your joints.
Proper hydration improves regeneration, prevents injury and cramping, and makes you perform better.
5. Make It a Habit
If you’re going to run and want to make running a part of your life, then make it a habit.
You should assign as much priority to your schedules/plans as you will to your crucial meetings.
Schedule your time every day to carry out your running plan.
Use applications to set numerous alarms or regular calendars as a reminder.
For the first 12 weeks, stick to 3 days of running a week; once you’re up to 16 weeks, you’ve made it a habit.
6. Set Realistic Goals
Your targets should be realistic.
Also, it can rely on your ability to run.
Set only one goal at a time.
When you hit your target, set another one and just do it, too, and so on.
Reaching every goal will also keep you focused and motivated.
7. Eat Healthily
It’s surely impossible for you to burn your calories without a healthy diet.
So keep track of what you’re eating.
You should consume an adequate number of calories.
Aim to eat a decent portion of lean protein, healthy fat, and carbohydrates.
Also, avoid cheating meals in the first few weeks of the workout.
Avoid eating sugar.
High consumption of sugar contributes to obesity, dental problems, cardiovascular disease along with high-level diabetes also.
Limit sugar-containing foods such as ice creams, sugary aerated beverages, cookies, fried foods, cereal bars, etc.
Take a lot of lean protein.
This helps you prevent cravings and retain consistent blood sugar levels.
Lean proteins such as eggs, chicken, raw cheese, almonds, etc., are recommended.
Final Thoughts
Never believe that your weight is a barrier if you’re interested to become a successful runner.
The trick is to follow an exercise routine that is suitable for your current fitness level, practice good running, and make sure you wear proper running shoes built for safety and injury prevention.
Follow our 12-week running plan for overweight beginners and give a kick start to your running journey.
Also, mention your doubts and queries in the comment section below.
We will go through them and also get back to you with a proper solution.
All the best for your running journey!!! originally published at https://mypathtofitness.com/running-for-overweight-beginners/