Free shipping on all products

How to Train for Your First 5K Run!

Blog, Active Living
  • February 22, 2023

If scientists could bottle a miracle cure for depression, chronic disease, and aging, it would likely be an exercise pill or what we like to call, a “running cure”.

While there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ program to help you train, there is really no substitute for traditional aerobic exercise (‘cardio’) to keep your heart and muscles in shape. By doing cardio exercise at least 20-30 minutes per day, we can reap many health benefits that ultimately make us happier, healthier, and live longer.

In this article we will provide a beginner training program for aspiring runners and highlight principles that are important for beginners who are just starting on their health and fitness journeys.

Take-home points

  • Select a simple program to get you started
  • Consistency is key
  • Anything is better than nothing
  • Challenge yourself to make it fun
  • Vary your training
  • Challenge yourself

Consistency is the key to success!

As with many other things in life, consistency is key for success.

With this, the first step is to ensure you establish a sustainable training program that you can maintain in the long run (pun intended).

Planning and writing down a training program beforehand will benefit you by holding you accountable and increasing your training consistency.

Therefore, we’ve designed an 8-week training program for beginners that can help build up your running abilities.

Once you have a training program in place, set yourself short-term and long-term goal(s) to help track your progression and keep you motivated.

For example, signing up for a 5K or 10K race can be a short or long-term goal that acts as a great motivator!

Anything is better than nothing!

Keep in mind, you don’t have to go overboard with your training to earn the health benefits. Epidemiological research has shown that as little as 10 minutes of physical activity per day reduces mortality risks and enhances average life expectancy. Even the so-called ‘weekend warriors’ (i.e., those who only exercise during weekends) benefit greatly from exercising.  So if there are days you can only make it through half a workout, remember it beats doing nothing!
How many days per week should a beginner train and how long should each session be?
  • Science indicates we should be aiming to add in cardio 3-5 days per week, 30-60 min per session.As a beginner, try starting with 2-3 days per week for 30 min.  The training program at the end of the article provides an example of what a progressive build up can look like.
  • Ideally, try adding in 2 days of strength training per week, 30-60 min per session.This will help strengthen your muscles to avoid injury while gradually making you feel strong during cardio workouts.
How intense should the training be?
For running:
  • In general, aerobic exercise should be done at moderate-to-high exercise intensities. As a gauge, you should be able to carry a conversation (but not sing) with a training partner during moderate-intensity exercise, while high-intensity exercise makes it difficult to say more than a few words without pausing for breath.
For strength training:
  • The optimal type of strength training for runners is using low-to-moderate weights combined with high repetitions for muscular endurance, which may be done in a circuit-training format.

Challenge yourself and vary your training!

One of the basic human training principles is that, in the long-term, we only improve by progressively increasing the intensity of exercise.
How can I adjust my original training program to improve even more?
  • Progressively increase the total volume of training (sessions per week), the duration of each session, the intensity of exercise, and/or shorten your rest periods. You can also vary the types of exercise to stress your muscles and heart in a different way.
For running:
  • A beginner may start by walking (low intensity) or brisk walking (medium-high intensity) and progress to jogging (high intensity) and running (very high intensity) after several weeks of training. You can see this strategy incorporated in the training program at the end of this article.
  • You can also incorporate different types running (continuous, HIIT, and Fartlek) or try different modes of aerobic exercise (cycling, swimming, rowing etc.).
For strength training:
  • Simply increase the volume (number of sets and/or repetitions), the weights, and/or shorten your rest periods between sets.
  • A beginner may start with bodyweights and progress to machine weights and/or free weights after several weeks of training.

Nutrition and recovery are imperative for your performance!

Simply put, you will not benefit as much from your training unless you get sufficient recovery and replenish your nutrient stores, such as carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Aim for 8 hours of sleep per night, consume a mixed diet as per the Canada’s food guide, and use research-proven supplements if you are insufficient or deficient in certain micro or macronutrients and if you want to enhance your recovery further. Overall, remember to start small, set goals, aim for consistency, and try not to get discouraged… Afterall, at the end of the day doing something is better than nothing at all.

Categories

Popular Feeds

Popular Tags

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Returns

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at info@stayabovenutrition.ca. We will endeavour to improve your experience with our products.

Check out our FAQ for more information.

Shipping

We currently ship our products anywhere within Canada. Purchases are typically processed and shipped within 48 hours. Depending on your location, items will arrive within 2-5 business days. 

Check out our FAQ for more information.