AboutRick Karboviak, CSCS Expertise First things first: I WILL NOT ASK QUESTIONS PERTAINING TO AN INJURY OR SORE AREA ON YOUR BODY, please seek medical advice from a doctor, physical therapist, athletic trainer, or chiropractor.
I can answer questions specifically for mile to 5K distances, preferably in regards to HS and recreational runners, since I coach JH/HS age athletes, and train recreationally-based runners (those who simply run for the enjoyment of it, not super-competitive).
I am also an expert in doing training with the assistance of a GPS speed & distance monitor, in tracking speeds, paces, and distances for measurements in intensity & volume of your workouts precisely.
My main running site is http://endure.speeddialcoach.com
Question Hello: I stopping running about 10 years ago.I ran 5.2 miles 3-4 times a week for 10 years.I am now 60,and the doctor wants me to exercise again,as my cholesterol is high normal.
Anyway,I am having great difficulty getting to that first mile-I get out of breath and drop back to brisk walking.
I was wondering if wearing ankle weights while briskly walking might build my cardiovascular endurance,and enable me to then take the weights off,and run non-stop.
Thanks
Answer Ankle weights are one of the worst things to wear for exercising, in my opinion. Biomechanically, your legs aren't used to managing that much weight at the ends of your limbs, and this causes more forces to be 'jolted' through the joints than they are used to. So, there really isn't much to gain in terms of endurance by using them. Since you've had such a time away from regular running, it will take some time to bounce back into it again. Doing walking & jogging intervals throughout a workout will help you get back into a full, continous run. I would advise starting out with walking, then trying a shorter time for jogging, and go back to walking again. An example of this would be:
2 minutes walking, 30 seconds jogging: repeat this 4-5 times for a 10-12.5 minute workout total.
By having the periods of high intensity of short durations, followed by a recovery period of lower intensity & longer duration, this helps the body adjust to working out much better. The old methods of just trying to keep pushing a pace for a longer distance is not a very efficient method to use, as the fitness world is finding out. The low/high intensity intervals has been proven in numerous studies & real-world examples as being a superior method over the traditional methods of the past for exercise.
