First you need to determine if you are actually overweight.
Alexander Elkonin
ultramarathoner, founder and coach of the ERA running club
Is it possible to run with a lot of excess weight?
If you ask 100 people on the street, "how to get rid of excess weight," the vast majority of answers will come down to two things: eat less and move more. At the same time, the most frequent option in the "move more" category will be running.
Indeed, running is a cyclical exercise that provides significant energy consumption, this type of movement can be mastered by almost everyone. Running is available at any time of the day and time of the year, does not require any additional infrastructure, or complex expensive additional equipment and equipment — sneakers and clothes can now be purchased without problems, and paths and paths in parks, forests and fields are almost everywhere.
On the other hand, there is an important limitation to consider when using running as a means of weight loss. First of all, we are talking about the fact that running, in addition to muscle work, training of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, significantly increases the load on the passive component of the musculoskeletal system.
What is overweight
According to WHO recommendations, a normal body weight is considered to be a physique in which the ratio of body weight (in kilograms) divided by the square of height (in meters) in adults is in the range of 18.5—24.9. This ratio is called the body mass index (BMI) or Quetelet index. With a BMI of less than 18.5, they talk about a body weight deficit; if a BMI of 25.0 or higher, the weight is excessive. For example, now with a height of 182 cm and a weight of 77 kg, my BMI is 77/1.822 = 23.25, and I fit into the "norm" category. When 30 years ago I weighed 90 kg with the same height, my body mass index was 90/1.822 =27.17, such a BMI according to the WHO classification is called "pre-obesity". If the BMI is 30.0 or higher, they talk about obesity.
It should be noted that the BMI may be higher than 25.0 in low "densely packed" people with developed muscles, therefore, in addition to BMI, it makes sense to evaluate the waist circumference: if at the narrowest point above the hips, the centimeter shows more than 100 – in men and 85.5 – in women, especially if the circumference of the abdomen is larger, the circumference of the hips (and in men, the circumference of the abdomen is greater than the circumference of the chest), you definitely need to think about weight loss.
Thus, for the vast majority of people, the assessment of the "normality" of body weight can be made using weights and centimeters, regular (1-2 times a week) measurement of body weight and waist circumference allows you to understand your condition and see changes. You can also just stand naked in front of the mirror — the excess weight is noticeable immediately.
Is it possible to run when overweight
Although it is impossible to answer this question unequivocally and it is necessary to understand each case individually, there are some common considerations that need to be taken into account.
The main problem that arises when trying to start running in overweight people is injuries to the joints of the legs (most often the knee) due to increased stress on the cartilage and ligaments of the joints. Indeed, at each landing, the articular surfaces of the knee are exposed to a force eight times greater than the body weight (when walking, this ratio is about 2.7).
Therefore, the inclusion of running in the weight loss program is done with caution and gradually. The adaptation of the tissues of the passive component of the musculoskeletal system (bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons) takes months, unlike muscles, which increase mass and the ability to develop effort within a few weeks.
How to start the path to weight loss for running
Any physical training should provide a gradual increase in the load. Therefore, it is not necessary to start training to reduce body weight with running — any cyclic exercise is suitable, that is, one that consists of repeated repetition of the same movements, each of which does not require much energy. Cyclical sports, also called endurance sports, include walking, running, swimming, cross-country skiing, cycling, rowing, etc.
As a rule, at the very beginning of training to reduce body weight, it becomes clear whether it is possible to run: is it possible to spend more than 10 minutes in motion with the flight phase, without experiencing pain and unbearable shortness of breath with a painful lack of air? If so, then such — at first short — runs can be included in the training plan 3-5 times a week, interspersed with rest days and other workouts. It is important to understand that at the beginning of the journey, the main factor determining success is not speed, but time under load, so it would be right to run as slowly as possible, so that you can speak freely on the go (this is called conversational pace).
If you can't escape, it doesn't mean that the situation is hopeless. Brisk walking (find parking 1.5 km from work or do not reach 3-4 bus stops), climbing stairs (on which floor do you live? how many steps does the elevator steal from you every day?), exercise machines in the cardio zone of fitness clubs, swimming in summer and cross-country skiing in winter offer a full-fledged alternative to running, they provide energy consumption without a gravitational load dangerous for joints.
How to choose a load and evaluate progress
The most important principles of training for weight loss are regularity and a gradual increase in the load. Usually, in cyclic sports, it is customary to do 3-5 workouts per week: a smaller number of classes does not provide sufficient incentive for the adaptation of the body, more is associated with the risk of insufficient recovery and injury.
Having distributed these 3-5 workouts per week, interspersing them with days of rest and alternative activities (for example, strength training, or yoga, or Pilates, or other cyclic workouts), it makes sense to take into account the total time under load for the week. In the beginning, running workouts will take 30-40 minutes, including 10-15 minutes of brisk walking or very light running to warm up and 5-10 minutes of the same walking or running as a hitch. In a week, thus, there will be 1.5-3 hours of work.
By increasing the duration of training by no more than 10% per week, after 2-2.5 months, you can reach 3-6 hours of exercise, which is quite enough to ensure energy consumption in order to reduce body weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Since the goal of training is to reduce body weight, the readings of the scales will be the main criterion for progress. Regular weighing (preferably in the morning to ensure the same conditions) will help to see what happens. Reducing the readings by 0.5-1 kg per week is enough, it is safe and does not require large restrictions in food.
It is important to remember that in order to reduce body weight, both an increase in energy consumption (that is, regular physical training) and a reduction in the caloric content of the diet are necessary. Caloric restriction by reducing the consumption of sweet and fatty foods while maintaining protein intake (about 1 g per kilogram of "ideal" body weight — "growth minus 100" with a slight correction for the physique) and a varied regular diet allows you to create a small calorie deficit.
The main thing to strive for when starting weight loss workouts is that they should bring joy. Positive emotional reinforcement is the most important factor supporting motivation to continue classes. Without the pleasure of training, they turn into violence against themselves, and you can forget about sustained weight loss, short success is replaced by a breakdown, and the "swing" swings in the opposite direction. Therefore, training should be varied and interesting, then everything will work out.
Source: championat
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