Running Training Program Reviews

There are three essential elements to consider before planning your running training program. The first is to understand your current fitness level as this will determine how much training you can comfortably handle in the initial stages. The second is to have a clear idea of how much time you will have to devote to training. And the third, and perhaps most important, is to identify your end goal. Clearly, a sprinter will have different needs to a marathon hopeful. Only with these three factors clearly to the fore will you be able to plan a successful running training program.

Irrespective of your end goal, your current fitness level and the time you can give over to training dictate the form of your training program. With this in mind, it is probably best to take a calendar and mark off the day on which your goal is to be achieved and work back from there. For example, if you are planning to run a marathon six months hence, mark off the day of the marathon and establish the weekly improvement you will need to make in order to be ready. Only then will you have some inkling of the task ahead.

A number of aspects must be included in your program. Aerobic work is particularly important for distance running and is necessary to improve your general fitness level and your endurance. This can take the form or running, walking or even some swimming for variety.

Anaerobic work in the gym or maybe sprinting is good for general strength. Alternating a sprint up a short hill with a jog back down will increase explosive power and improve your speed. Some form of speed work needs to be included both for sprinters and long distance runners.

It is important that your program alternates days of hard work and easier days so that the body has time to recover. Indeed, full rest days are a vital inclusion in any program in order for the body and mind to be refreshed and to help avoid injuries.

With these considerations in mind, it should be possible to mark off on your calendar specific training activities for each day, the time they should take and the level to be achieved on that day. Every aspect of your training should be clearly shown, including full rest days, with your expected progression to your ultimate goal. From day one it is important that you maintain an accurate record of what you do in each session so that you know exactly what stage you are at in your program.

Interval training is essentially a training or fitness program in which low intensity exercise such as walking or jogging is interspersed with high intensity exercise like sprinting or weight lifting.

The low intensity part of the workout is aerobic (meaning with oxygen) and involves an extended period of exercise that increases oxygen intake. Aerobic exercise increases cardiac capacity and strengthens the cardiovascular system and burns fat. To be effective, aerobic exercise should be practised for twenty minutes three times a week. Anaerobic (without oxygen) exercise strengthens the cardiovascular system but burns carbohydrates rather than fat. It is typically used to increase muscle mass.

The alternation of periods of high intensity with low intensity exercise means that much more work can be done in a shorter time. During intense exercise, the muscles produce lactic acid that builds up and causes muscle burn. The less intense aerobic period gives the lactic acid a chance to dissipate and allows the muscles to recover ready for the next intense phase. It also means that your workout becomes more interesting as there is more variation.

Interval training is ideal for both beginners and more experienced exercisers alike. For beginners, the aerobic phase offers a comparatively safe and comfortable introduction to exercise while the anaerobic phase takes them out of their comfort zone and gives them an introduction to rigorous exercise. The return to the aerobic phase then allows them a little rest and time to recover before tackling the anaerobic phase again. The more experienced can give themselves tougher anaerobic phases with easier phases in between so obtaining a more effective workout.

There are a number of benefits if you choose to try interval training. If you only have limited time, interval training allows much more work to be done in whatever time is available. It also increases your capacity to handle exercise by training the heart to pump more blood to the muscles and the muscles to extract the oxygen with greater efficiency. Coupled with a raised lactate threshold resulting from the high intensity workout, this means that your endurance level increases.

The risk of injury during interval training is reduced because your intensity levels are varied and because your workout is shorter.  Your body also burns more fat so promoting weight loss.

Before you embark on an interval training program, however, a word of caution. As with all exercise regimes, if you are in any doubt about your health or suitability for the regime, you should see your doctor first. Also, never try to do too much, too soon, otherwise you risk injury.