Weight Loss Fitness Programme Centred on Running

A decent running programme should help you to increase your stamina levels, facilitate good calorie burning, increase your speed and improve your cardiovascular fitness.

The best running sessions are based on interval training, which has been developed to push you to the max and help you burn off more fat.

Interval training is so effective because it involves alternative periods of running fast and pushing yourself to the limit with gentler exercise.

The great thing is you can use this simple method on the treadmills or on the road.

Preparing for Interval Training

Try a one week session to add variety to your workout and to increase leg speed. Before you start your interval training, you will want to employ some warm up exercises.

Shoulder rolls, where you roll your shoulders up and down with arms by your sides will relax you and improve flexibility.

Roll your shoulders towards ears then back down again. Do this six to eight times in a forward direction and then the same amount in a backwards direction.

Next, do some swing downs. With your legs remaining straight drop your torso until it is facing the ground and throw your arms between your knees.

Repeat this up and down action six to eight times, bringing your hands above your head at the start and finish of the swing.

Other warm up exercises you might like to try include leg swings, done while holding onto a wall, heel flicks, flicking your heels towards your bum, and knee lifts.

Starting Interval Training

Now you are ready to start your interval training. Doing short or longer intervals will have different advantages.

Short intervals are ideal for those looking to run 5k or 10k races. Longer intervals are useful for those preparing for marathons.

For shorter intervals, run 10 minutes at a comfortable and easy pace, and then run 400m at a hard pace at maximum effort and return to an easy pace. Repeat this four to ten times depending on how fit you are.

Use a slow pace to cool down at the end. For longer intervals, start with ten minutes of easy pace and then run one mile at your own 10k pace, recovering at an easy pace for 400m afterwards.

Repeat this twice or build up to repeating it up to six times. Again, recover with an easy cool down pace.

Doing Stretch Sequences

Stretch sequences can be performed before and after running sessions to warm up your muscles, improve flexibility and calm down stressed and over-worked muscles.

There are many different stretch exercises to choose from so you can develop a routine of your favourites or what feels best to you.

To stretch the calves, stand facing a wall with both hands on the wall. Bend the front knee and straighten the back leg.

Push your heel to the floor of your back leg and hold for 15 seconds on each side. To stretch the quadriceps’s, which are at the front of your thigh, bring your leg behind you until your ankle is touching your bum.

Hold it there with your hand for 15 seconds. Repeat this exercise for the other leg. Other stretches include side stretches, when you use your arm to lean to the right or left to stretch your sides.

Targeting hamstrings is easily done by lying on the floor with one foot bent up and on the ground while you straighten the other and bring it upwards towards the top of your body and pull it down for 15 seconds.

Many muscles are involved in running and you will want to stretch all of them. The gluteal muscles are in the buttocks. Hips should be flexed to keep them flexible.

A back stretch can target the lower back. To improve your flexibility even more beyond these stretch exercises you could consider attending yoga classes, Body-balance classes or stretch classes as part of your weekly fitness routine.