Running overweight?

[Fluffy1985]

Hello

I was always interested in running, but I was always too heavy for it. Well, at least the doctor told me so.
When I look through the web I find people that started at a heavier weight than I currently have, but my doctor still tells me I am too heavy and just would hurt my knees or ruin my joints.

Are there any experts here who can tell me if starting to run is completely impossible with overweight?
Or are here maybe runners that started overweight on their own??

[Yomom]

I am not an expert but can comment from my personal experience. I was overweight, weighing in the 170's when I ran, ages 40-50, with height 5'7". In my 50s I started following Walk-Run and Run-Walk programs (available free online; just Google it). Now at age 60, I still Walk-Run or Run-Walk, depending on how I feel, or on the heat, and weigh 148 - still losing thanks to much time and continually improving adherence to the McDougall Program. I also walk and hike, but running has always been fun which is why I throw it into the mix. I just try not to overdo it.

[vgpedlr]

Running puts tremendous mechanical stress on the body- the injury rates for runners are no joke. I believe it's best to be conservative when it comes to running. There are plenty of ways to exercise that do not put so much stress on the body's structure. Low impact exercise and this good diet can enable weight loss, then running can be added later.

[Skip]

Many people adopt a run/walk strategy which starts off as a walk, then if you feel good break into a slow jog and if it seems to stressful go back to walking and repeat the cycle. One way to judge what is "to stressful" can be a heart monitor. If you exceed a heart rate of 180 minus your age, you can back it down to keep it under this rate.

[Fluffy1985]

Thanks for your replies and your opinions.

Of course I wouldn't just put on my shoes and start running. When I start then I want it the right way. Actually I found a beginner's guide which seems to be commonsensical written. Maybe you can tell me your opinions about it as well? I will focus on the part for overweight people.

Like you said before, they recommend to start with walking. For people who haven't been into exercises for a long time, they also suggest a month of regular walking. Beside this, they recommend to walk on arduos paths for overweight people so the ligaments will be prepared and strengthened. The next step makes the difference between just unathletic and (heavily) overweight people.

Group one shall actually start to run. They suggest to increase the running time 10% every 1,5 - 2 weeks.
Group two (=the overweight) shall start with Walk-Run-Rest-Walk-Run intervals. In the beginning the walking and even the resting part shall be very high, while the running part shall start with a duration of 1 or max 2 minutes. This group shall continue to increase the whole interval by 5% every 2 weeks while decrease the resting times within this interval weekly. They expect that after two months this group reaches an walk-run interval. From that point the group shall increase the running part by 5% weekly while decreasing the walking part at the same time. So again after a month they expect group two to actually run and then the running shall be increased like in group one.

What do you think about it?

[Skip]

Sounds like a reasonable approach. Go for it!

[Earl_UK]

I cant run since I had a stroke (cerebral) , as my balance is very poor however even if i could i wouldn't unless running on sand the impact of running on joints is not good imo and we are not designed very well to do it either we are walkers. Walking is great, hill walking a greater challenge.

At the gym I treadmill walk on a regular, which is helping my mobility and also cycling machines.

Safe environment, not worrying about going to far and not making it back.

This is just my spin on it and my circumstances.

[vgpedlr]

I cant run since I had a stroke (cerebral) , as my balance is very poor however even if i could i wouldn't unless running on sand the impact of running on joints is not good imo and we are not designed very well to do it either we are walkers. Walking is great, hill walking a greater challenge.

At the gym I treadmill walk on a regular, which is helping my mobility and also cycling machines.

Safe environment, not worrying about going to far and not making it back.

This is just my spin on it and my circumstances.

Actually, humans are phenomenal endurance runners, tied with horses as the best in the animal kingdom. We are very well adapted to endurance, along with horses we have the ability to sweat and cool ourselves over the long haul.

But that does not mean running is right for everyone. If one has led a mostly sedentary life eating SAD, running may cause more problems, especially at the beginning. Running is brilliant, but for modern humans living in the modern world, one must proceed with caution.

[Willijan]

Running puts tremendous mechanical stress on the body- the injury rates for runners are no joke. I believe it's best to be conservative when it comes to running. There are plenty of ways to exercise that do not put so much stress on the body's structure. Low impact exercise and this good diet can enable weight loss, then running can be added later.

I really agree with vgpedlr, and your doctor. If you are significantly overweight running is probably not a good idea. With this diet, you could lose weight and then get into running and enjoy it. But if you start it too soon, you could injure yourself and not get the reward of being able to do it when your body is ready. Running with extra weight probably puts unacceptable stress on your joints, especially when your body is still unhealthy in other ways from a poor diet.

[Skip]

You could try using an elliptical machine.......
You could try walking on a treadmill with an incline to increase the intensity of walking .......
You could try running in a swimming pool (shallow end)....