Hi, can anyone give me some good tips for building stamina (i'm a total begginer). I'm using treadmills at the gym rather than road running, and if you put me on 12-13kph i can run as long as you'd like me too, and it doesnt really do much for me. I'm looking to build stamina / lung capacity / CV fitness rather than calorie burning for weight loss. i've been put on a program at 7.3mph upping the gradient by 0.5 every 20 seconds and hit the brick wall at about 7 minutes, usually remaining on gradient 9.5 for as long as i can.
I'm a non smoker, 5'6", 9 1/2 stone, good stregnth fitness, well hydrated with good blood pressure. However i'm getting puffed out climbing stairs, and the rowing machine seems like torture, my CV fitness is appalling.
Is this a good way to build stamina, or should i change my training ragieme? I want running to be mostly to improve CV fitness, i dont want to loose too much weight. My running forms part of my overall gym program which mostly consists of resistance machines. What benefits will building my legs on machines offer (which again is the bain of my life as they are like twigs)?
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If you want to race, some speed and hill sessions will build stamina and I'd definitely recommend weights for building endurance (upper and lower bod). Choose free weights over machines as they train more muscles and in a more functional way.
Rower is good providing your technique's good (seen bad backs with improper form). You don't have to beast yourself on it. Row at a pace that leaves you breathless but still able to talk a bit. What about stationary cycling or swimming?
I've always thought that unless i'm pushing myself so its uncomfortable, i'm not going to get anywhere (as is the case in weight training)?? Doing a hill climbing running session seems to push my boundaries a bit, long distance puts me off as i think i will burn too many calories.
Does anyone know if its safe to run with aching legs post build-up sessions? For eaxmple i know you are not meant to weight train if your muscles still ache, but can i still run OK if my legs ache from a leg workout the day before?
I don't really do much on the bike machines, but do also do a hard workout on the cross trainer (level 14 out of 20, random program for 11 mins). I find this good stuff.
I'd also HIGHLY recommend mixing your treadmill running with some outdoor runs...for me, this provides a similar benefit to using free weights in that your musculature is constantly challenged in lots of ways by undulating surfaces, wind resistance etc.
Think more about time than speed. Get 30 mins comfortable under your belt as your first goal - easily reached goals are the way to go. Start off with 10 mins now, do that for a couple of weeks, than add 1 or 2 mins (or whatever you reckon) a week. You'll improve in leaps and bounds, way faster than you might expect.
Heart rate monitors are really good for base training and will give you instant visual feedback on whether you're training at the most useful level or not...which is often amazingly slow.
Best of luck and merry xmas!
Dave
Also a combination of other things -like club track sessions for building speed -and stamina, and spinning classes I find are great for building lung capacity, you could try some aerobic classes or stuff like body attack too. Variety is good too to prevent boredom and repitition even if it is only varying routes when you are out -simply running a route in reverse makes it different. Good luck with it.
To build stamina I think doing something like fartleks would be good or intervals - where you run at a fast pace for a minute, recover for 2
you could mix up these times to suit you with longer fast paced bursts & shorter recoveries.
I could be wrong though - sometimes it's hard to make the distibction between endurance & stamina - at least i find it hard
but running outside is totally different anyway
id slow down to that trot, and slower-if you want to go for longer
you know you want to----------
you learn pacing with experience
go for it!
Keep on running BAC. It'll be the best thing that's ever happenend to you. A friend of mine is an elite runner and she was going on about "runners high".. I used to complain cos I could never run long enough for the 'free drugs' to kick in... but now I know what she means... that endorphin rush you get after about 20 minutes when you just fly... its fantastic...
:-)
but running is the best thing that happened to me
I totally agree, although it has it's place in training on occassions , in my case very occassionally. If I didn't run outside I don't think I would be running at all ,the tread certainly is boring. Running out on a cool bright dry day can make the miles fly by. And sometimes you don't even want to stop . On a tread I am constantly watching the clock and wishing it would speed up so I can move on to something else.
And never ever be afraid of entering run's .And don't fret about being at the back either. Some people in these forums say that the races in which they came last were the most memorable in a good way that is , and also it's very rare that you will be at the back anyway if you choose one with a high number of entrants. Someone has to come last , and I never think anything negative about that person ,do you?, probably not. So put your name down you will not regret it .A few runs scattered here and there is the best motivtion there is.
You should be looking at how often you run. 3 times a week is a good start point, but 5 times is essential to move yourself on.
The long run is importnat - at least 1 hour would be recommended.
To address speed you should be doing some faster paced work. A teadmill can be very effective - try 4 by 5 minute runs.
You should also seek out a local runni9ng club - cheaper than gym membership and would allow you to get some support / advice on a one to one basis.
Well done on your progress!
If you've got the right shoes for your feet and gait, I'd say that the calf & shin problem will subside once your body gets used to running. Just make sure you're doing plenty of stretches after your sessions.
Having said that, I'm a beginner too so someone with better advice will probably be along soon!
Back to the thread though... My two-penneth worth on the stamina/speed thing is to do interval training. It's pretty uncomfortable to do but you tend to see good improvements. Don't do them very often though and when you do, make sure it's not on a hard surface.