How do I improve my cardio

babycook
babycook Posts: 172 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
My cardio really sucks. I can jog for about two minutes then I'm out of breathe. Should I just keep at it and try to increase my length? I really want to run but I just don't have the cardio for it.
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Replies

  • ccsick
    ccsick Posts: 91 Member
    Would love to know this one, too. I run but only for a little bit. Should I do more leg weight to build muscle, what? HELP?!?!?
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
    Try slowing down. Slow down to a pace that might even seem silly and then see how long you can go.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    If you're getting out of breath so quickly, you're probably running too fast. Go at a slower pace for a while, and dont be afraid to run for 2 minutes, then walk for 30 seconds to catch your breath before starting again. It takes time, but work at slowly increasing the length of time you run for.
  • Hollie_downunder
    Hollie_downunder Posts: 192
    its not abnormal to be "out of breath" but you can't just stop when you're breathing gets heavy
    Are you trying to run? Try the couch 2 5K program (you might see a lot of people talking about c25k) :)

    its great at helping you increase that fitness, i went from never running in my LIFE to doing a 5km fun run in about 2/3months and now i love to run :)
  • engodwin
    engodwin Posts: 516 Member
    Just keep doing it - whatever your time is now just add on to it by 10% each time :) either increase speed or distance by 10% each workout - not both at the same time - when I started running in March I could only run 1/8th of a mile without stopping - seriously that was pushing it - I would run/walk repeat - just kept doing it over and over again now... I can run 6 miles without stopping - takes me an hour but I can do it and so can you!!!
  • robinhardysmall
    robinhardysmall Posts: 246 Member
    This is just me~ but the C25K has been the best for me! It uses more interval training- it has you running a 5K in 9 weeks I believe- however I'm still on week 2- and been doing this for a month- I'm running 1 minute and 15 seconds and walking for 1 minute - my goal in a couple of weeks is to increase it to running 1 minute 30 seconds and walking a minute...
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    Try the C25K program. It's great! And slow down. Focus on the time, not the speed at first.
  • Princess_Sameen
    Princess_Sameen Posts: 284 Member
    Hopefully this will help

    http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
    gives you a great schedule to follow
  • JudyL5305
    JudyL5305 Posts: 196 Member
    Watch you speed that you are going at and your breathing. Build it up so maybe 2 mins then walk 2 mins then see if you can do 3 mins and so forth.
  • ClarkAddison
    ClarkAddison Posts: 86 Member
    If you're getting out of breath so quickly, you're probably running too fast. Go at a slower pace for a while, and dont be afraid to run for 2 minutes, then walk for 30 seconds to catch your breath before starting again. It takes time, but work at slowly increasing the length of time you run for.

    This. When I first got back to running only about 6 months ago it is exactly how I went about it. Now I can comfortably run 10K's. Not to quickly mind you but I can still run them.
  • MtnKat
    MtnKat Posts: 714
    Couch to 5k....saved my life!

    It'll teach you endurance and give you confidence. There are all kinds of podcasts and apps for your phone or mp3 player. There are text training programs (you write it down and keep track of it) all over...try www.runnersworld.com.

    Or you can just add a little longer run each time....you will get there.

    Lift weights and add some muscle too...that will help your balance, strength and endurance and ultimately your runs.
  • andthenwhat
    andthenwhat Posts: 69 Member
    I would also suggest (on days you don't try to do your distance) focus on sprints. Sprint, then jog/walk on and off. You can build up your sprint time as you get better, but what will happen is you will be working ANaerobically instead of just aerobically. This makes your heart and lungs more efficient at oxygenating your muscles, and you will find on days that you do just plain distance, it will feel a bit easier!
  • zhanaolivia
    zhanaolivia Posts: 65
    I know that once you're all out of breath and want to stop it feels like you're done for the day. But, as someone has already said, just stop and walk for a bit, then keep jogging. I found when I started running that I would run about 5 laps, then I would stop, practically dying, then walk a lap, and I could go off and do maybe 6 more laps.

    The first leg, even if it feels like you're finished, is just hard because you're warming up. Push another leg after a rest, and you'll build up fitness pretty quickly. Even just a week will make a huge difference to how far you can run.
  • ClarkAddison
    ClarkAddison Posts: 86 Member
    I bought a HRM and have learned the perfect heart rate for me to run at. Once I get over that Heart Rate I start breathing heavier and start to struggle. I just slow down the pace a bit and I get back in the groove.
  • andthenwhat
    andthenwhat Posts: 69 Member
    I know that once you're all out of breath and want to stop it feels like you're done for the day. But, as someone has already said, just stop and walk for a bit, then keep jogging. I found when I started running that I would run about 5 laps, then I would stop, practically dying, then walk a lap, and I could go off and do maybe 6 more laps.

    The first leg, even if it feels like you're finished, is just hard because you're warming up. Push another leg after a rest, and you'll build up fitness pretty quickly. Even just a week will make a huge difference to how far you can run.

    And this this this for sure! It will be such a confidence booster also to see that you can just pick right back up and keep going after taking a breather! It definitely helped with my running.
  • yksdoris
    yksdoris Posts: 327 Member
    Everyone is different of course, but for me, intervals really helped: start out just walking, then after 1 min of walking, crank it up as fast as you can for 10 seconds, then back to walking for the rest of the minute. Then 10 seconds super-fast, then slow down again.

    If you get way out of breath, skip an interval or two (or four). If you're running in nature (or street), you can do 2 min walking, 30 sec RUN, then 2 min walking again. When you're on a rowing machine, then 20 beats normal, 5 beats as fast as you can, then 20 normal again.

    The intervals are sneaky, I did them in the gym on various cardio machines and on all of them I noticed that when I got off the super-fast bit I didn't go back to the speed I was at when I first started out: I went faster. You sort of trick your body into pushing itself more because you are definitely going slower than your max so it feels like you're resting but actually you're unconciously still going on a little bit of inertia from the max ;)
  • trud72
    trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
    keep doing it!! :bigsmile:
    and it will improve...
  • loneworg
    loneworg Posts: 342 Member
    its not abnormal to be "out of breath" but you can't just stop when you're breathing gets heavy
    Are you trying to run? Try the couch 2 5K program (you might see a lot of people talking about c25k) :)

    its great at helping you increase that fitness, i went from never running in my LIFE to doing a 5km fun run in about 2/3months and now i love to run :)
    I agree, if you looking to jog/run c25k is an awesome program
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    I agree that C25K is an awesome program. Also yes, slow down if you can. Cardiovascular endurance increases with duration, not speed.
  • jgic2009
    jgic2009 Posts: 531 Member
    Try slowing down. Slow down to a pace that might even seem silly and then see how long you can go.

    This is great advice. I used to think I couldn't run, but it turned out I just couldn't run as fast as I thought I should.

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