Cardio help!

Abi_bug04

Hello everyone!

I am new to the world of running, and going at it pretty slow and steady so far. I can comfortably run a mile in 12 minutes, but my long-term goal is to make an 8-minute mile. I also want to run a 5-k without stopping, and am hoping to accomplish that by June.

I had a few questions:

1) Is it better to run non-stop at a slower pace and go a longer distance, or is it better to run a faster pace in intervals to try to clock a faster mile? (What are the benefits of each of these approaches?)

2) If I can run a 12-11:30 minute mile at this point, should I be focusing more towards increasing my distance...or should I also be working towards increasing my speed? (How does one manage to work on both of these things, while going to the gym 3 times a week).

3) What is a better calorie burn (running in short bursts of faster speeds, or running longer distances at a slower speed)? What are the benefits of each of these?

4) Which of these is better for long-term cardiovascular health?

Anyways, thanks so much in advance- and I'm looking forward to hearing some great advice!

Abi

Fr3shStrt

From what I understand HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is better for calorie burn. So you would sprint for a minute then jog for two. Everything I've been reading says that steady state cardio isn't bad for you, but you'll get better results from HIIT. And... in my own experience I have found that pushing myself doing intervals has helped me get faster.

But I am sure there are people with a lot more experience than me here, so I'll be stopping back to see what other people say

Abi_bug04

Thanks so much for the feedback! I had heart that about HIIT as well, and it definitely makes sense, because you are pushing yourself out of your comfort zone when you sprint, but are still getting a good burn while you jog! Is this also better for long term heart health, or does this put more stress on your heart in the long run?

I know I'm pretty young, and don't need to be worrying too much about that right now- but it's always something I keep in the back of my mind...

ValerieMomof2

Hello everyone!

I am new to the world of running, and going at it pretty slow and steady so far. I can comfortably run a mile in 12 minutes, but my long-term goal is to make an 8-minute mile. I also want to run a 5-k without stopping, and am hoping to accomplish that by June.

I had a few questions:

1) Is it better to run non-stop at a slower pace and go a longer distance, or is it better to run a faster pace in intervals to try to clock a faster mile? (What are the benefits of each of these approaches?)

2) If I can run a 12-11:30 minute mile at this point, should I be focusing more towards increasing my distance...or should I also be working towards increasing my speed? (How does one manage to work on both of these things, while going to the gym 3 times a week).

3) What is a better calorie burn (running in short bursts of faster speeds, or running longer distances at a slower speed)? What are the benefits of each of these?

4) Which of these is better for long-term cardiovascular health?

Anyways, thanks so much in advance- and I'm looking forward to hearing some great advice!

Abi

Since you are just starting out, I would focus on distance/endurance first. Doing distance and time can be challenging. Not saying it can't be done, but you'll notice your time improves anyway as you get more comfortable with distance as well. So to answer question 1 & 2, I would work on increasing distance and aim for your goal of running the 5K non stop. Then start training for speed. As for the 3 times a week at the gym--what are you doing there? Strength only or doing a combination of strength and cardio. Do you run on a treadmill or run other days outdoors?
As was previous said, HIIT is going to be the better fat burn even though it is shorter time and you will find that HIIT will help with speed as well.
As for benefits or each, I found this a good read:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/steady-state-and-interval-training-part-1.html

For long term health, I can't personally say that one of these is better than the other because it depends on other factors for YOU (lifestyles, heredity and such), however doing either and mixing in strength training is going to make you a more fit and healthy person overall so get out there and train! Good luck to you

Edit to add, I will say that I personally found doing a mix of training was best for me. I did a couple days of HIIT (not always cardio, but with weights) and 1 long distance run a week and found a huge difference in my abilities (time wise & distance wise) BUT I had been running for a couple years

Abi_bug04

Hello everyone!

I am new to the world of running, and going at it pretty slow and steady so far. I can comfortably run a mile in 12 minutes, but my long-term goal is to make an 8-minute mile. I also want to run a 5-k without stopping, and am hoping to accomplish that by June.

I had a few questions:

1) Is it better to run non-stop at a slower pace and go a longer distance, or is it better to run a faster pace in intervals to try to clock a faster mile? (What are the benefits of each of these approaches?)

2) If I can run a 12-11:30 minute mile at this point, should I be focusing more towards increasing my distance...or should I also be working towards increasing my speed? (How does one manage to work on both of these things, while going to the gym 3 times a week).

3) What is a better calorie burn (running in short bursts of faster speeds, or running longer distances at a slower speed)? What are the benefits of each of these?

4) Which of these is better for long-term cardiovascular health?

Anyways, thanks so much in advance- and I'm looking forward to hearing some great advice!

Abi

Since you are just starting out, I would focus on distance/endurance first. Doing distance and time can be challenging. Not saying it can't be done, but you'll notice your time improves anyway as you get more comfortable with distance as well. So to answer question 1 & 2, I would work on increasing distance and aim for your goal of running the 5K non stop. Then start training for speed. As for the 3 times a week at the gym--what are you doing there? Strength only or doing a combination of strength and cardio. Do you run on a treadmill or run other days outdoors?
As was previous said, HIIT is going to be the better fat burn even though it is shorter time and you will find that HIIT will help with speed as well.
As for benefits or each, I found this a good read:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/steady-state-and-interval-training-part-1.html

For long term health, I can't personally say that one of these is better than the other because it depends on other factors for YOU (lifestyles, heredity and such), however doing either and mixing in strength training is going to make you a more fit and healthy person overall so get out there and train! Good luck to you

Edit to add, I will say that I personally found doing a mix of training was best for me. I did a couple days of HIIT (not always cardio, but with weights) and 1 long distance run a week and found a huge difference in my abilities (time wise & distance wise) BUT I had been running for a couple years

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond to this! I will definitely give that article a read!

Currently at the gym, I am doing a combination of strength and cardio.
For cardio= I usually start off by doing a 10 minute warm up on the elliptical, run for 20(ish) minutes, and then do 10 minutes of rowing or stair-stepper as a 'cool-down'. For strength training I alternate core, upper body, and lower body by doing each one day of the 3 gym days. For lower body I mostly work on squats and hamstring curls, and some hip-strengthening exercises as well. I am 6 months out of ACL surgery, so my muscles in my post-op leg are fairly weaker than my other leg, and I am mostly working on evening that out, and overall strengthening.

I was running outside a couple of weeks ago, but found that the pavement was more painful than the treadmill (since my post-op leg is pretty sensitive at this point). So for now, I will keep doing treadmill for another few weeks and then resume outdoor running when my strength increases!

I definitely will probably alternate between endurance running and HIIT, and I think that might be the best of both worlds for me!
Thanks so much for your advice!