How fast/long could you jog when you were 220+lbs?

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Adorkable1111
Adorkable1111 Posts: 22
in Fitness and Exercise
Im wondering how much I should be pushing myself. I currently weigh 235lbs, and I am 5'4.

I have a tredmill at home, and am wondering what I should set as speed and duration now, and what I should be working to.

What is safe at this size? What were you able to do. ? Also, it is set at MPH.
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Replies

  • lisettecaesar
    lisettecaesar Posts: 3
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    When I first start I could do about 30 minutes on treadmill. I weighed about 258 at the time. I am not 230 and I can walk about 3 to 4 miles outside. I started doing 60 to 120 minutes of cardio a day. I bought an elliptical and at first could only do 20 minutes but now I can do 30 minutes or more depending on time of day.
  • Adorkable1111
    Adorkable1111 Posts: 22
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    How many miles per hour were you walking/jogging? (speed on tred)
  • bleep
    bleep Posts: 68 Member
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    5 mph is a good speed to get a nice jog going. Maybe even 4.5. A leisurely walk would be around 3 mph.

    Right now I'm around 220 and I do 5.2 mph when I jog. I plan to go faster as I lose more weight. When I walk I usually go at 3.2-3.5 mph and put a little incline into the mix. When I walk I usually go 40-60 minutes.
  • Adorkable1111
    Adorkable1111 Posts: 22
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    how long can you stay at 5mph for? at the moment im huffing and puffing bad at 1 min :(
  • skeo
    skeo Posts: 471 Member
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    Hell, I'm 155 and can barely jog for longer than 2 minutes at a pace of 5.5 on a treadmill. I've always sucked at running, ALWAYS. But doesn't stop me from trying, my knees stop me before anything else.

    I know some people who are 200lbs that can jog 5 miles a day. I guess it really depends on the person? He is being advised to lay off of the jogging for now and to stick to walking, since the weight is taking a toll on his knees as well.

    So I would say, start off walking and try to maintain a pace of 3.0-3.3 with an incline if you're able, and just continue to work yourself into jogging comfortably.
  • joshdann
    joshdann Posts: 618 Member
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    220 lbs is my ideal weight. When I was that weight in my 20s, I could run very far and very fast.

    Remember, weight is very relative to height.
  • JoelleAnn78
    JoelleAnn78 Posts: 1,492 Member
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    Try a program like Couch to 5K and work your way up to loner intervals. Jumping into running is very hard and makes people feel very defeated very early on. That being said - I can run a 5K outside in 29 minutes but I cannot run on a treadmill for longer than 10 minutes without feeling like I might die!

    If you can, try running outside, and let your body set the pace. Running is not about speed (unless you are a racer, sprinter, Olympian, what have you.......) and your body will set the pace quite easily! If you cannot run outside, I suggest starting slwo... very slow and working your way up. Try 4 mph and if it feels ok after a bit, increase to 4.2 or 4.5. It's trial and error. Good luck!
  • pat14616
    pat14616 Posts: 1
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    You have to build up to long runs at any weight. Try jogging for a minute then walking for two, then jog for a minute, walk for two... yadda yadda. Start slow, and don't run consecutive days, your body needs to recover. Feel free to walk on the off days. When you get used to it try jogging longer, and extend the total workout time. I would start at 20 minute workouts at the beginning. "Running for Mortals" is a great book for beginners. Just don't try to push yourself too hard. NO ONE starts off running a 5k right off the bat. I started 100 yards at a time, and now I'm training for my 6th half marathon (with a full marathon under my belt). It's not impossible, just start slow and don't give up.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    I'm 239 pounds and I can run outside for two hours continuously it's taken about 3 months to get this but I had a good aerobic base from walking and swimming before hand. Don't run too fast to start. Run slower than you think speed will come once you have the endurance
  • jahreviking
    jahreviking Posts: 9
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    Hi adorkkable.... thanks so much for asking this question as i have been thinking about this for a really longtime. i am 238 and 5ft 9inch female. i have very heavy thighs and low on motivation and consistency. i keep myself motivated on a daily basis. i go for a interval sort of thing for an hour. i walk normal for about 5mins then i walk very briskly for 2 mins or so and then i run fast for 45 seconds or more. then i come back to a easy pace for 2 mins and then brisk and then run. its very good for me and i feel motivated and feel the burn in my body and love it. this has given me amazing results in weightloss...but i just always went back to bad food. this time i have not and will go all the way now. i do not overthink anything, do not stress out etc...i know i am being good...i push myself more in my runs daily and thats fine. so do keep at it. ure doing great. you will start with huffing and puffing...but believe me you will ease into it by the end of week. just do not stop...
    all the best...
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    I agree that a program like Couch to 5k (C25k) might be good for you to follow. You can google for the schedule online or check out the various apps available. Or you can do your own intervals - just run as long as you can then slow back down to a walk for a minute or two until you get your breath back, then try running again, etc. Keep pushing yourself to run a little farther every week or two.

    You may naturally develop some speed as you go but don't worry about that right now. Once you've gotten to a certain point (say 30 minutes without stopping or 3 miles) then you can start thinking about developing your speed.

    Since you asked though - I believe I originally ran at 4.3 mph and barely lasted a minute. I don't remember exactly what my weight was at the time but I was over 200.
  • Adorkable1111
    Adorkable1111 Posts: 22
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    Thanks :)
  • novarugger10
    novarugger10 Posts: 62 Member
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    I can't speak from experience of being 220+lbs BUT I can tell you how my dad started running/jogging again from being 300+lbs at 6'3". He started with running for about 5 mins, give or take depending on how bad his knees hurt from it. He then would walk until his total distance was 1 mile. After every week, he would try to increase his time/distance running while decreasing his walking tim until he could run the full mile nonstop. After that he started increasing the time he ran until he could run for 15mins, then 30, then 45, etc etc. Now he's down to his goal weight, his knees don't bother him as much, and he just completed his first sprint triathlon in June.

    So basically, start small then gradually increase and don't over work it. It will take time to get to whatever goal you set for your self but don't give up.
  • Simply_E
    Simply_E Posts: 4 Member
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    I wanted to reiterate what others have said because I do think it's super important. Whatever speed you start at, you will get better and don't get discouraged.

    I know you asked specifically asked about people who weighed 220+ lbs and while that may be a factor in running speed, the biggest is consistency and knowing when to push yourself/take it easy. When I first started running I could not run more than 30 seconds at 5mph. I eventually made my way up to jogging for about an hour at roughly 6mph. At the beginning it was literally start and stop, but the running intervals got longer and eventually a 30 minute jog was no biggie.
  • needles85365
    needles85365 Posts: 491 Member
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    It's individual for everyone. The import thing is to start and then push yourself. I started at 290ish, could only do a min at a time on the elliptical. I'm now 215 and can do an hour at a time. Slow and steady but keep at it.
  • HealthWoke0ish
    HealthWoke0ish Posts: 2,078 Member
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    I'm 6' 245lbs. I just ran a half marathon this past Saturday. My average split time was 9:40 min per mile.

    ETA: I'm 35 yrs old. I'm noticeably faster on a treadmill. If I was in your shoes, I'd just pick a pace that allowed me to run/jog for longer periods of time. The reason I'd do that is because I'm interested in getting my heart rate up for an extended period of time and speed doesn't have as much to do with that (in my opinion) as endurance. Good luck with whatever you do! :)
  • kellicruz1978
    kellicruz1978 Posts: 170 Member
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    You have to go at a pace that is comfortable for YOU.
  • Sarra33
    Sarra33 Posts: 30
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    I can't help you with advice for running at 220 but I am just learning to run 6 months after foot surgery and having never done much cardio.

    As others upthread have done I will also recommend getting a couch-to-5K program. I am using Zombies, Run! because I like zombies and the commentary in the app is kind of funny but there are many different programs.

    Currently my 35 minute run consists of:

    10 minute brisk walk
    1 min walk/15 second run - repeat 10 times
    10 minutes free-form walking or running

    In that 35 minutes I can go around 4km with an average pace of 10min/km. My goal is to be doing 5km in 30 minutes by the end of October.

    I am also someone who can't run on a treadmill. It's easier on my joints and feet for sure but it's also way easier to quit. If I spend the first 17 minutes of my workout walking/running away from my house then I have no choice but to spend the last 17 minutes running back. If I'm on a treadmill then I'm much more inclined to just say "F this!" and hop off when I get winded at the 20 minute mark.
  • TheGymGypsy
    TheGymGypsy Posts: 1,023 Member
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    I know a girl who is 250 lbs and can run 2 miles without stopping. I also know a girl who is 140 lbs and can't run for 5 minutes without stopping. It's all about building up endurance. Gradually build up to running longer spans at a time.
  • Leah_Alexis
    Leah_Alexis Posts: 139 Member
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    I'm 5'7 and 250lbs. I walk on a 9 inclince at 3.0mph for 6min and i'm dying. I walk on a flat surface anywhere between 3.2mph and 3.4mph. I can jog at 4.0mph-4.2mph for normally in the range of 15min but I have done it for 20min every now and then. Today I jogged at 5.1mph for 2min and 5.8mph for 1min. Haha

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