can running be bad for you like can it do you harm

fat_killer1 wrote: »

i want to do a c25k but am like 300 pounds and am very unfit dont walk more than 5 min a day -_- i was think if i did 4 weeks of 20 min bike riding and then start the c25k , the thing is im afraid of injurying my self . shoud i start after i lose more weight ? is it safe thanks

Personally i would avoid running being heavy (no offence intended) it's gonna put alot of stress on your joints i would go for just walking more, biking or swimming.

There is nothing wrong with running and being heavy. I have many girls in my running group who are larger women and run with no problems. However, they started with a walking base before starting to run. I will suggest the same thing for you. Here is a C25K walking plan. I suggest you start here first. Then once you have completed this, move up in Jenny's program to Walk/Run, and then Run/Walk, etc...

http://www.jennyhadfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/5K_Walk.gif

C25k....I'd give it a go, but bear in mind I'm inexperienced! It is a programme based on building up to running 5k over a period of weeks....8 minimum. Walking interspaced with short periods of running.... building up the running over the weeks..that is what I thought and found out about it...... I really want to try this too, but I do have some joint issues, but advised by a physio friend to do static and "moving" stretches pre and post the session.

SchweddyGirl wrote: »

There is nothing wrong with running and being heavy. I have many girls in my running group who are larger women and run with no problems.

Running groups aren't representative samples of typical new runners. Many people drop of running due to injuries and therefore never join running groups. About 20% of new runners get injured, and the risk tends to be higher with obese people. I can dig up the studies if you want to see them.

OP - if you're going to try it, 1) go to a good running shoe store and have them choose shoes for you based on your gait, 2) have your running form assessed by a running coach/ physical therapist / personal trainer, and 3) if you get abnormal pains, stop running until you resolve the issue.

fat_killer1 wrote: »

i want to do a c25k but am like 300 pounds and am very unfit dont walk more than 5 min a day -_- i was think if i did 4 weeks of 20 min bike riding and then start the c25k , the thing is im afraid of injurying my self . shoud i start after i lose more weight ? is it safe thanks

I started running last September at 255 pounds, however I was perfectly able to walk for hours at a time before hand. Can you walk for an hour in a park? Two? Without supreme difficulty? If so, then C25K might well be for you. If not, you should do walking and cycling first to build up capacity and speak to your doctor before hand.

Just as an example: I started at 255 and couldn't run 1km without stopping and wheezing frequently. I'd had pneumonia earlier in 2014 so lung function wasn't yet tip top. But I pushed through that and ran all winter, covering "only" a little more than 200km from September to December 31 2014. By the end of February I'd lost 50 pounds and frankly that first 50 was pretty easy. I'm down 68 pounds now and this month alone will have run more than 225km and next week will pass 1,000km since I started last fall, not to mention road cycling and other activities.

No injuries. Blood pressure down huge, heart function up, lung function up, I'm a whole new me. I'm a fit still fat but not obese guy now, well on my way to my end goal.

Do I like running? You bet. Will you? No idea - you might, you might not, but it's definitely worth a try.

Running per se is not responsible for all the positive changes but is certainly responsible for my improved fitness and for helping ensure I've got a solid calorie deficit to work with. Vigorous exercise - only as you are ready for it - ties in nicely with a weight loss through calorie restriction approach.

Good luck!

Mike