C25K highest weight trying this program

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hobbeskastiel
hobbeskastiel Posts: 221 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I was curious who has tried this program and at what weight did they start. I'm pretty heavy and would like to add this to my workout, but am worried about it making my knee pain worse. Any thoughts?

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  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
    edited May 2016
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    Your results may differ from others', even if you're lighter. If you're concerned about knee pain, i would: 1) get fitted for shoes by the staff at a good runner's store, 2) double or triple the time spent at each stage of C25K, and 3) get clearance from your doctor before running. :+1:
  • JenHuedy
    JenHuedy Posts: 611 Member
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    How much exercise do you get right now? Can you walk 5K without pain? I didn't start C25K until I had lost about 65 pounds (from 230 to 165). But I did do a TON of walking first. When I started, 20 minutes at 2.5 mph and 0 incline had me sweating. I decided to start C25K when it took me an hour at 4 mph and max incline to work up a good sweat.

    I truly feel the conditioning I got from walking is one of the main reasons C25K was so successful for me. I've NEVER been a runner. I couldn't run a mile without walking even in school gym class. A trip to Costco would leave me with sore knees and hips - and I was barely 40! Now I run almost 30 miles a week without any pain.

  • jcrossle713
    jcrossle713 Posts: 18 Member
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    I am also beginning a modified C25K program. I have registered for a 5k in my area that is in 16 weeks. I weigh... a lot. lol. I'm quite heavy. I'm weighing in at 352lbs today. It seems impossible but we can do it! I don't plan on running the entire 5k. I will be happy with myself if I am able to walk/run it without difficulty, which is my goal. I have been walking more lately and waited until I could walk more than a mile without getting completely winded and sore before I increased my speed and broke into a jog.

    If you have existing medical conditions I would take it easy and get clearance from a doc before beginning anything too rigorous.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    JenHuedy wrote: »
    How much exercise do you get right now? Can you walk 5K without pain? I didn't start C25K until I had lost about 65 pounds (from 230 to 165). But I did do a TON of walking first. When I started, 20 minutes at 2.5 mph and 0 incline had me sweating. I decided to start C25K when it took me an hour at 4 mph and max incline to work up a good sweat.

    I truly feel the conditioning I got from walking is one of the main reasons C25K was so successful for me. I've NEVER been a runner. I couldn't run a mile without walking even in school gym class. A trip to Costco would leave me with sore knees and hips - and I was barely 40! Now I run almost 30 miles a week without any pain.

    You sound like me! I dropped from 301 to about 170 before I started running, but I regularly walked 4-5 miles per day for 1 1/2 years. I'd walked several 5k and 10k events. I actually tried running a year ago at around 200 and it was still very difficult and gave me some problems. Although when I did C25K in Feb-April this year, running was challenging, I progressed quickly and got through with no problems. My pace is still slow, but I'm keeping up the running and have increased to 35-40 min nonstop.

    I agree, if you can't walk at least 5k at a good pace, I would not recommend running. If you already have knee pain, take it extra slow. Every runner I know has injuries, some are serious and lifelong. I just remind myself that it doesn't really matter whether I run or not, but I DO want to be able to walk normally the rest of my life.
  • laur357
    laur357 Posts: 896 Member
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    The first time I tried I was 245, but I had a fair amount of shin and foot pain so I stopped. Just started again at 198, and I feel really good doing it (holy crap, I can run for 5 minutes!). IMO, you should be able to briskly walk for 45 minutes to an hour comfortably before you start. If you have knee pain, consult a doctor and maybe consider a more intense walking (or biking) program instead of C25K for a while. Don't ruin your joints in the meantime! There are other options until you get to a weight/fitness level where you feel good starting out.
  • caitlinrn83
    caitlinrn83 Posts: 178 Member
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    i started at 200 even. I repeated a couple of days when i felt like i needed to, and there is nothing wrong with walking more when your body says you need it. Absolutely get fitted for the right shoes. take your time, and remember that slow going is better than no going.
  • RespectTheKitty
    RespectTheKitty Posts: 1,667 Member
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    I just finished week 6 and I weigh 220 pounds (5'6"). I kinda feel like it'd be a lot easier if I were lighter, but I can still do it, and so far have not had any pain issues (knock on wood), so I'm out there doing it. I have noticed that my weight loss has picked up a bit since I've been running regularly, so that's good.

    I also had a good walking base built up before I started c25k.
  • rldeclercq4
    rldeclercq4 Posts: 269 Member
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    29 year old male. I was probably 330-340 when I started, but I'd also got a good base of walking at a 4.0 mph pace and with max incline on treadmill. Now I've completed the program. I didn't have to redo any days, I'm now on week 2 of C210K and have been able to run up to 50 minutes nonstop. It blows my mind what I've been able to do. I'm now in the 280s. Also, for context, I was an athlete my whole life up until my sophomore year of college so I'm used to pushing myself physically, even when it might be a dumb idea. Go slow, you'll feel better everday and will want to just keep doing it
  • hobbeskastiel
    hobbeskastiel Posts: 221 Member
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    JenHuedy wrote: »
    How much exercise do you get right now? Can you walk 5K without pain? I didn't start C25K until I had lost about 65 pounds (from 230 to 165). But I did do a TON of walking first. When I started, 20 minutes at 2.5 mph and 0 incline had me sweating. I decided to start C25K when it took me an hour at 4 mph and max incline to work up a good sweat.

    I truly feel the conditioning I got from walking is one of the main reasons C25K was so successful for me. I've NEVER been a runner. I couldn't run a mile without walking even in school gym class. A trip to Costco would leave me with sore knees and hips - and I was barely 40! Now I run almost 30 miles a week without any pain.

    I will admit to being more of a biker and swimmer. I'll hit the bike for 45 minutes on a high resistance and rpm's or do an hour doing laps in the pool. I was interested in eventually doing a 5K and mentioned it to my sister, Now she wants to do it with me. Which is awesome motivation, but she's half my weight and will be ready way before I am. So I'm interested in the best way to approach this. So it's looking like adding some fast walking to my workout to begin with will help along the way. :)
  • hobbeskastiel
    hobbeskastiel Posts: 221 Member
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    Cherimoose wrote: »
    Your results may differ from others', even if you're lighter. If you're concerned about knee pain, i would: 1) get fitted for shoes by the staff at a good runner's store, 2) double or triple the time spent at each stage of C25K, and 3) get clearance from your doctor before running. :+1:

    Arggh, expensive shoes. I'm pretty much going to have to cave in and buy better shoes. Plus the repeated stages on the program sound liie a good idea too. Thanks.
  • hobbeskastiel
    hobbeskastiel Posts: 221 Member
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    jcrossle713 wrote: »
    I am also beginning a modified C25K program. I have registered for a 5k in my area that is in 16 weeks. I weigh... a lot. lol. I'm quite heavy. I'm weighing in at 352lbs today. It seems impossible but we can do it! I don't plan on running the entire 5k. I will be happy with myself if I am able to walk/run it without difficulty, which is my goal. I have been walking more lately and waited until I could walk more than a mile without getting completely winded and sore before I increased my speed and broke into a jog.

    If you have existing medical conditions I would take it easy and get clearance from a doc before beginning anything too rigorous.

    Yeah, I'm not looking to be able to run the whole thing either. I hate walking, but I'm doing it. I i want one of those cheesy 5k medals to show I can do it dammit! My workouts usually include cardio (bike, swimming) and weights. When I'm behaving well I go to the gym four times a week. Lately I've been slacking and am trying to re motivate myself. I lost my workout partners (husband works a ton of hours) so keeping myself going is harder then the workout itself.

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