Full Workout: The Beginner 5k Training Plan 8 Weeks Secret
Introduction
It might sound like a stupid question, but if you’re new to any sport, kind of difficult to know where to start.
Just because most of us can run, becoming a runner is a very different matter. So, whether you’re coming from a competitive level in another sport, you’re returning from injury, or you’re just purely trying to use running to get fit.
I am gonna guide you from wherever your starting point is all the way through to being able to complete a 5K run.
How to Run Properly
Beginner 5k training plan 8 weeks. When walking, most of us will land with a heel strike out in front of the body and our weight rolls over our foot, leaving off our toes while simultaneously repeating that on the other leg.
With running, however, your whole body will leave the ground between every stride. So, therefore, your foot’s gonna land more underneath you, changing the biomechanics of your foot strike.
Now, don’t worry about the science of this. My point is the fact that running is very different from walking, and therefore, you are gonna need to build into it gradually.
Important Key Points For 5k Run
- There are a few key points to think about whilst running. Use your arms. They’re there to help with propulsion or with balancing out the movement of running. And if you’re used to power walking, then you’d already be familiar with this type of movement.
- The next point is your body position. As you move from running to jogging, you’ll naturally find that you’ll tilt forwards.
- But I want you to try and imagine that you’ve got a straight line from your ankles to your head and that’s just certainly on a forwards tilt, but keeping your hips nice and in line with that.
- Then finally, this one is easier said than done, but try and relax. So, drop your shoulders, let your arms swing naturally, and most importantly, remember to breathe.
Beginner 5k Training Plan 8 Weeks
I’m going to presume for this post that you’ve already got a good base level of fitness and that you can manage 30 minutes of brisk walking comfortably.
The aim is to be a beginner 5k training plan 8 weeks. But to reach that, we are going to need to mix in some running and walking intervals into our session plan.
So let’s have a look at the first four weeks and the sessions suggested.
Training: Week 1
You’re going to be doing 3-4 sessions per week, so make sure you spread them out and fit them around your plans. In this 1 week, you have 3 runs and to keep it simple, they’re all going to be the same.
Session One
Total Time: 21mins
7x 2mins walk, 1min jogRepeat for sessions 2 and 3
Training: Week 2
So sticking to the 3 sessions, it’s just increasing in length a little this week. So don’t worry about the pace that you’re running. Try to enjoy it and think about staying in good form, relaxing your shoulders, and breathing well.
Session One
Total time: 30mins
10x 2mins walk, 1min jog
Session Two
Total time: 20mins
10x 1min walk, 1min jog
Session Three
Total time: 30mins
10x 2mins walk, 1min jog
Training: Week 3
It is still only 3 runs this week, but you have an extra walk that’s added in. So this will give you more time on your feet and help to build that endurance.
Spread your two 30-minute sessions apart as they are the biggest of the two sessions. Try to space out all of your runs throughout the week so that your leg muscles have time to recover and adapt, and therefore get stronger.
Session One
Total time: 30mins
1x 10min walk warm-up,
2x 5mins jog, 5mins walk
Session Two
Total time: 25mins
1x 5min brisk walk,
5x 3mins jog, 1min walk
Session Three
Total time: 40mins
(Including some hills )
1x 40min walk
Session Four
Total time: 30mins
1x 10mins walk warm-up,
2x 5mins jog, 5min walk
Training: Week 4
This week signifies the halfway mark. You’ve passed the hardest part, starting a new program and sticking to it.
Now, you just need to continue with this momentum and remember your end goal. This week does include your longest run to date so break it down in your mind. It is still only 2 minutes of running at one time.
The shorter runs are also a step up in the duration of constant jog time, so remember to find your rhythm and run at the pace that you are comfortable with.
Session One
Total time: 25mins
1x 5 mins walk warm-up,
1x 8min jog, 2min walk
1x 4min jog, 2min walk
1x 2min jog, 2min walk
Session Two
Total time: 40 mins
10x 2min jog, 2min walk
Session Three
Total time: 25 mins
1x 5 mins walk warm-up,
1x 8min jog, 2min walk
1x 4min jog, 2min walk
1x 2min jog, 2min walk
Prevent From Getting Injury
I touched on it very briefly earlier. You are gonna be using your muscles in different ways to what you’re used to, so you might be recruiting and engaging some muscles that maybe have even been dormant for a little while.
So as a result of this, it’s not unusual to feel your legs aching a little bit and maybe even being slightly sore, but this is okay. It means that your muscles are working and as a result, they’re gonna be getting stronger.
So just to make sure you maintain your flexibility and that you prevent any injury, it’s a good idea to incorporate some basic structures.
Important Strengthening For 5K Run
Beginner 5k training plan 8 weeks. Doing some basic-level strength work or core activation exercises will help with your progression to being able to run 5K as well as make you a more efficient runner.
So incorporating something like the plank exercise, trying to hold that for 30 seconds will just help engage your core and that helps with your posture when it comes to running.
Then as for strength work, anything that involves your legs and all of their muscles, so doing some squats in the gym or body weight squats at home will even help.
Then if you can progress that to single-leg exercises, such as a single-leg squat or single-leg calf raises, that will make it even more relevant to progressing your running.
Training: Week 5
Anyway, now it’s time to look at the next and final four weeks of your running program. You’ve only got three weeks left of training, so it’s important to stick to the plan (beginner 5k training plan 8 weeks) at this stage.
You’ve built that solid foundation and now, we’re taking it up a level to get you ready for this upcoming 5K.
If you follow the training up to here, you’ll find the increase in these three runs should just stretch you a little but will be perfectly achievable.
Session One
Total time: 35 mins
1x 6 mins walk warm-up,
1x 10min jog, 2min walk
1x 6min jog, 2min walk
1x 4min jog, 2min walk
Session Two
Total time: 40 mins
10x 3min jog, 2min walk
Session Three
Total time: 35 mins
1x 6 mins walk warm-up,
1x 10min jog, 2min walk
1x 6min jog, 2min walk
1x 4min jog, 2min walk
Training: Week 6
So you might be fearing this week. Two of your runs include a continuous 20-minute jog. If you find it easier, run on your own, and entirely at your pace.
The action of jogging is the important part here, not the speed. Even if you feel you would walk faster, continue to run, as this will train your legs and promote muscle memory for running.
Session One
Total time: 47 mins
1x 5 mins walk warm-up,
1x 20min jog, 5min walk
1x 5min jog, 5min walk
1x 5min jog, 2min walk
Session Two
Total time: 40 mins
8x 4min jog, 1min walk
Session Three
Total time: 47 mins
1x 5 mins walk warm-up,
1x 20min jog, 5min walk
1x 5min jog, 5min walk
1x 5min jog, 2min walk
Training: Week 7
The last bit of the beginner 5k training plan 8 weeks. You’re so, almost there. And the fact that you’ve got this far is just great. You’re only three sessions away from running that targeted 5K.
It’ll come as no surprise by now that the overall length and ratio of run to walk have been upped again. Get through this week and you’ll be giving yourself the perfect preparation for a beginner 5k training plan 8 weeks.
Remember to give yourself rest between these longer runs, so try to spread out the 55-minute ones apart with the 40-minute somewhere in the middle of the week.
Session One
Total time: 55 mins
1x 5 mins walk warm-up,
1x 25min jog, 5min walk
8x 6min jog, 2min walk
Session Two
Total time: 40 mins
8x 6min jog, 2min walk
Session Three
Total time: 55 mins
1x 5 mins walk warm-up,
1x 25min jog, 5min walk
8x 6min jog, 2min walk
Training: Week 8
It’s week eight, you’ve done the hard work. Now, it is time to attempt to jog continuously for 40 minutes. And if you have entered a 5K event, you should now be prepared to run that continuously.
Some Tips For New Runners
- If you are new to running, then there are some other things to consider footwear and clothing are quite important. Footwear is vital to make sure you’ve got the correct support for your foot, but also that it’s going to encourage the correct running gate.
- So if you’ve got a running shop near you, it is worth going on and speaking to them and where they can hope to analyze your gate and give you the correct shoe.
- And it might seem like an expensive investment at the time but trust me, it is worth it in the long run.
Are Cloths Affect Running Speed?
- Clothing is less important than your footwear, but still, the key is to be comfortable and have something that makes you want to go running.
- So if you are buying a new piece of kit, look for something that’s sweat-wicking and check out the fit.
- But also maybe look at forums online because you wanna make sure just because something feels good in the shop, it’s not gonna chafe or rub when it comes to running.
Which is The Best Place For Running?
- The great thing about running, you can pretty much do it anywhere. Running on pavements and sidewalks is the most obvious. Just watch out for the road users and of course, road crossings. If you have specific running paths or routes, then that’s far better.
- If you can run off-road or on grass then that will help to activate all those smaller muscles around your lower leg and your foot, which will in turn help your running in the long run.
- So try to mix this in whenever you can.
- If you do find yourself doing a lot of running on a canvas or on a pavement or road that’s got a slight angle to it.
- Make sure you run in both directions ’cause you don’t want to use your muscles only in one direction. Wanna keep everything nice and even prevent any injuries.
How to Break My 5k Personal Best?
Once you’re comfortable completing a beginner 5k training plan 8 weeks, you might wanna consider progressing this further. Whether that’s increasing your distance or your speed or a combination of both.
But when it comes to distance, again, continue to up this gradually and it’s fine to still implement that run-walk strategy That you’ve been using until now. As for speed, you want to include some intervals in your training.
So you can start by still doing your steady jog and then maybe picking a land marker ahead of you like a lamp post, running as hard as you can to that, and then going back to your steady jog and repeating this throughout your run.
What If I Can’t Improve in The 5k Run:
1. You do need to be patient when building up your running, irrelevant of what level you’re starting from. Think of it as putting in some foundation blocks.
2. Consistency is key. Once you’ve got that strong base, you can then build on it and you can progress with your running speed and distance much more quickly.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you enjoyed this beginner 5k training plan 8 weeks. Most importantly, remember running is fun. So why not find some friends that can join you on that mission to reach your 5K goals?
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