Is it okay for obese people to run. Answers from a running coach

ultramarathoner, founder and coach of the ERA running club

Is it possible to run with a lot of extra weight?

If you ask 100 people on the street “how to get rid of excess weight”, the vast majority of answers will boil down to two things: eat less and move more. And the most frequent option in the “move more” category would be running.

Indeed, running is a cyclical exercise that provides a significant energy expenditure, a type of movement that almost anyone can master. Running is available at any time of day and season, it does not require any additional infrastructure or complicated expensive additional equipment – sneakers and clothes can now be purchased without problems, and paths and trails in parks, forests and fields are almost everywhere.

On the other hand, there is an important limitation to consider when using running as a means of weight loss. First of all, we are talking about the fact that running, in addition to working the muscles, training the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, significantly increases the load on the passive component of the musculoskeletal system.

What is excess body weight

Normal body weight according to WHO recommendations is considered to be a physique in which the ratio of body weight (in kilograms) divided by the square of height (in meters) in adults is between 18.5 and 24.9. This ratio is called body mass index (BMI) or Kettle’s index. If BMI is less than 18.5, it is said that you are underweight; if BMI is 25.0 or higher, you are overweight. For example, now with a height of 182 cm and a weight of 77 kg my BMI is 77/1.822=23.25, and I fit into the category of “normal”. When 30 years ago I weighed 90 kg at the same height, my BMI was 90/1.822=27.17, such a BMI is called “pre-fat” according to WHO classification. If BMI is 30.0 and above, they say obesity.

It should be noted that BMI can be higher than 25.0 in short “tightly bunched” people with well-developed musculature, so in addition to BMI it makes sense to assess the circumference of the waist: if in the narrowest place above the hips centimeter shows more than 100 – in men and 85.5 – in women, especially if the circumference of the abdomen is greater than the circumference of the hips (and in men – the circumference of the abdomen is greater than the circumference of the chest), it is definitely necessary to think about weight loss.

Thus, for the vast majority of people the assessment of the “normality” of body weight can be made with the use of scales and centimeters, regular (1-2 times a week) measurement of body weight and waist circumference allows you to understand your condition and see changes. You can also just stand undressed in front of a mirror – the excess weight is noticeable immediately.

Is it possible to run if you are overweight?

Although it is impossible to answer this question unambiguously and it is necessary to deal with each case individually, there are some common considerations that should be taken into account.

The main problem that arises when trying to start running in overweight people is injuries to the joints of the legs (most often the knee joints) due to the increased load on the cartilage and ligaments of the joints. Indeed, with each landing, the articular surfaces of the knee are subjected to a force eight times the body weight (in walking this ratio is about 2.7).

Therefore, the inclusion of running in a weight loss program is done with caution and gradually. Adaptation of the tissues of the passive component of the musculoskeletal system (bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons) takes months, unlike muscles, which increase in mass and ability to develop force within a few weeks.

Where you can start on the road to weight loss for running

Any physical workout should provide a gradual increase in exertion. Therefore, training for weight loss does not have to start with running – any cyclic exercise will do, that is, one that consists of repeated repetition of the same movements, each of which does not require a large energy expenditure. Cyclic sports, also called endurance sports, include walking, running, swimming, cross-country skiing, cycling, rowing, etc.

As a rule, at the very beginning of weight loss training, it becomes clear whether you can run: can you spend more than 10 minutes in motion with the flight phase without pain and intolerable shortness of breath? If so, such – initially short – runs can be included in your training plan 3-5 times a week, interspersed with rest days and other training sessions. It is important to realize that at the beginning of the journey the main factor determining success is not speed, but time under load, so the right thing to do is to run as slowly as possible, so that you can talk freely on the move (this is called conversational pace).

If running doesn’t work, it doesn’t mean the situation is hopeless. Fast walking (find a parking lot 1.5 km from work or don’t take the bus 3-4 stops away), climbing stairs (what floor do you live on? how many steps does the elevator steal from you every day?), exercise machines in the cardio zone of fitness clubs, swimming in summer and cross-country skiing in winter offer a complete alternative to running, they provide energy expenditure without gravitational stress dangerous for your joints.

How to choose your workload and evaluate your progress

The most important principles of weight loss training are regularity and gradual increase in load. In cyclic sports it is common to do 3-5 workouts per week: less training does not provide enough stimulus for the body to adapt, more training is associated with the risk of insufficient recovery and injury.

By spreading out these 3-5 workouts per week, interspersed with rest days and alternative activities (e.g. strength training, or yoga, or Pilates, or other cyclic workouts), it makes sense to consider the total time under load for the week. Initially, running workouts will take 30-40 minutes, including 10-15 minutes of brisk walking or very light jogging as a warm-up and 5-10 minutes of the same walking or jogging as a warm-down. Over the course of a week, 1.5-3 hours of work will thus accumulate.

Increasing the duration of training by no more than 10% per week, in 2-2.5 months you can reach 3-6 hours of work, which is quite enough to provide energy expenditure to reduce body weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Since the goal of training is to reduce body weight, weight readings will be the main criterion of progress. Weighing regularly (preferably in the morning to ensure the same conditions) will help you see what you are getting. Reducing the readings by 0.5-1 kg per week is enough, it is safe and does not require large restrictions in food.

It is important to remember that reducing body weight requires both an increase in energy expenditure (i.e. regular physical training) and a reduction in the caloric content of the diet. Calorie restriction by reducing the consumption of sweets and fat while maintaining protein intake (about 1 g per kilogram of “ideal” body weight – “height minus 100” with a small correction for the physique) and a varied regular diet allows you to create a small calorie deficit.

The main thing to strive for when starting weight loss workouts is that they should bring joy. Positive emotional reinforcement is the most important factor that keeps you motivated to continue exercising. Without the pleasure of training they turn into violence against themselves, and sustainable weight loss can be forgotten, short success is replaced by a breakdown, and the “swing” swings in the opposite direction. Therefore, training should be varied and interesting, then everything will work out.