The key to this program (and its success), is the gradual increase in intensity which allows your body to adapt slowly to the change, and reduce any risk of injury.
When it comes to fitness, the usual scenario goes something like this:
You make a new years resolution to get into shape. The very next day, you visit your favorite sports shop and pay for an expensive treadmill, the most expensive shoes that you can find and branded running clothes (not realizing that sports shops jack up their prices during new year to get suckers like you). You get the treadmill installed and decide to give it the best you've got. You run till you feel sore. The next 3 days, you hobble like a 90-year old and decide never to get back on the treadmill again. Your wife decides to use the treadmill as a clothes hanger.
Do you realize the main flaw in the above plan?
You just can't push your body from a sedentary lifestyle to an active lifestyle in 1 day. It needs to be slowly coaxed into it. "Learn to walk before you run" is an old-age adage that is very apt when it comes to our body.
The Couch-to-5K program gradually coaxes your body to run over a period of 9 weeks (that's over 2 months). The time spent each day also gradually increases in order to avoid any injuries to your body.
The key elements of this program are as follows:
1. Allocate 3 days of the week for exercising. Exercise for one day, and take rest the next day. For example, you could work out on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
2. You start with only 20 minutes each day and gradually increase it to 30 minutes over a period of 9 weeks.
3. The first few weeks is mostly brisk walking with some little jogging. The jogging time is increased gradually till you can move from jogging to running.
At the end of the 9th week, not only will you feel great, you will want to upgrade to the 10K program.
| Week | Workout 1 | Workout 2 | Workout 3 |
| 1 | Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. | Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. | Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. |
| 2 | Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes. | Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes. | Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes. |
| 3 | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:
| Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:
| Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:
|
| 4 | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
| Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
| Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
|
| 5 | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
| Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
| Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog two miles (or 20 minutes) with no walking. |
| 6 | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
| Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
| Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2-1/4 miles (or 25 minutes) with no walking. |
| 7 | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes). | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes). | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes). |
| 8 | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes). | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes). | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes). |
| 9 | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes). | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes). | The final workout! Congratulations! Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes). |
Source:
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
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