Are you flat and exhausted after a few kilometers? This is how you train correctly to increase your Stamina, achieve faster results, and have more fun running.
After a few kilometers, your thighs are burning like fire, and you can hardly breathe? Now it’s time to keep at it! With these tips, you will increase your endurance and develop a healthier running style.
Start Slowly
Before you start exercising, you should consider your physical fitness. How are you in shape? Do you have aches and pains that could be exacerbated by running?
Then it would be best if you started with light endurance training on the cross trainer or the spinning bike to prepare your cardiovascular system for the upcoming loads gently.
For very overweight people, swimming is a perfect way to get started with endurance sports. The movements in the water challenge the cardiovascular system and are particularly easy on the joints.
Exercise Regularly
As always, the same applies in this case: practice makes perfect! Exercise regularly over a long period. 4-5 short runs per week train your endurance better than 1-2 longer sessions where you completely exhaust yourself.
Despite the regular training, always make sure that you give your muscles enough time to regenerate. This is the only way for the power to adapt to the new loads.
Increase Slowly And In A Controlled Manner
As soon as you notice that your breathing is regulating, you are becoming calmer, and your muscles are warming up, you can slowly increase the pace. If you feel that you are no longer getting enough oxygen, slow down again.
You must keep providing your muscles and breathing with new stimuli that require an increase. Nevertheless, it would help if you did not go beyond your limits because this negatively affects training.
Our tip: Track your running units. This way, you can document your successes and an overview of your achievements. You will be surprised at how quickly you progress!
Interval Runs
Build small HIIT units into your training sessions again and again. This means that you will repeatedly put in short sprint units in which you give your all during your run.
This interval training trains your cardiovascular system, particularly as your heart learns to adapt to rapidly changing loads.
Our tip: start with 10-second sprint units about every 4 minutes. To get a better feeling for the length of the intervals, it is advisable to train on the dirt track.
Run easy 6-8 laps and do a mini-sprint on the short ends. It’s remarkable how quickly your circulation adapts to the intense stress phases.
Strength Training
In addition to regular running training, you should specifically train your calf, knee, and thigh muscles. There are many exercises for runners that specifically train and stabilize the muscle groups being used.
Again, don’t forget to stretch! Before and after each run, you should warm up with a few stretching exercises or cool down slowly. This not only prevents injuries but also prevents the tendons and muscles in your feet and legs from “shortening.”
ALSO READ: TEN TIPS FOR A HEALTHY, LONG LIFE