Learn to Jog: How to Run Properly

Do you want to learn to jog? Great idea. You’ll find out what you need to know here.

Learning to Jog: Background

• You would like or need to do exercise again, integrate a little more movement into your everyday life? So how about jogging? Even though the hype about fitness centers has been extreme in the last few years, many people prefer to exercise in nature rather than on a monotonous treadmill.
• But although jogging actually sounds pretty easy, there are some points you should keep in mind. It’s all about the right running technique, appropriate goals and all about the equipment. We’ll show you how to learn to jog so that you’ll soon be addicted to it.

Learning to Jog: Advantages

• Jogging is good for the body because it supplies the brain with oxygen and blood and trains the cardiovascular system when running. Deposits can thus be better removed from the blood vessels.
• Jogging is also an excellent tool to clear your head and prevent or reduce stress. After running you will feel relaxed and have new energy.
• Jogging also strengthens your immune system and makes your body more robust against colds.
• Jogging burns calories and also strengthens your muscle mass, so you get a higher basal metabolic rate. So if you want to lose weight, you can either make your diet more flexible by jogging or lose extra kilos through exercise.

What should I consider at the beginning?

Even if jogging is not an extreme sport, a health check with your doctor can help you find out the right level of exercise for you. In some cases, a check-up with the doctor is even absolutely essential:

• Pain when walking
• Overweight
• You haven’t played sports in many years.
• You are a smoker or diabetic
• You’ve already had a stroke or heart attack

The right pulse

For you as a beginner, running training is all about finding the right pace and training your endurance. With a simple formula you can calculate your pulse rate for this: Resting heart rate*(220 – age – resting heart rate)*0.6.

The resting pulse gives your pulse in the morning after getting up. A person who exercises regularly has a lower resting pulse rate than an untrained person. Athletes have a resting pulse rate of 50 or less, while untrained people usually have a pulse between 60 and 80.

You calculate your maximum heart rate (MHF) with the following formula: 220 – age. In the fat metabolism range, you train at 60 to 70 percent of the MHF and in cardiovascular training (aerobic training) at 70 to 80 percent of the MHF. The anaerobic area is really challenging, which is used for intensive endurance training and accounts for 80 to 90 percent of the MHF. Everything under 60 percent has almost no training effect. As a run beginner you should aim for cardiovascular training.

What clothes do I need?

• First of all, you don’t need to shower yourself with equipment just to start. For the start, a comfortable running shoe is of course the basis, everything else you can optimize bit by bit. In order to find the right running shoe, you should also get personal advice from experts and test the best shoe for you. A running analysis can determine whether you have fallen arches, splay feet or flat feet.
• Especially in autumn and winter a protective running jacket is ideal on. Otherwise, you should wear sportswear that you feel comfortable in. Training pants and a T-shirt are absolutely sufficient for running training as a beginner. Basically it is advantageous to wear clothes that keep the sweat away from you and do not soak up the sweat.
• In addition to good running shoes, you can buy comfortable running socks as a supplement so that you have good cushioning while running.

Learning to jog: Important tips

• Motivation: Motivation is a bit like appetite that comes with eating. All beginnings are hard and those who have not done any sport for years need to overcome some effort to start jogging. The first few training sessions will be hard for you and there will certainly come a point when you ask yourself what you are doing it for. Only after a few weeks will your body and mind adjust to the new strain and gradually build up a routine. You notice the positive effects more strongly and the overcoming of jogging continuously decreases. So even before the start, make sure you know that there will be setbacks and that you simply have to persevere.
• Regularly: If your motivation is right, you will also manage to implement the most important point for jogging: Regularity. Of course you don’t need to go running every day and that can even be counterproductive. Enter a fixed day with a fixed time in your calendar so that you don’t keep putting off jogging. Half an hour is enough for the start. Running beginners who immediately overdo it with the running training lose interest again more quickly. The speed or the minutes run does not matter as a beginner, every training session completed is a success.

• Breathing: Learning to jog and proper breathing go hand in hand. For example, you can reduce side stitches considerably with good breathing. Many running beginners breathe much too shallowly and thus significantly reduce their performance in running training. Make sure you breathe deeply, starting from the stomach. You can also include both nose and mouth in your breathing. First and foremost, focus on relaxed inhalation and exhale a little deeper. Try to do your breathing intuitively and concentrate only on abdominal breathing and a longer exhalation. For orientation you can lean on three steps per breath.
• In a group or alone: Some prefer to train together with other people and some are more powerful and motivated when they are on their own. In the end you have to decide for yourself which way suits you better. In doing so, you should ask yourself which form you enjoy more and at the same time drive yourself better. In a group, you have the disadvantage that you cannot run at your own pace and you concentrate less on yourself. Ideally, as a beginner, you have a training partner who is a bit better than you and therefore pushes you without being on a completely different level.

The right posture and route planning

• Running on level forest ground is best suited for beginners. On asphalt you put a relatively high strain on your joints and knee problems can occur more quickly. Basically, every surface has a different effect on your muscles and joints.
• Your running performance also depends on the route you choose, especially if you are a beginner, avoid gradients, as the foot and calf muscles are particularly stressed here.
• The centre of gravity when running should be on the hip. The running movement can be divided into a supporting and a floating phase. The centre of gravity is on the hip the whole time. In the hover phase the highest point is reached from the hip area and the support phase the lowest point.
• Be careful not to place your legs too far away from your body, as this will limit your agility. The steps should not be too short either. Your legs should be extended, but not straight. Keep your upper body upright while running. For this you can easily stretch your hips. Keep your arms relaxed at right angles parallel to your body. The position of your head should be a few metres forward from your eyes.