Walking + slow running = a miracle of symbiosis!

If a person regularly engages in measured walking, his physical fitness increases so much that he can start running. K. Cooper recommends, for example, that people over 30 years of age who decide to improve their health should conduct regular walking training for 3 weeks and another 3 weeks alternate walking with runningbefore moving on to continuous jogging. It should be noted that in the specialized literature, alternating walking and running (walking-jogging) is considered as the initial form of jogging.

So, at the initial stage hiking School age children are recommended once a week alternate with running:

1. Monday - uniform fast walking for 30-60 minutes at a pace of 120-140 steps/min;
2. Tuesday - rest;
3. Wednesday - alternating walking (3-5 minutes) with light running (3 minutes). Repeat 6-8 times;
4. Thursday - rest;
5. Friday - walking for 30-45 minutes at a higher speed than on Monday;
6. Saturday - rest;
7. Sunday - a long country walk.

^{At the initial stage of training, the distance gradually increases by 300-500 m per week.}

According to American experts, untrained adults who lead a passive, sedentary, sedentary lifestyle, and of course those who are overweight or have recovered after a long illness, need 12 week workout according to the following scheme.

1. Monday, Wednesday, Friday: jogging 50 m, walking 50 m - 4 times; jogging 100 m, walking 100 m - 1 time; jogging 50 m, walking 50 m - 2 times. Total - 800 m. Running time for 50 m - 29 - 30 s, for 100 m - 55-60 s.
2. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday: walking for 5-10 minutes, followed by a light warm-up, including performing a set of gymnastic exercises.

According to another scheme, it is proposed to start classes with alternating jogging and walking first in segments of 50 m, then 100 and 150 m, gradually bringing the total distance to 3-5 km. The duration of exercise gradually increases from 5 to 30 minutes or more with a gradual transition to continuous jogging. Go for a longer run once a week.

Australian coach P. Cerruti on the first day, he advises to cover a distance of 400 m by jogging and walking, which should then gradually be increased to 1.6 km. In this case, you should start classes from the threshold and run along a closed distance, so that, when you get tired, you do not end up far from home. Every person, according to P. Cerruti, if he wants to be physically fit, should walk 3.2 km daily in 30 minutes, or even better, run in 20 minutes.

1. 400 m steps in 4 minutes;
2. 400 m jogging-walking in 3~3.5 minutes (in this case: 100 m – running, then 100 m – walking, and so on in a cycle);
3. 400 m steps in 4 minutes;
4. 800 m jogging-walking in 7 minutes (in this case: 200 m - running, then 200 m - walking, and so on in a circle);
5. 10 minutes of walking at a not very slow speed.

Overall volume jogging-walking should increase at each lesson, and the continuous running distance should increase only after 4-5 workouts, first to 400 m, and then by another 200 m every 2 weeks.

The training program in the first 4 months for practically healthy men 30-45 years old may look like this:

First month.

1. Part I (10-15 minutes) - vigorous walking while simultaneously performing exercises for the arms and torso.
2. Part II (5-10 min) - general developmental exercises in movement (including jumping).
3. Part III (main, 10-15 min) - 100 m of easy running and 100 m of fast walking, repeat in the cycle 6-8 times, and from the third week - 8-10 times. Spend 2-3 minutes per 100 m of running or walking.
4. Part IV (5 min) - walk with a smooth decrease in pace. Total lesson time 30-45 minutes

Second month.

1. Part I (5 min) - vigorous walking of 600-800 m.
2. Part II (10 min) - general developmental exercises in motion.
3. Part III (15 min) - 100 m walking and 100 m running, then 100 m walking and 200 m running, etc.
4. Part IV (5 minutes) - walking with a slow decrease in pace until the pulse is completely restored.

1. Part I (5 min) - fast walking.
2. Part II (10-15 min) - general developmental exercises.
3. Part III (8-10 min) - 100 m running and 100 m walking, then 200 m running and 100 m walking, etc.
4. Part IV (10-15 min) - continuous jogging.
5. Part V (5-7 min) - slow walking.

Fourth month.

1. Part I (5 min) - walking.
2. Part II (10-15 min) - continuous jogging for 2, 3, 5 km (from the level of fitness).
3. Part III (5-7 min) - slow walking.

Running speed is limited to heart rate 135-150 beats/min. The criterion for increasing loads from stage to stage is the decrease in heart rate 10 minutes after running to 115-117% of the initial level. It is recommended to start training at the first stage by running 50-100 meter segments.

The number of runs and their length are adjustable according to your health (at a constant pace). If the beginner is too weak, you can shorten the length of the segments to 10-25 m, alternating them with fast walking. You need to train for running at least a couple of times a week.

For older people with little training, 3 walking-jogging routes of increasing difficulty are offered.

1. Walking on a flat road - 1 km in 20 minutes. A short rest while sitting - 5 minutes. Return journey at a similar pace, but alternating walking with jogging.
2. Walking on a horizontal road, but with two climbs of 100 m each (elevation angle 3-5°) - 5 km in 1 hour 40 minutes. Rest-pause after the 2nd and 4th kilometers - 3 minutes each. Going down hills is done by jogging.
3. Walking along the road with three successive climbs of 200 m each (elevation angle 5-10°) - 10 km in 3 hours. Rest-pause after the 4th and 7th kilometers - 5 minutes each. Going down hills is done by jogging.

Dosage intensity can be calculated as follows: to heart rate at rest, add 50 percent of its increase at maximum load.

^{For example, a 45-year-old exerciser has a resting heart rate of 80 beats/min. From the maximum heart rate (190 beats/min), subtract the resting heart rate (80 beats/min) and find 50 percent - 55 beats/min. This means that the calculated intensity of movements should be such that the heart rate immediately after a run does not exceed 135 beats/min.}

There is also a simpler one method for determining permissible load by heart rate. For practically healthy, but untrained men 30-45 years old, the one at which the heart rate does not exceed 140-150 beats/min will be acceptable. A beginner can be asked to run 300 m in 2 minutes.

1. If the pulse at the time of running does not exceed the level: 140 beats/min, the load is feasible.
2. If the heart rate is below 120 beats/min, you need to run faster;
3. If it is over 140 beats/min, cover 300 m in 2 minutes 30 seconds.

For healthy men 45-60 years old, at the beginning of training, the maximum permissible heart rate is 120 beats/min.

By the end of the 3rd month of continuous training (and if well prepared, much earlier), those training easily move from walking - jogging to running for about 30 minutes. His running speed is: 7-7.5 km/h. At the same time, the condition of the body improves significantly.