Introduction
It has been known for many years that weight loss is most likely to be achieved through an all-encompassing lifestyle change. This requires not only a permanent change in eating habits but also regular physical activity. One of the most frequently chosen endurance sports is jogging. As far as calorie consumption is concerned, jogging is one of the most effective measures for weight reduction.
How often should you jog?
When you start jogging, the first thing you should do is to gradually increase your physical activity. Especially at the beginning, regular but short sessions should be completed. There is no precise data on how often you should jog to lose a certain amount of weight.
In general, the key to losing weight is always to maintain a negative calorie balance. This means that the more often you jog, the more calories you consume and the more likely you are to lose weight. Nevertheless, the goal should not be to go jogging every day because the body also needs rest periods. There is no optimal number of training units per week. Regular jogging 3 to 5 days a week is recommended.
How long should you jog for?
For beginners in endurance sports it is crucial to slowly increase the sports dose. The goal can be a training session with a duration of between 45 and 60 minutes. However, regularity is crucial here.
60 minutes jogging every 3 weeks will not bring any success. 30 minutes of jogging on 3-4 days a week, however, will very well bring success. More important than exact numbers, however, is to listen to your own body and to follow it. While some runners feel most comfortable with 45 minutes of training, others prefer to run for 90 minutes.
Training plan
Especially for beginners it is crucial not to want too much too fast. If the running layman goes jogging 10 kilometers in 45 minutes on the first day of training, this leads to unnecessary frustration. Therefore, there are various tips for running beginners on how best to start jogging.
Some plans only recommend brisk walking for half an hour 3 days a week for the first 1-2 weeks. Other training plans skip phase 1 and start with short jogging sessions. A few minutes of jogging should be replaced by a few minutes of brisk walking.
There should be at least 3 training sessions per week on a regular basis, whereby the duration of the jogging phases should be increased slowly – but not too quickly. Depending on the training plan, 30 minutes of jogging in a row should be possible after 8-12 weeks. Which variant is the most suitable depends on the individual overall condition and physical requirements.
An example of a training plan could be
- Week: 30 minutes of brisk walking 3 days a week. – Week: 30 minutes on 3 days a week, alternating between jogging and brisk walking. In each case 2 minutes of slow jogging should be replaced by 2 minutes of brisk walking.
- Week: On 3 days a week 30 min an alternation of 4-minute jogging units, followed by 2-minute walking phases. – Week: On 3 days a week 35 min with 5 jogging units of 5 minutes each, followed by 2 minutes of brisk walking. – Week: On 3 days per week 30 min with 5 jogging units of 5 minutes each, each interrupted by only 1 minute of brisk walking.
- Week: On 3 days per week 36 minutes with 3 jogging units of 10 minutes each, each time interrupted by 2 minutes of brisk walking. – Week: On 3 days per week 32 minutes with 2 jogging units of 15 minutes each, interrupted by 2 minutes of brisk walking. – Week: 30 minutes of slow jogging in a row 3 days a week.
