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Run

Difficulty: ⭐ Beginnercarry

Home Setup

Run in your neighborhood, local park, or any safe outdoor area with adequate space and lighting

proper running shoesreflective gear for low lightwater bottle

💡 Pro tip: Start with familiar routes close to home so you can easily adjust distance based on how you feel

Gym Setup

Treadmill with adjustable speed and incline settings

Safety: Always use the safety clip on treadmills and start at a walking pace before increasing speed

💪 Muscles Worked

QuadricepsHamstringsGlutesCalvesHip Flexors

⭐ Why This Exercise?

Running is one of the most accessible and effective cardiovascular exercises for building aerobic capacity, improving heart health, and burning calories. It strengthens the lower body musculature, improves bone density, and enhances mental resilience through sustained effort. Running also serves as a foundational conditioning tool that transfers to nearly all athletic endeavors.

Make It Easier

Regressions for building up strength

1. Walk

running shoes

Eliminates the flight phase and reduces impact forces while maintaining cardiovascular benefits

2. Run-Walk Intervals

running shoes + timer or watch

Alternates running with walking recovery periods to build endurance gradually

3. Slow Jog

running shoes

Reduces pace to conversational speed, lowering cardiovascular and musculoskeletal demands

Make It Harder

Progressions for advanced athletes

1. Tempo Run

running shoes + GPS watch or timer

Sustained effort at comfortably hard pace improves lactate threshold and race pace endurance

2. Hill Sprints

running shoes + hill or inclined surface

Adds incline and maximal effort to build power, strength, and anaerobic capacity

3. Interval Training

running shoes + timer or track

Alternates high-intensity efforts with recovery periods to improve VO2 max and speed

↕️ Similar Movements

Rowing
Similar cardiovascular demands with upper body emphasis and reduced impact stress
Cycling
Lower impact alternative that develops similar aerobic capacity with quad-dominant loading
Jump Rope
High-impact conditioning with similar calf and cardiovascular demands in a stationary format
Stair Climbing
Vertical running variation that increases glute and quad activation with reduced speed
Swimming
Zero-impact full-body conditioning that builds aerobic capacity without joint stress

Form Checklist

✓Land midfoot beneath your hips, not on your heels out in front
✓Maintain upright posture with slight forward lean from the ankles, not the waist
✓Keep arms bent at 90 degrees, swinging forward and back (not across your body)
✓Aim for a cadence of 170-180 steps per minute for efficiency
✓Breathe rhythmically and deeply, matching breath to stride pattern

Common Mistakes

  • •Overstriding with heel striking, which increases impact forces and braking
  • •Running too fast too soon without building aerobic base, leading to injury or burnout
  • •Tensing shoulders and upper body instead of staying relaxed
  • •Looking down at the ground instead of ahead at the horizon
  • •Ignoring pain signals and pushing through injury rather than resting

📈 When to Progress

Progress when you can comfortably complete your current distance or duration while maintaining conversational pace, typically after 3-4 weeks of consistent running. Increase volume by no more than 10% per week, and only add intensity work after establishing a solid aerobic base of 4-6 weeks.