I’ve remained in business as a fitness trainer since 1979 largely because I know how to slow people down. Walkers who want to learn how to jog, for instance, incorrectly assume their jogging pace should be faster than their walking pace.
But jogging requires more exertion than walking at any given pace. So, it’s important to realize your body adapts to that increased effort, not the pace. Assuming you’re already well adapted to a fitness walking regimen, then there must be a step between normal walking pace and a jogging pace that’s faster than your walking pace.
That intermediate step should be jogging at a walking pace, which is why I pair aspiring joggers to a walker buddy. The jogger must learn to be comfortable jogging at a pace that feels uncomfortably slow. That’s a learnable skill, while the over training alternative is often damaging. One of the perennial training problems is how to find the right exertion level every time a training program changes. Changing the exertion of a workout from walker level to jogger level produces an inevitable negative response. The new workout doesn’t have to be harder or faster, just different from recent training.
Moreover, going from walking to jogging creates a potential double whammy when it comes to over training. Not only will your body have to get used to higher, jogger-level exertion, but it will also suffer the shock of doing something new. Shock decreases your capacity for exertion at a time when you want it to accommodate added walker-to-jogger exertion. Thus, jogger newcomers often come down with colds and injuries when they start a new fitness jogger regimen.
“ There’s a prevalent attitudinal pitfall when starting a new fitness regimen. Call it the ‘no pain, no gain’ pitfall.”
Of course, this over training principle applies to newcomer walkers as well. They can expect their body to go into shock as they set the parameters of a new walker regimen. And guess what? The faster one’s pace and the longer one’s workouts, the greater the effort and the corresponding shock. Too much shock can produce a cold or injury. So, you must temper your training during the initial weeks until shock’s effects diminish and a calculated adaptative response increases your capacity for effort.
There’s a prevalent attitudinal pitfall when starting a new fitness regimen. Call it the “no pain, no gain” pitfall. Most people will say they aren’t into pain. Yet their behavior and attitude belie what they say. Muscle burn, for instance, either during a workout or the next day, is the mistaken sign of a “good” workout. Thus, if you want to know how hard your first workouts should be, figure out how to feel no discomfort during the workout or the next day. Improved capacity doesn’t require pain. So, why endure it?
Next in importance is having fun with fitness walking. I equate fun with play, and there’s much to play with on a walk. For starters, consider your posture, your route, the terrain, and your buddy. More importantly, remember, your foot’s on the effort gas pedal. So, you should play with pace exertion to prevent over training in its various forms.
Ultimately, you’re playing with your body and its ability to recover its energy between workouts. This is a hugely important skill that requires separate treatment in an article on the aspect of every workout that complements your effort: namely energy.