Running, how often is too often?

[Nad Adam]

I've always hated jogging and running but latly I can't afford a gym membership so I've taken it up since a pair of decent running shoes comes at 1/5 of the gym price.

I've drawn up a 5km(about 3.2 miles) track that I run at a comfortable pace before breakfast. My question is how often I can run this track without breaking down more than I build up and avoid injuries? A friend of mine in the military always said you could run every day without taking damage.

I'd also like some suggestions on quick and funny excersies I could do to keep the rest of my body in shape without any equipment. Now I do 3x30pushups and 3x20situps and 10 chinups every day. I especially need something for my back.

Thanks in advance.



Edit: Spelling

[tomsawyer]

For the jogging, the distance of 5 km is well enough for you to swallow everyday. I myself jog 5km every morning during the last 8 years without any injuries. I usually accelerate at the last 200m.
Your amount of pushup outnumber mine.
For exercises without equipment, everything you mention is good. How about string-jumping? I guess a string is quite simple and it helps a lot in raining days.
For your information, I am just a Asian guy of 1m65 tall and 63kg.

[Nad Adam]

String jumping? Jump rope? That sounds like a good idea for the six months when there's snow around here. Any good suggestions for the back/shoulders/buttocks?

[Nad Adam]

I can add that I'm 25yrs old and 180cm 80kg and normaly trained so I can do most excersices without any problems.

[tomsawyer]

For the back, have you ever tried like this (I don't know what it is called in English, sorry):
Lie face-downward on the floor; two hands meet at the back of head, fingers interlocked; try to lift your upper body (head down to hip) as high as possible while your lower body sticks to the floor; inhale while lifting, exhale when returning to the floor. Try to do it at the same amount of situp.

[Phaenx]

Originally posted by tomsawyer
For the back, have you ever tried like this (I don't know what it is called in English, sorry):
Lie face-downward on the floor; two hands meet at the back of head, fingers interlocked; try to lift your upper body (head down to hip) as high as possible while your lower body sticks to the floor; inhale while lifting, exhale when returning to the floor. Try to do it at the same amount of situp.

I used to do a college football workout back in the day, we used to do something similar to this for back muscles. We called it a superman, you sprawl out on the floor and lift your chest, and pelvis off the floor to a point where you look like you're flying like superman. About 3 reps of 20/30 should work.

[buffto]

i'm 18, 5'9" 210lbs, trying to lose weight, since i'm about 25% body fat. I have been running 3 miles every day since there is a park in my town with a trail around it which is conveniently .5 miles. I don't know if i'm doing something wrong, but i don't get tired after the 3 mile run. Surely a guy as chubby as me wouldn't be able to go through that entire run without getting tired. Oh well

[Nad Adam]

As long as you're losing weight everything should be fine. Try to increase the pace or go longer if you feel like it. Where do you check your body fat and how much does it cost?

[fearofmear]

I lost almost 90 lbs when I took up running. I run 4.5 miles a day 5 times a week. I add three days of weights for half an hour a day to maintain some muscle mass. I don't know if it works since I am told I "look" like a runner.

And buffto: It is normal to not get tired after the 3 mile mark for me anyway. I really don't tire until I hit the 4th mile but I think that has to do with building up endurance.

[tomsawyer]

Yes, are you losing weights or not, that is important. If not, try to increase the distance gradually, as long as you can stand it.

[buffto]

back when i was on the wrestling team in high school (< a year before now) i was tested at 27 and i calculated how much i am now.

[Atanvarno]

I once heard from Ingrid Kristiansen (Norwegian retired runner who set marathon world record that lasted until recently) that stamina excercise more than 3 times a week will do no good. That doesn't mean you can't run more than 3 times a week, but say you train stamina every second day, maybe the days in between you train speed + recover from previous day. When I say recover I don't mean lying on the sofa watching TV but rather a light, short run.

[brucedenton]

Go and Run that thing every morning. You have to exercise for at least 15 minutes before you body decides to start burning actual fat.
Once it starts it doesn't stop so if you do it in the morning it burns all day. You won't get hurt running everyday but you gotta know your limits. 5k everyday is cool but if you do it twice one day only do 2 the next or something of the sort.

[tomsawyer]

The suitable distance depends on every individual. Do it as long as you feel exhausted.

[Lovely]

For me five km is hell. I like to run slowlier, the first forty minutes really easy. And when the 'runner's high' finally hits me I run as fast as i dare. I say dare, cause I run natural forest paths where one careless step... you know...and I KNOW.

And if I have a bad day, I do just lie down at some sunny place and idle a few hours away. What's the hurry in the running, heh.

Rainy-day-runs are the best. Lovely likes water. Water likes Lovely. SsplasSHH''

Ok: one and half hours, two or three times a week. Feels good.

[tomsawyer]

One and 1/2 hour, and you feel good, so you are strong. I love to run in rain, too, but only if it is not too heavy.

[Atanvarno]

An International level biker told me the best way to up your O2-uptake is to have decently long intervals of (relatively) fast moving, then going slower to relax, faster ... slower, over and over.

[phoenix1002]

Here's a suggestion for your upper body, but it requires one piece of equipment. It's a rock climbing training piece, called a finger board. You can generally get one for around $50, and you hang it over a door. There are a series of grips on it that work different muscles in your arms and upper body, alternating between hanging and pullups, with different hand positions. It works a lot like a pullup bar, but there are more muscle variations. They are quite nice, and for the price give you a good number of options.