Whats your minimum amount of miles/km to run during a session ?

[babyjay]

Im 43 and havent ran for any length of distance since junior high. Ive kept with bro splits and powerlifting since then but zero long distance cardio. My cardio had consisted of heavy bag and hit. Last few months ive decided on the health aspect. I remember reading Jim Wendler saying "if you cant run 2 miles anytime, you're not a man". So 2 miles became my goal. Not even for time. My orginal goal was just to run 2 miles without stopping. It took about 8 to 10 sessions until i was able to run 2 miles in 22 minutes. I became hooked. Im starting to love running. My pace is 7km/4.3 miles.

As a lifter im looking for a running range. Either time or minimum distance. 5 reps for strength. 8 - 12 for hypertrophy. Whats a good minimum running range without going overboard. Or is 2 miles 3 times a week good enough?

 

[JonJonesNeedle]

For a beginner, I recommend that they run for time, as slow as possible. Around 30-45 minutes at a very slow pace 3 times a week is a good start.

After a few months you can start doing sprint sessions (which is what I do now). Basically I have 1-2 distance runs and 1-2 Sprint/Conditioning type runs every week

 

[ChickenBrother]

Im 43 and havent ran for any length of distance since junior high. Ive kept with bro splits and powerlifting since then but zero long distance cardio. My cardio had consisted of heavy bag and hit. Last few months ive decided on the health aspect. I remember reading Jim Wendler saying "if you cant run 2 miles anytime, you're not a man". So 2 miles became my goal. Not even for time. My orginal goal was just to run 2 miles without stopping. It took about 8 to 10 sessions until i was able to run 2 miles in 22 minutes. I became hooked. Im starting to love running. My pace is 7km/4.3 miles.

As a lifter im looking for a running range. Either time or minimum distance. 5 reps for strength. 8 - 12 for hypertrophy. Whats a good minimum running range without going overboard. Or is 2 miles 3 times a week good enough?

What's your height and weight? Unless you're extremely stocky and/or have terrible running form I agree with Wendler that 2 miles is about right as a benchmark for someone who doesn't prioritize running. It's long enough to demonstrate excellent cardio fitness but short enough that it won't put unnecessary wear and tear on your knees and hips. I've found that if you can run 2 miles at a respectable pace, you can easily do 5 or 6 miles when/if you need to. For this reason, 2 miles has been the standard tested run distance on the U.S. Army Physical Fitness Test for decades. As a vet and a former competitive runner, I think the army assessment standards are about right for most body types - i.e. for your age group if you wanted to max out your run time and earn bragging rights, you could strive to run 2 miles in 14:06 min which would be a dedicated runner. But if you only wanted the minimum passing standard, that would be 18:42 min which I think is achievable for almost every healthy 42-46 yo man.

As a fellow 40+ yo who's lifted and ran since HS, your biggest impediment as an older guy will be required recovery time. My goal is well-rounded fitness and my current routine is 2 days/week of 3x5 powerlifting + 3 days/week of cardio which usually takes the form of BJJ practice but if I can't make that, I sub in 2-3 mile run around my neighborhood including 2 steep hills. IMO 3 days/week of good cardio is a must, particularly during COVID WFM. But treat your runs like your lifting days i.e. you need some hard days and some deload days. A decent way to do this is pick one run a week which will be your 2-mile "time trial" and should be run as hard and fast as possible to monitor progress. The other two runs, vary the distance and pace depending how you feel with an upper range of 3-4 miles. Remember that proper fitting, well-cushioned running shoes are a must.

 

[teepsandbarleywine]

For a beginner, I recommend that they run for time, as slow as possible. Around 30-45 minutes at a very slow pace 3 times a week is a good start.

After a few months you can start doing sprint sessions (which is what I do now). Basically I have 1-2 distance runs and 1-2 Sprint/Conditioning type runs every week

This is good advice - 3 times is a good frequency, and 30-45 minutes is a good duration. Only thing I would suggest adding up would be actually using a heart rate monitor, and trying to stay within a range of 65 - 75% of your maximum heart rate. Well worth investing in, both for LISS and for interval/sprint training as well.

 

[babyjay]

What's your height and weight? Unless you're extremely stocky and/or have terrible running form I agree with Wendler that 2 miles is about right as a benchmark for someone who doesn't prioritize running. It's long enough to demonstrate excellent cardio fitness but short enough that it won't put unnecessary wear and tear on your knees and hips. I've found that if you can run 2 miles at a respectable pace, you can easily do 5 or 6 miles when/if you need to. For this reason, 2 miles has been the standard tested run distance on the U.S. Army Physical Fitness Test for decades. As a vet and a former competitive runner, I think the army assessment standards are about right for most body types - i.e. for your age group if you wanted to max out your run time and earn bragging rights, you could strive to run 2 miles in 14:06 min which would be a dedicated runner. But if you only wanted the minimum passing standard, that would be 18:42 min which I think is achievable for almost every healthy 42-46 yo man.

As a fellow 40+ yo who's lifted and ran since HS, your biggest impediment as an older guy will be required recovery time. My goal is well-rounded fitness and my current routine is 2 days/week of 3x5 powerlifting + 3 days/week of cardio which usually takes the form of BJJ practice but if I can't make that, I sub in 2-3 mile run around my neighborhood including 2 steep hills. IMO 3 days/week of good cardio is a must, particularly during COVID WFM. But treat your runs like your lifting days i.e. you need some hard days and some deload days. A decent way to do this is pick one run a week which will be your 2-mile "time trial" and should be run as hard and fast as possible to monitor progress. The other two runs, vary the distance and pace depending how you feel with an upper range of 3-4 miles. Remember that proper fitting, well-cushioned running shoes are a must.

I like this. As a fellow 40 year old like myself well rounded fitness is now a goal. I cant believe this, but powerlifting has been put on the backburner. Mobility, endurance and even calisthenics have been inching in my routine ever so slightly. I like the idea of treating running days like lifting days. 2 miles for time. Maybe 3 to 4 miles at a slow pace for distance, and 1 mile for a light day. That i can get with. That makes so much sense for a guy that wants to incorporate running but not as a priority.

 

[ChickenBrother]

I like this. As a fellow 40 year old like myself well rounded fitness is now a goal. I cant believe this, but powerlifting has been put on the backburner. Mobility, endurance and even calisthenics have been inching in my routine ever so slightly. I like the idea of treating running days like lifting days. 2 miles for time. Maybe 3 to 4 miles at a slow pace for distance, and 1 mile for a light day. That i can get with. That makes so much sense for a guy that wants to incorporate running but not as a priority.

You've probably already noticed this, but you'll find that run time improvements come quickly over the first few months of regular running, in the same way that someone starting a new barbell squat program will improve quickly in the beginning, as they learn and internalize proper form. Consistency is key.

Keep the 18:42 in mind as a short term benchmark goal. Should be very attainable as long as you're at a healthy weight and bf%. On the age adjusted scale, I've seen 300+ lbs football offensive linemen at West Point (cadets still have to meet the same regular army fitness standards) pass the minimum 15:54 age group time for 2 miles, so it can definitely be done.

 

[Deleted member 405583]

4 miles minimum 3 times a week. 8 miles max 1 a week

 

[DrBdan]

Lots of good advice already. I will add that if you find running hard on your joints or if it affects your lifting you can switch to a lower impact form of cardio like roller blading or cycling.

 

[WhoElseButYouCelph]

Lots of good advice already. I will add that if you find running hard on your joints or if it affects your lifting you can switch to a lower impact form of cardio like roller blading or cycling.

Just to dovetail on that point, you absolutely cannot switch to rolling blading. Do not under any circumstances replace running with roller blading.

 

[Zankou]

Two miles with some sprints is the best range for supplemental cardio after age 40. More than that and you start risking joint injuries too much IMO, plus the added cardio benefits aren’t much. For more challenge just increase speed.

 

[WhoElseButYouCelph]

You can and will run as much or as little as you want. People talking about injuries and not recovery tools just confuse stress from a workout with injury. So have no fear for injury, put work and thought into recovery and anyone can progress to any level they decide. No one can tell you what is a good number. Its what satisfies you. The benefits dont stop because of high milage they stop because of low effort and knowledge of healing the body. Most people want to argue for low milage with talk about how much is necessary for X or Y at this point instead of just accepting whatever level they want to be at. So instead just figure out how much you want to run and do it, it will be rewarding.

 

[maximus__]

Im 43 and havent ran for any length of distance since junior high. Ive kept with bro splits and powerlifting since then but zero long distance cardio. My cardio had consisted of heavy bag and hit. Last few months ive decided on the health aspect. I remember reading Jim Wendler saying "if you cant run 2 miles anytime, you're not a man". So 2 miles became my goal. Not even for time. My orginal goal was just to run 2 miles without stopping. It took about 8 to 10 sessions until i was able to run 2 miles in 22 minutes. I became hooked. Im starting to love running. My pace is 7km/4.3 miles.

As a lifter im looking for a running range. Either time or minimum distance. 5 reps for strength. 8 - 12 for hypertrophy. Whats a good minimum running range without going overboard. Or is 2 miles 3 times a week good enough?

Look up Maffetone. My personal minimum aerobic run time is 30 mins at Maffetone pace.

Any faster or less is for testing purposes only.

 

[puppybird]

Minimum distance to run? Zero

 

[TrueBias]

Interesting this comes up cuz yesterday, i saw this poor bastard jogging, looking like shit.....and yet, i cant do it.

If i jog, ill last 20 sec, at best. Cant imagine training for it, but this is a pathetic admission.

 

[WhoElseButYouCelph]

16.5km a day

 

[leidalin]

Minimum distance to run? Zero

Exactly. But we all know he meant average because minimum is definitely zero.

 

[Phlog]

Exactly. But we all know he meant average because minimum is definitely zero.

My maximum is also zero.

 

[4daLuLZ]

Depends how long it takes to catch her, knowutimeanbrah ?

 

[Jkillah]

From a health standpoint, is there any benefit to running over walking?

 

[vision1]

From a health standpoint, is there any benefit to running over walking?

"health" is very broad
You'd probably be less likely to injure yourself if you ever had to run
And it's more difficult to elevate your heart rate when walking.