Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Exercise

Chat to other fitness enthusiasts on our Exercise forum.

Original poster

Starting weight for couch to 5k

30 replies

evilharpy · 12/03/2025 08:01

I might be overthinking this! I was a very frequent runner up until a few years ago but gained a lot of weight in a short time following a period of injury and illness. The weight is now coming back off and I would love to get back to running and thinking of doing C25K but I'm still overweight (actually a couple of pounds into obese category) and I have never run before when big. It worries me that I would be damaging my knees etc and I wonder if I should wait till I have dropped at least another stone. I'm fine for shoes at least, still have a boxed pair of Saucony Omnis which have always been perfect for my flat as pancakes feet.

Would love to know what sort of weight people were when they started C25K and if it caused any issues.

OP posts:
Original poster
evilharpy · 12/03/2025 08:36

God yeah a running bra, that's something I don't have. Well I do, but they're all a 34D I think which I am currently very much not!!

OP posts:
BogRollBOGOF · 12/03/2025 08:32

I was in the jiggly days of losing baby weight. And I hadn't moved much in a year due to SPD. I started C25k when I could finally comfortably briskly walk a couple of miles (although was fed up of panting everywhere)

I had to wear two nursing bras as my sizes were fluctating and I was 5 cups bigger than usual.

I was about 1½ stones bigger than my usual? As a shortie, that's quite a lot for me and not a weight that I was used to long term.

But the first weeks of C25k are more walking than running. Week 1 is something like 8x 1min bursts with walking warm up and cool down, so it's mainly a walk with some faster bursts, and those bursts gradually build up as your body adapts to them.

BansheeOfTheSouth · 12/03/2025 08:12

Just start. Whatever weight you are is a good weight to start. If you're out of the running practice, build up by walking it first. Walking 10k steps covers 5km roughly.

Original poster
evilharpy · 12/03/2025 08:08

No idea, I'm just wrestling with the idea of it at the moment, I want to be a runner again but I have only ever been a runner at a healthy weight! If we're talking kilos I'm about 80kg at the moment.

OP posts:
justsaxy · 12/03/2025 08:05

I haven't done this but always wanted to. My weight is around 90 kilos now (2-3 kilos fluctuating either side) so curious to know!

When are you planning to start?