Has anyone actually ‘got fit’ from c25k?

[CheesePleaseCheese]

I do a lot of walking and I’m on my feet a lot, always average 10,000 steps a day. But i feel terribly unfit.
I have around a stone to lose but my primary goal is to build up fitness and hopefully lower my resting heart rate.

Has this worked for anyone? I’ve just done w1r1 and couldn’t wait for it to end 😆

It also really tones up your bum and legs, which is a definite plus. Parkrun is properly addictive.

Ha! Worked for my son in similar circs

Yes, it's very effective if you stick to it.

@CheesePleaseCheese Yes! But start slower than you think you need to. There's a technique called niko niko running which is good for building fitness. It's essentially very slow jogging that means you can go further without wanting to collapse into a puddle.

Have you joined the Couch to 5k Facebook group? It is amazing for questions like these! And full of people you can actually whinge to, people who talk about bad runs and lots of people who can't understand how they ended up running half marathons.

My own running on hold atm during pregnancy but I started from zero January 1 2024 and it was the best thing I ever did for my little brain, my overall fitness and my stupid weird knees.

I started C25K about this time last year after moving to a more sedentary job and realising I needed to do something about my fitness. I finished it but was nowhere near doing 5k in 30mins at the end. My pb 5k is 53:26 so I am slow!!

Now I try and do one run a week, a swim and a yoga class and I think they all complement each other. It’s less than some people but that is what I can fit into my life right now.

My two tips are - run slower than you think you should and concentrate on your breathing.

I'd also say people's heart rates are quite different - I'm fairly fit, but when I'm running, my heart rate gets really high - it's just how I'm built. My resting heart rate is very slow, so I'm not too concerned (but it does help explain why I've never got on with running - even at my peak, running 10k, my heart rate was always constantly averaging 160bpm, and it's always made me feel rubbish. When I spoke to others about it and compared heart rates, it all made sense).

Yes definitely started in my mid-40s and if you can keep it up 3x a week by week 6-8 your be amazed how much more you can run. I still remember Denise Lewis on nhs c25k app telling me I was a runner. I went onto to do 10k then HM before illness knocked me out for a year. Im now early 50s and have re-done C25K back to running 3x a week 5-8k mostly just love to buzz.

Yes, but the trick is not to stop at the end of the 9 weeks. You can backslide quite quickly. I’m not a "natural" runner but something clicked with me and I’m pretty fit for my age now.

If you do a parkrun that has a single lap course, you end up running with people the same pace as you so you don't feel bad about wheezing etc. I understand what you mean, though. Besides parkrun, I run on my own in the hills as I hate running in cities with lots of people stood around gawping at you. Luckily I live in the countryside.

I am taking all of your advice on board! It’s all so helpful.

With lifting weights, are home work outs enough? I used to do the Apple fitness+ workouts a few years ago when I had a free trial and really enjoyed it.
I have 1.5 & 3kg dumbbells.

I’m too shy to join a gym 🙈

Weight training with dumbbells - check out Caroline Girvan's workouts. She is the absolute best. Free on YouTube.

I love couch to 5k, I’ve done it loads of times in different ways, some to get fitter from scratch eg after surgery etc, some to extend fitness, like at one point I was doing all three days of couch to 5k in one go to extend my long runs (90 mins running twice a week instead of 30 mins running 3 times a week etc) I’ve tried other programmes and I just don’t like them as much.

I couldn’t easily do more than a few minutes run when I first started it either and I’ve lost my fitness a few times since due to illness or injury and I always end up back on the c25k. My resting heart rate is around 52bpm and I’m in my 40s.

weight trainjng at home is great.
pilates style using your own body weight is also good.

Yes I did it and now run three times a week for 30 minutes (all I have time for). I’m not fast and never will be but I’m much trimmer and fitter and my resting heart rate has lowered.

I know it’s disheartening seeing much faster runners or fitter people at the gym, but I just try and focus on my own cardiovascular health.

I finished it recently. I think it's the challenge of doing a bit more each week that helps fitness, so that's hard to maintain afterwards (I want to run regularly, but not further or longer - been there done that with 10ks half marathons and marathons. I'm just going to have to set myself pace targets.

It worked for me till I did something nasty to my Achilles tendon after not running for three weeks.

I keep meaning to try again.

Dh did it six years ago. He was very unfit at the time and had to repeat some of the weeks. Six year on, though, he run 10k 3-4 times weeks and often does a longer run at the weekend.

I had toyed with running 5ks but was always in hatred mode.

I did a c25k last summer, and we carried on as a group, training together and doing 5k runs, and I think I did it properly for the first time. I’m just home from a 6k run. I am amazed I can run 5k, it still shocks me 😂 It’s never as hard - or such a big leap - as going from a non-runner to a 5k run. You’ll be inordinately proud of yourself. Do it!