Weight Loss Running Plans: Run + Strength Workout!
Is there anyone out there who hasn’t wanted to lose weight at some point? While it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure of how best to proceed, we’ve got some great pointers to help you decrease body fat and lose weight with weight loss running plans.
It’s no surprise that here at The Run Experience we love to use running to keep in shape and keep off the extra pounds and maintain a healthy weight.
Weight Loss Running Plans: Run + Strength Workout!
Running for weight loss is an easy habit to adopt, whether you embark solo or with a buddy. Read on for our top tips, some things to keep in mind, and explore our Run + Strength workout that will put you through your paces!
Running For Weight Loss: Is it Effective?
Short answer: Yes! Developing a weight loss running plan paired with other forms of cardio get your heart rate up–which burns calories! It can be a fantastic tool to incorporate into your weight loss plan.
Simplicity
Sure, you can get carried away with the latest watch, new shoes every month, and fancy running gear. But at the basic level, all you need is a pair of shoes, a sports bra for us ladies, and a sidewalk or trail.
Once you have those pieces, all you have to do it start. You can make the schedule and location arrangements. If you don’t know any other runners, you can get started on your own. Plus, it doesn’t require a gym membership or trainer to get started.
Making Time
If a lack of time has stood between you and weight loss goals, then running can help overcome that obstacle. Instead of taking the time to drive to and from the gym or a class, lace up your running shoes and walk out your door. Boom–you’re ready to warm-up and start running.
The less you have to stress about creating time to work out, the sooner you’ll start seeing progress in your goal to lose weight!
Having a Support System
Granted, we mentioned above that you don’t need to depend on anyone else to get started (or continue) running. That being said, having a buddy or support system can be a fantastic supplement work towards fat loss together. A partner can help hold you accountable, get out there running with you, and offer encouragement along the way.
You never know, maybe a friend or colleague is in the same boat as you with wanting to lose weight. Whether friendly competition or empathetic support, take advantage of creating a running plan together on the road, a trail, or a treadmill,
Running For Weight Loss: How to Maximize the Benefits
Eat Wisely
Don’t use your awesome run as an excuse to “treat” yourself to an extra serving of dessert or another glass of wine. It can be easy to justify those extra calories, but if you indulge regularly you’ll just derail your progress.
Dieting is just as important in your weight loss running plan–the number of calories you eat compared to the number of calories you expend has a big impact on your workouts and weight loss goals.
You can also work with a nutritionist or dietitian to help structure a healthy diet with fewer calories–creating a calorie deficit without impacting your running program negatively.
Make sure to load up on the veggies, complex carbs, and a good protein source to fuel up after your running effort. After a run, try out a refreshing protein smoothie packed with fruits and vegetables to nourish your muscles.
Check out our video on basic diet and weight loss tips for runners:
Find Balance in Your Training
Though it can take some practice, finding the sweet spot between pushing yourself with high-intensity runs and not pushing too hard is important in any weight loss running plan. Developing that balance will help prolong your running career, help avoid injuries, and most importantly, help you enjoy your running adventures.
Include Strength Training
Here at TRE, we are fanatics about including strength work with your running. That’s why we’re including a strength + run workout in this blog post! Strength training will not only help you run farther before getting tired by building muscle mass; it will also help prevent injuries.
Have you ever been told your knees hurt because your glutes are weak? Strength work for your glutes can help fix this!
For a sample 20-minute strength training gym workout, check out this video:
Running For Weight Loss: Running Workout
This workout will kick you into gear–pronto! It may look simple with only three components, but it’ll put a demand on your mobility, run form, and strength simultaneously. We’re jumping into this feet first!
The Squat Jump Exercise
This workout consists of three different movements, with only one of them being running. The first is the squat jump. Simply put, it’s an air squat with a little hop at the end.
How to do a Jump Squat
Let’s break it down further:
- Start with your feet a little wider than hips’ width apart.
- Toes are pointed straight forward.
- From a tall position (butt squeezed), sit the hips back and bend the knees.
- Find the bottom of your squat.
- Knees should be tracking outside of the toes, and not too far forward over them!
- Your core should be engaged and butt still squeezed.
- Now press the knees outward and stand up out of the squat.
- Try a couple more.
So far, so good?
To add the jump:
- This time, as you come out of the squat, you’ll continue into a small jump.
- Instead of just extending through the hips, you’ll go on to extend through the fronts of the ankles in a vertical jump.
- Lastly, your arms will be in front of you at the bottom of the squat and will swing back behind your hips at the initiation of the jump.
- Try a few like this.
The Sprawl Exercise
Ok, so we’ve got the squat jump down. Onto the sprawl. The sprawl is essentially a simplified burpee.
How to do a Sprawl
Let’s take a look:
- Start by standing tall, feet hips’ width apart, butt squeezed.
- Sit the butt back to give your hips and knees room to bend and allow your hands to touch the ground.
- Heels will stay on the ground. You’ll be tempted to shift your weight to the toes, letting the heels come off.
- Try a few repetitions of just touching the hands to the ground and returning to standing.
- From here, once the hands are on the ground, step feet out one at a time to a straight arm plank position.
- Now step them back one at a time to meet your hands and stand up tall.
Making sense?
Let’s complete the movement:
- Now, from the straight arm plank, drop the hips to the ground.
- From there, snap the hips with a little jump to find the straight arm plank again.
- Try a few hip snaps from the ground back to the plank.
- Now that we’ve activated that hip snap, we’ll use it to quickly bring the feet into our hands from the plank.
- The full movement will be hands down, jump out to plank, snap the hips to bring feet back to the hands, stand up tall and do a little hop at the top.
Hill Interval Training
The final part of this workout is going to be a simple 20-second run/jog up a hill (of your choice!).
Pick a hill to run up for 20 seconds at a time. Something that will get you breathing, but that will be “runnable” for multiple rounds. Make sure to keep your feet under you and don’t lean too far forward at the hips. Pump your arms to help propel you up the incline!
Now, let’s put all this together with a workout you can incorporate into your weight loss running plan!
The Run + Strength Workout
Here’s how this workout will look:
- At the bottom of the hill, you’ll do 1 squat jump.
- Now, do one sprawl.
- Next, do one 20-second run up your hill.
- Now jog or walk easy back down to the bottom.
- Next, you’ll do two squat jumps.
- Complete two sprawls.
- Still, just one 20-second run up the hill.
- Jog back down.
- Do three squat jumps.
- Complete three sprawls.
- Do one 20-second run up the hill. etc….
You can pick the level of challenge on this workout!
If you’re more on the beginner side of things, aim to start with five total rounds (getting up to five reps of the squat jump and sprawl).
As you get more comfortable and conditioned, consider upping to seven-eight rounds, and from there 10.
Even if most weeks you stick to five, consider upping to seven every few workouts to add some extra aerobic challenge.
By breaking the running up into rounds, and mixing it up with other dynamic (and fun) movements, you’ll get used to how it feels and start to enjoy the long term effects.
You’ll be breathing smoother and losing weight in no time! Before you know it, this workout will be too easy for you 😉
Finally, don’t forget to download our new mobile app to gain access to coaching advice, daily video workouts, injury prevention tips, weight loss running plans, and complete training programs that will make you a better athlete and help motivate and inspire your training program every day!