Why I’m excited to do the Couch to 5K program.
Everyone that I tell about this program has the same response, “Huh, what’s that? Never heard of it”. Honestly, I didn’t know what this was either until I saw a post on Twitter raving about it. A few Google searches later and I was knee-deep in conversations and walk-throughs about the system. So, what is Couch to 5K or C25K as it is referenced everywhere? Why is everyone who does this program so excited by the results? What is the magic?
Nothing really, it’s really just a series of baby steps to get your chubb self outside and moving. Over time you get more and more running introduced and soon you are a running a machine. You can get the whole breakdown at Cool Running, but here’s a little chart for your viewing pleasure:
| Week | Workout 1 | Workout 2 | Workout 3 |
| 1 | Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. | Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. | Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. |
| 2 | Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes. | Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes. | Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes. |
| 3 | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:
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Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:
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Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:
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| 4 | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
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Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
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Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
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| 5 | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
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Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
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Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 20 minutes with no walking. |
| 6 | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
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Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
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Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 25 minutes with no walking. |
| 7 | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 25 minutes. | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 25 minutes. | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 25 minutes. |
| 8 | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 28 minutes. | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 28 minutes. | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 28 minutes. |
| 9 | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 30 minutes. | Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 30 minutes. | The final workout! Congratulations! Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 30 minutes. |
So, that’s about it. A 9 week program that is designed to get you in running shape. Cool huh? I thought so, and the program looks like it makes sense. I expect this to hurt a fair amount as I go along, especially with the Power 90 program delivering a swift pain injection. Of course I will be letting you all know how this goes, wish me luck! Oh and don’t forget to go check out the whole program at Cool Runnings.
Photo by: Martineric