How To Run If You're Overweight

Great video. For those worried about appearances please remember that for every person that might be judging you there are 2 you are inspiring as well.

If I see an overweight person running, walking, any exercise really my thought is "Way to go" and I am very impressed as I know they are working hard....

As an obese person, a big mental switch for me was to think about how often I judged others at the gym (never) and remember that the average person was judging me just as much. Most people are too focused on their own workouts to care about what you look like.

Thank you so much to GTN for having me on, for a guy who 3 years ago couldn’t swim and was so big I couldn’t ride a bike this is a big moment for me. The truth is that whether you’re looking to start running or work your way into triathlon now is the time to go for it. There’s lots of good tips in this video and even more on GTN’s other videos that can help you. Enjoy it, it’ll be the best journey you’ve ever been on. You don’t have to be great to start but you have to start to be great. If you’re interested in my journey you can follow me on all the socials. Thanks again GTN.

I started running three years ago with over a hundred kilos and a drinking habit and now I‘m at 65 kg, completely sober and running 120k a week- I‘d say swapping one addiction for another definitely works. I definitely respect overweight runners, getting into it is always hardest, isn‘t it? And those who don‘t are probably all those who never ran a single step in their lives. Not to care what others think is the most sensible approach. 98% won‘t perceive you anyway.

I tried running unsuccessfully a number of times, before properly getting in to it. I mistakenly thought you had to to run hard at a fast pace to be considered running, a was exhausted after less than 1km. So my advice would be to forget about pace - run slowly enough that you can speak comfortably, and in time your pace will improve itself.

I was 18 stone and a 20 a day smoker aged 25. I am now 35 and have completed an ironman and constantly come top ten in my local parkrun every week hitting sub 20 easily. Just be persistent, trust the process and if any pond life mock you or shout insults at you when driving past just know that if someone needs to bring others down the problem is with them not the person they are belittling

I’m still obese and had a baby 18 months ago. The weight does not want to go away, but I just love how I feel during a trail run. I’ve lost 30lbs, but still have a lot to go. Got my second 5k and a 10k planned this year!

In 2014 was 137 kilos , started walking 6 km everyday , Got Down to 110 kilos and started jogging , i am a running coach , swimming teacher and Yoga teacher now all great tools at help me on my Triathlon journey ❤️Triathlon gives the balance over trainning properly we all need a coach ❤️

Yeah, I'm around 10 kg overweight, been running again for the past 2 years, and chaffing is a big problem for me. Its always on the thighs. The best solution I've found is compression shorts or any sort of material to create a barrier between my thighs. As far as people watching you, honestly, people don't care. Normal people don't judge you for trying to better yourself.

Nice to hear from heavier runners. I'm about 50-75lbs overweight. I started walking and doing kettlebell training in February 2022. Then I started alternating walking with running. Finally in May I tried running continuously, hoping I would make it for .25 miles and I ended up running a mile! Now I'm slowly running up to 4.5 miles a day. I think the strength training really helps protect me from injury... No problems so far. I haven't made weight loss the focus. I've dropped a size or two, but that's not what gets me out the door in the morning. I am determined to keep running this winter! There is something really powerful about running in freezing temps, both for how alive your body feels but also the sheer pride of being able to do something hard. There is nothing like the headspace running puts me into. For plus sized women, I really like Athleta brand clothing. For cold fall mornings, I'm wearing their Speedlite long sleeved tech shirt with the stash tights and a stratus tee over the top. Don't forget gloves! I'm still learning how to dress in the cold. But it's not as bad as you think. Please if you are thinking about doing it, do it! You can be someone else's inspiration.

Ive lost 20 pounds jogging a mile every weekday since april. My shins were sore for 7 months but ive pushed through. i can move around much better, my legs aren’t sore anymore, and they are stonger. Im happy with my running journey thus far

In 2019, I was 113 kg with no prior running experience. I lost 20 kg through small diet changes and started into a couch to 5k program. After completing that, I bought one of the Garmin watches that automatically suggests a run each day based on my current ability level. This extra bit of guidance has been key in motivating me to keep going.

This is a very, very nice video! My wake up call came in two parts: - I was walking one time and I saw my reflection on a building window and I saw my tummy really bulging out. And I didn’t like the way I looked. - the second one came with a death in the family due to heart disease. I told myself I wouldn’t want that to happen to me or to my kin. So, I decided to do some running and cycling and encouraged my immediate family to do serious exercises also. And I’m happy to say I’ve kept the excess weight for several years now. Thanks for the video and for featuring everyday people and not just ultra talented pro athletes. Love you guys! 🥰

I think Sam touched on it briefly, but for me one of the most difficult aspects of getting fit again was dealing with the psychological impact of the expectations that I'd built up from when I was previously in shape. I think everybody who has trained before has a scale in their head which equates certain distances to expected times and degrees of effort required. Then you start back running again after a long time off and you're out of breath after the first 100 metres, and you have to mentally tear down and re-calibrate that scale. It's heartbreaking, but necessary.

This was a great video. They were both motivating, and the confirmation, from a doctor, that running is good for the joints was great. I've been a runner my whole life, but I wanted to comment specifically for those holding themselves back due to what others might think. As a reasonably fit and very active person, when I see someone on the road, in the gym, etc who is working out while carrying extra weight, not wearing the latest gear (nor am I) , etc, I'm absolutely 100% proud and excited for you. I know that you have hopes and goals, and that you're out there getting after them, whatever your pace or form. I might have skipped my run that day because (put in crap excuse here), but there you are putting in the work. I know many, if not most, runners feel the same way. So if you happen to catch someone's eye as you slog through a workout, just know that as the sweat is dripping and you're huffing and puffing, so many of us are NOT judging, but giving you a mental high five and silently welcoming you into the running/ swimming/ cycling/ weightlifting/ yoga etc community. You do belong.

My take is walk / run every day for as long a distance as possible while still being able to do the same the next day. Pace yourself, enjoy the journey! I had a sore hip last year stopped running and started in November and the pain goes away with every run. My rest day is walking!

I needed to hear about sore knees and the body aches you might feel, it shows me that’s normal and I can still try. Those things scared me from starting even though I really want to run. My knee pain I know is partly due to my weight but I felt like that meant “I can’t “. This video told me a lot more I needed to hear, like start with as little as I need to even if it’s 30 seconds, another thing I judged myself for saying that wouldn’t be enough and was pointless. So thank you very much.‼️🙏🏼

Thank you for this. I’m not an overweight person but really found this awesome. Interviewing an orthopedist about this was really cool. Many local orthopedics here hate taking care of runners and their “bad knees.” Thus they don’t recommend it. So nice to hear that running won’t kill my body and that it’s more about gradual effort and muscle strength over all.

As someone who went from 136 kg and is now down to 100kg (185cm height), I appreciate you bringing on people who have gone through these challenges. For me I started with a walk run (100m run, 200m walk) and increased the run by 10% each week. Eventually got to a point where I could run consistently. Also less focus on pace and more on heart rate and time on feet. Thanks for putting this video out.