Lydiard First stps Bginnrs Running Cours Igniting Lif-long Fitnss & Vitality LYDIARD FOUNDATION HEADQUARTERS 2525 Arapaho Av., E4-209 Bouldr, CO 80302 Email: info@lydiardfoundation.org Phon: 720-437-3000 1 Lydiard Foundation
Nvr traind bfor? Starting Ovr? Can t run 15 minuts comfortably? Not sur? Tak this simpl tst: Go out th door and jog. Tim yourslf. How long can you go without stopping? If you can t run for fiftn minuts without having to stop and catch your brath, thn... First Stps is for you! First Stps Training Schdul is dsignd to safly tak you from ZERO to a minimum of 15-20 minuts of continuous running in 8 wks without gtting injurd or worn out. First Stps is for thos in rasonably good halth who wish to follow a simpl, sound program that has stood th tst of tim with hundrds of thousands of popl of all ags shaps and sizs. This training mthod is th most ffctiv, asist and safst way of gtting in shap, long-trm, bar non! Utilizing training mthods dvlopd by th gratst long distanc coach of th 20th cntury, Arthur Lydiard, First Stps basic running principls ar th sam as thos usd by Olympic nduranc athlts th world ovr. This sam program inspird th Running Rvolution that took Amrica by storm in th 1970 s, and st th whol world running. Studnts ar takn through an asy progrssion of walk/ jog/run. Using th classic cycl of Intrvals, this uniqu training mthod altrnats running and walking whil intgrating th basic Lydiard Principl of Adaptation to balanc th program s workout days with subsqunt rcovry days. Gt on th road to fitnss. All it taks is 25 minuts thr tims pr wk. 2 Lydiard Foundation
Th Importanc of Establishing a Solid Foundation It is ssntial to undrstand that w ar all individuals. What may tak on prson 4 wks may tak lss or mor for anothr. Th most important thing to undrstand is your own uniqu physiology Many of today s programs ar gard towards nabling bginnrs to finish a marathon on minimal conditioning. To achiv this, lots of walking braks ar includd, and/or th wkly long runs ar oftn incrasd linarly without considration to on s rspons. Most bginnrs can surviv th marathon in 5 to 7 hours aftr 3 or 4 months of training using a walk/ run approach. Howvr, without systmatically building a bas of both cardiovascular and nuromuscular dvlopmnts, th chanc of gtting injurd, fatigud, or mntally burnt out is gratly incrasd. Th Lydiard Systm safly dvlops th ability to continuously compt at an fficint pac whil stting th runnr up for a liftim of improvmnt and njoyabl running. First Stps is a long-trm approach that has provn to b mor njoyabl, safr, and ultimatly yilds suprior rsults. 3 Lydiard Foundation
As long as you follow th... 5 Lydiard Principls and adjust your running schdul according to how you ar rsponding, you WILL improv your fitnss. 1Ths principls ar: 2 3 4 5 Maximiz Your Arobic Capacity First and formost, tach your body to utiliz oxygn and produc nrgy at its optimal lvl. This is calld Building Your Bas. Slow and asy dos it! Fling-Basd Activity Larn to tun into your body signals and bcom proficint at rading your optimal ffort at any tim. Body rapport is ssntial for good training. Rspons-Rgulatd Rcovry Rcovry is th qual partnr of activity. It is during th rcuprativ phas, not th activity, that your body maks its adaptations and gts fittr.. Squntial Dvlopmnt of Enrgy Systms Enduranc, strngth, anarobic dvlopmnt, pac and spd ar dvlopd in squnc. Each phas of training builds upon th on bfor. Whn th nduranc bas is insufficintly dvlopd, your pac will ultimatly suffr. Corrct Timing Thr is an optimal tim for ach work-out. What might sm to b a silvr bullt workout, don at th wrong tim can hav a compltly opposit ffct of that which you ar sking. 4 Lydiard Foundation
Th Pattrn Spac your workouts ovr th wk Th Workouts Bgin by running 3 days a wk. Ths training days can b any day of th wk. Howvr, mak crtain to includ a rcovry day(s) aftr a workout day to nsur your body has adaptd and rcovrd from th prvious workout. Day 3 is dsignd to b a slightly longr workout, so it is usually a good ida to plan it for a wknd day, Saturday or Sunday. It is rcommndd, though not ssntial, that Day 1 and Day 2 b followd by a rst day and Day 3 b followd by two rst days. Rcommndd Workout Days: Tusday, Thursday, Saturday or Wdnsday, Friday, Sunday. Avoid stringing all your workout days togthr. Rcovry Days: Rst or ngag in asy arobic activity that dos NOT rquir rcovry..g. yoga, rcrational biking or swimming, walking tc. 3 Tims a wk: Warm-up 3 to 5 minuts Jog 1 to 4 min. & Walk 1 to 4 min Rpat Jog/Walk 3x ach workout Cool down 3 to 5 minuts That s it! Your first workouts ar only 15 minuts in lngth. Always bgin with a quick, brisk walk warm-up (3 to 5 minuts), and always finish with a cool-down brisk walk of th sam lngth (3 to 5 minuts). As th wks go by, you will gradually lngthn th jogging sgmnt from 1 minut to 4 minuts whil dcrasing th lngth of th walking sgmnt by th sam amount. Each nw wk, you will go back to th asy workout, usually on Day 2, to giv your body a chanc to rcovr from th incrasd workload. On Day 3 you gt to gradually strtch th nvlop by incrasing th distanc. 5 Lydiard Foundation
Stag 1 Gtting Startd 4 Wks WEEK 1 2 DAY 1 D DAY 3 D DAY 5 A A Y Y Jog 2 min. Walk 3 min. Rpat 3 tims for a brisk walk for 3 min. Walk for 4 min. Jog 2 min. Walk 3 min. Rpat 3 tims for a 2 R c o v r y Jog 2 min. Walk 3 min. Rpat 3 tims for a brisk walk for 3 min. Walk for 4 min. Jog 2 min. Walk 3 min. Rpat 3 tims for a 4 R c o v r y Jog 2 min. Walk 3 min. Rpat 3 tims for a brisk walk for 3 min. Walk for 4 min. Jog 3 min. Walk 2 min. Rpat 3 tims for a D A Y S 6 & 7 R c o v r y brisk walk for 4 min. brisk walk for 4 min. brisk walk for 4 min. 3 Walk for 5 min. Jog 3 min. Walk 2 min. Rpat 3 tims for a Walk for 5 min. Jog 2 min. Walk 3 min. Rpat 3 tims for a Walk for 5 min. Jog 3 min. Walk 2 min. Rpat 3 tims for a brisk walk for 5 min. brisk walk for 5 min. brisk walk for 5 min. 4 Walk for 5 min. Walk for 5 min. Walk for 5 min. Jog 3 min. Walk 2 min. Rpat 3 tims for a Jog 2 min. Walk 3 min. Rpat 3 tims for a Jog 3 min. Walk 2 min. Rpat 3 tims for a brisk walk for 5 min. brisk walk for 5 min. brisk walk for 5 min. 6 Lydiard Foundation
Stag 2 Moving Right Along... Continuous Running Your goal during this stag is to incras th lngth of CONTINUOUS RUNNING within th span of a 20~30 minuts priod. Th continuous running is incrasd whil th walking braks ar dcrasd. A 10 minut continuous run is introducd on Day 3 and by th nd of th month you will b running 20 minuts without stopping. Do not b dauntd, your arobic systm is vry quickly rsponsiv and you will find that onc you run th distanc a fw tims it will quickly bcom a pic of cak. Phasing Out Walking Braks Taking walking braks is a grat way to covr gratr distanc/duration than you v vr don bfor, physically as wll as mntally. Howvr, it is th continud ffort that brings about cardiac prssur to dvlop your arobic capacity and your gnral fitnss lvl. It is surprising how quickly your hart rat coms down during your walking brak. What is mor surprising is how quickly you bcom conditiond making th walking braks lss and lss physically ncssary. Do not allow th walking braks to b a mntal crutch th soonr you do away with thm, th fastr you will progrss. Onc you hav givn up walking braks thy will quickly bcom an annoyanc if for som rason you hav to walk during your run! Tim on Your Ft Pay a clos attntion to your pacing. If you ar slowing down toward th nd of th continuous run, SLOW DOWN THE OVERALL PACE. It is important to incras th total duration of tim spnt on your ft. By running fastr than your lvl of fitnss can handl, you may jopardiz fulfilling this purpos. Don t lt anybody fool you that you can b bttr off doing fastr for lss tim. 7 Lydiard Foundation
Stag 2 Moving Right Along 4 Wks WEEK 5 6 DAY 1 D DAY 3 D DAY 5 A A Y Y Rpat 4 tims for a total of 20 min. Rpat 4 tims for a Total of 20 min. 2 R c o v r y Jog 3 min. Walk 2 min. Rpat 4 tims for a total of 20 min. Jog 3 min. Walk 2 min. Rpat 4 tims for a Total of 20 min. 4 R c o v r y Followd by 10 min. jog Walk 1 min. Jog 4 min. Total of 20 min. Followd by 15 min. jog Walk 1 min. Jog 4 min. Total of 25 min. D A Y S 6 & 7 R c o v r y 7 8 Followd by 10 min. jog Walk 1 min. Jog 4 min. Total of 20 min. walk for 3 min. Followd by 10-15 min. jog Walk 1 min. Jog 4 min. Total of 20-25 min. walk for 3 min. Rpat 4 tims for a Total of 20 min. walk for 3 min. Rpat 4 tims for a Total of 20 min. Followd by 10 min. jog Tak 1 min. walk brak Followd by 10 min. jog Walk 1 min. Jog 4 min. Total of 31 min. Followd by 20 min. Jog Walk 1 min. Jog 4 min. Total of 30 min. 8 Lydiard Foundation
Common F AQ for All Bginning Runnrs Q: How Oftn Do I Nd to Exrcis? Thr tims a wk is th rcommndd minimum amount of xrcis to improv fitnss for a bginnr. It is bst to start consrvativly whn stablishing a nw fitnss routin. Q: I Hav Startd Exrcis Programs Bfor But Didn t Last. How Do I Stick To It? It has bn said that th hardst part of any running program is turning th doorknob. It taks a minimum of 3 wks for a nw habit to form and for your physiology to kick in. Whn this happns, your body will not only xpct it but it will rlish it. Th first 4 wks of this program ar dsignd to b gntl, allowing th procss to tak plac. But no on can do it for you, it is up to you to mak th commitmnt to yourslf. A fw suggstions to strngthn your rsolv: invst in a nw pair of snakrs, a hart-rat monitor, or a running outfit of your liking. Find a running group, a training buddy, or a coach to chr you on. Thn tak it on stp at a tim. Q: Can I Do Mor Than Th Schdul Says? If aftr four wks, you start to fl antsy and would lik to do mor, w rcommnd adding anothr day to th wkly schdul by rpating th asist workout day on on of your rst days. Mak sur, howvr, that you spac your runs so that you FOLLOW YOUR INCREASED WORKOUT DAY WITH A REST DAY. Th goldn rul is: tak as much rcovry as ndd to gt th full bnfit from your last workout. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO DO LESS MORE OFTEN, than do too much at onc. Avoid bing a wknd warrior and ovrloading th body in on sssion. Lt your pac com naturally. Q: Can I Add Cross-Training On My Rcovry Days? It is okay to substitut ths asy xtra days with othr forms of cross-training. Howvr, if improving your running is th goal, it is advisabl to run rathr than to do cross-training. Running is uniqu in that you ar pushing your ntir body wight off th ground against gravity; unlik cycling or swimming whr your body wight is supportd. Not that ths othr activitis ar not good, but thr ar crtain adaptations that you may not b abl to achiv by doing othr substitut activitis. Th truth of th fact is, you will rcovr mor quickly if you includ an xtra asy day or two of running during th wk. 9 Lydiard Foundation
F AQ Continud Q: I m Not Rady For Stag II Can I Rpat Stag I? Absolutly! If at any stag you fl lik th schdul is pushing you along too quickly, DO NOT hsitat to rpat th prvious wk. Thr is not tim limit on this program. Many bginnrs may bnfit by rpating ach wk twic, making this a 2-month program. Thr is no sham in progrssing slowly. You may tak twic as long to gt to th sam fitnss lvl as sombody ls, but you WILL vntually gt thr safly. If you forc it, you will nd up dlaying your own progrss by gtting discouragd or injurd. Stay th cours at your own pac. Do whatvr it taks for you. Q: Should I us a Hart-Rat Monitor? Hart-rat monitors ar a usful fdback tool for bginnrs, spcially for thos runnrs who tnd to do too much, too fast. By all mans us your monitor, but trat it as you would training whls on a bicycl us it until you bcom proficint at rading your own body signals. Th long-trm succss of your training program dpnds on your ability to b abl to tun in to your physiology and gaug your ffort so that it is xactly right for you. 10 Lydiard Foundation
F AQ Continud Th Hart Mattrs Hart Rat is probably on of th most gnrally usd mthods to gaug fitnss lvl improvmnt as wll as th intnsity of workload. Hart Rat as a Fitnss Improvmnt Indicator: Our hart is a muscl, just lik any othr muscls in our body. As you gt fittr, your hart bcoms biggr and strongr and, as th rsult, your Rsting Hart Rat will dcras, pumping mor blood with ach strok as wll as total flow pr minut. In ordr to compar, it should b rcordd undr th sam condition at th sam tim of th day Your Targt Hart Rat Th old and simpl way to calculat Targt Hart Rat is: 220 minus your ag. Howvr, as w all know, som vry fit old popl can b in bttr shap than unfit youngstrs. Thrfor, your training background and your currnt stat of fitnss lvl should b factord into th formula. This nw formula taks your currnt fitnss lvl (Rsting Hart Rat) into account: (220 - Ag in Yars Rsting Hart Rat) x 70% + Rsting Hart Rat = Th Hart Rat (Womn add 3) Fiv bats abov and blow givs your rang,.g.: Hanna is 30 and has a Rsting Hart Rat of 70. 220-30 - 70 x 70% + 70 = 154 + 3 +157 Hanna s training HR rang is btwn 152-162. Rmmbr this is only a guidlin. How to chck your Rsting Hart Rat Turn hand palm sid up. Plac two fingrs from your opposit hand in th groov btwn mid-wrist and th bon running along th thumb-sid of your forarm. Lightly fl for your puls from th radial artry. Count th pulss you fl in 60 sconds. If you ar chcking th puls during th xrcis, count th pulss you fl in 15 sconds immdiatly aftr you stop th xrcis and multipl that numbr by four. This is roughly your hart rat in bats pr minut 11 Lydiard Foundation
F AQ Continud Q: How hard should I run to improv my fitnss? For th tim bing, tak th word hard out of your vocabulary. Th goal of th Lydiard Program is to gt you startd and to stablish a fun, halthy routin. Th no pain, no gain mntality has draild mor bginnrs than anything ls. Go asy and your body will naturally improv by th mr fact that you ar moving. First and formost, it is important to larn to run th distanc continuously and comfortably without strain. Although it may not b immdiatly vidnt, many physiological changs ar happning aftr just your first run. Th cardiovasular systm dvlops much mor quickly than your muscular systm. Whil you may fl you ar capabl of running fastr, th muscls, and particularly th joints and ligamnts (which hav lssr blood supply), nd tim to strngthn. This program dvlops your ntir body at a rat that minimizs th risk of injury, and sts you up to progrss to fastr pacs for many yars of njoyabl running and racing. Q: I fl grat whn I start out my run, but quickly fizzl. What should I do? Slow down you mov too fast. Practic starting out slowly. Whn you go from th warmup/walk to th run, do so gntly. Th scrt to nduranc is to go slowly at th bginning. Evn if you fl that you can go fastr, don t. Q: What You Can Expct As You Progrss? As you gt fittr, you should s th following: 1. You will b running furthr within th sam duration of running tim, 2. You will b coming to th sam turn-around point in lss tim, or 3. You ar raching th turn-around point in th sam tim with a lowr puls-rat 4. You will b running fastr (1 and 2) with th sam puls So as you prform this simpl tst, you should look for ths signs. If you don t s any of thm; particularly if your puls rat is lvatd, it indicats that you ar actually ovr-working or trying too hard to mt th goal. Back off and tak it asy. LET THE PACE COME TO YOU! You cannot, and should not, squz it out of yourslf. 12 Lydiard Foundation
F AQ Continud Goldn Ruls Train, don t strain! You can NEVER run too slowly. It s not th distanc (duration) that stops you but th spd. If in doubt, do lss. It is always safr to progrss slowly than to push for quick rsults. If you fl you r struggling, rpat th prvious wk s schdul. Always listn to your body; not th prdtrmind schdul. Know that what you do today is laying a solid foundation for tomorrow. 13 Lydiard Foundation
Congratulations Now that you ar running continuously for approximatly 20 minuts 3 tims a wk, you hav compltd th hardst part of th program and rachd th bas of th Lydiard Training Pyramid. From this point on, th fun bgins as you build up to an hour of continuous running and mak your first Ascnt to Pak Fitnss. At www.runningwizard.com, you can choos a spcifically tailord Lydiard Running Program to continu your journy, whthr your dsir is to participat in long distanc and marathon vnts, or to just maintain your prsonal fitnss goals. NO cooki-cuttr training plans! All Running Wizard Plans ar formulatd to provid you with a prsonalizd program dtailing daily workouts that ar spcific to your goals, ag, fitnss lvl, and training prfrncs. Choos Your Running Wizard Program: 1. UP & RUNNING PLANS tak you to an hour of continuous running. 2. UP & RACING PLANS not only tak you to an hour of continuous running, thy support your first 5k or 10k rac training. 3. BUCKET LIST PLANS tak you to your first half marathon or full marathon. 14 Lydiard Foundation
About th Lydiard Foundation Arthur Lydiard (1917-2004) was a lgndary figur in th sport of running. A nativ of Nw Zaland, Lydiard was first a runnr and latr on a coach. His mthod of coaching and training hlpd transform th sport and is still widly usd today. On of th grat coachs of th world, Lydiard hlpd populariz running as th commonplac sport it is today. Today, Lydiard s lgacy livs on through th work of th Lydiard Foundation. Its principal instructors Nobuya Nobby Hashizum and Lorrain Mollr workd closly with Lydiard himslf for many yars. Lydiard is th most sophisticatd training mthod vr dvlopd and th most widly usd systm worldwid by both rcrational runnrs and champions. Th Foundation is a non-profit ddicatd to sharing Arthur s xprtis, joy and passion for th sport of running. Our Coaching Crtification, Running Wizard and Ron Dixon Kid s Marthon Programs provid practical application of Lydiard Training Principls inspiring athlts of all ags worldwid. 15 Lydiard Foundation
About th Lydiard Foundation Lorrain Mollr Prsidnt Lorrain is a 4-tim Olympian, Olympic bronz mdalist, world track and fild finalist, multipl Commonwalth Gams track mdalist, and winnr of 16 major intrnational marathons, including th Boston Marathon. Sh holds th distinction of bing th only woman to hav run all of th 20th cntury Olympic marathons for womn. Lorrain s autobiography On th Wings of Mrcury, publishd in 2008, was launchd by Nw Zaland s Prim Ministr, Hln Clark, and bcam #2 on th Nw Zaland Bst Sllr List. Nobuya Hashizum Dirctor of Coaching Nobuya Hashizum, fondly known as Nobby, first cam across Arthur s book Running th Lydiard Way in 1978. H was so imprssd, h contactd Arthur Lydiard, rlocatd to Nw Zaland and for 12 months was prsonally traind by Authur. Mastr Coach and rcrational runnr, Nobby is ddicatd to crating and rfining th Lydiard Coaching courss to crtify coachs who can carry on th Lydiard lgacy and sprad th training philosophy. LYDIARD FOUNDATION HEADQUARTERS 2525 Arapaho Av., E4-209 Bouldr, CO 80302 Email: info@lydiardfoundation.org Phon: 303.443.7386 16 Lydiard Foundation