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MBFitnessBristol

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Whether you are starting from scratch or building up again following an injury, if you want to run 5K, you've come you’ve come to the right place. This beginners training plan will help you to build your fitness, taking you from couch to 5K in just six weeks.

This plan starts with a series of run-walk intervals, and gradually increases your time spent running until you can complete the full distance.

Why the intervals or breaks? When we start running, our bodies need time to adapt to the new demands we are placing on them, and to get used to absorbing the impact. By adding these structured, short walking breaks into the sessions, we can gradually build our running volume over time at a safe rate.

Over the six weeks of this programme, you will gradually spend less of the time walking and more time running, until eventually there are no more walking intervals and you can run 5k non-stop.

Building up to running 5K is a great goal for beginner runners. With parkrun – the completely free weekly 5K – available in locations across the UK, it's never been easier to test yourself over the distance in a welcoming, inclusive environment.

Couch to 5K Program

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Whether you’re training for a race, trying to improve your 5K time, or just looking to tear it up at parkun, there are lots of ways to improve your speed.

This intermediate 5K training plan is six weeks long, and aimed at runners who can easily run for up to 30 minutes, four times a week. The training plan includes a number of different types of runs to help you get your best time as you tackle your next 3.1 mile race – from tempo and fartlek runs to easy and long runs.

If you feel like this is a bit much for you, take a look at our beginner 5K training plan, aimed at getting you started.

Building up to running 5K is a great goal for beginner runners. With parkrun – the completely free weekly 5K – available in locations across the UK, it's never been easier to test yourself over the distance in a welcoming, inclusive environment.

How to get faster over the 5K distance
1. Incorporate speed work
To run faster, you need to start practising running at faster speeds. Tempo and interval training sessions (also called Fartlek sessions) force your body to adapt to running at faster speeds by incorporating short bursts of speed work with rest (walking!) in between.

2. Embrace the long runs
You might well think; ‘Why should I do long runs when I’m training for a short distance?’ but keeping those 40-45 minute long runs in your training plan are crucial for building endurance. And building your endurance to run longer distances at slower speeds will help you to run your faster paces for longer too.

3. Keep the easy runs easy
Running slowly when you’re aiming to run faster may seem counter-intuitive, but constantly running all your runs ‘hard’ will fatigue your body quickly and heighten your risk of injury. That’s why it’s important to run your easy runs at a slow pace – the slower the better – so you can then feel fresher for the speed or hard tempo sessions.

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Intermediate 5K Program  

An 8 week Full Body program consisting of 3 sessions a week designed to help you smash the gym and feel more confident in and out of the gym environment 

8 Week Full Body Program 

This routine involves three workouts per week, done on non-consecutive days, e.g., Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. While I’m presenting it as a six-week program, you can continue for longer if you are still progressing. Some of my clients have done it for ten or even 12 weeks while continuing to make gains.

Each workout is purposely short so you can put most of your energy into your pull-ups. However, there are also a couple of supplementary exercises for the sake of variety and muscle balance.

But before you begin any of these workouts, make sure you prepare your muscles and joints with an appropriate warm-up. Do 5-10 minutes of light cardio followed by dynamic mobility and flexibility exercises for your upper body. Finish off with a couple of sets of band-assisted pull-ups.

6 Week Pullup Program 

This routine involves three workouts per week, done on non-consecutive days, e.g., Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. While I’m presenting it as a six-week program, you can continue for longer if you are still progressing. Some of my clients have done it for ten or even 12 weeks while continuing to make gains.  Each workout is purposely short so you can put most of your energy into your pull-ups. However, there are also a couple of supplementary exercises for the sake of variety and muscle balance.  But before you begin any of these workouts, make sure you prepare your muscles and joints with an appropriate warm-up. Do 5-10 minutes of light cardio followed by dynamic mobility and flexibility exercises for your upper body. Finish off with a couple of sets of band-assisted pull-ups.