Easy Aerobic Run

Steady running at conversational pace, the base of any endurance plan. Most weekly running volume should sit here, not in the hard middle ground.

DIFFICULTY
Beginner
EQUIPMENT
Bodyweight
PRIMARY MUSCLES
Quads · Hamstrings · Calves
ALSO WORKS
Glutes · Diaphragm · Soleus · Tibialis Anterior
HOW TO DO IT
  1. 01Start with five minutes of walking or very easy jogging to warm up.
  2. 02Settle into a pace where you can speak in full sentences without gasping, roughly RPE 3 to 4.
  3. 03Hold that effort for thirty to sixty minutes, letting the pace drift slower on hills rather than pushing.
  4. 04Keep the cadence quick and the footstrike under the hips instead of reaching out in front.
  5. 05Finish with five minutes of easy walking rather than stopping dead.
COACHING CUES
  1. 01If you cannot talk, you are running too hard.
  2. 02Quick feet, light contact.
  3. 03Effort stays flat, let the pace vary.
COMMON MISTAKES
  1. 01Running easy days at moderate effort, which accumulates fatigue without the adaptation of a real hard session.
  2. 02Chasing pace on hills, which spikes the effort and defeats the point of an aerobic run.
  3. 03Overstriding to hit a pace, which increases braking force at every step.

Note: Reference material, not a prescription. Load, volume and whether this movement suits you at all depends on your assessment — if something hurts, stop and get it looked at.

Want a program built around you?

BOOK YOUR ASSESSMENT →