is running twice a week (on my "off" days or days I don't go to the boxing gym) for 3-4 miles enough for a beginner? I'm trying to up my endurance and lose fat. I've been able to run 3 miles for a while, but my time was kinda sucky up at 27 mins, last time I tried, when I was in my "prime." Haven't run in a while, so I doubt I'd do that well, but back then my goal was getting it down to 25 mins. I know I most likely can't do that right now, but I'll start running again next week, most definitively. Just wanted to know if that and a clean diet were enough to shed fat and get in shape. I just feel like if I were lighter I'd be able to do so much more in the gym.

is running twice a week (on my "off" days or days I don't go to the boxing gym) for 3-4 miles enough for a beginner? I'm trying to up my endurance and lose fat. I've been able to run 3 miles for a while, but my time was kinda sucky up at 27 mins, last time I tried, when I was in my "prime." Haven't run in a while, so I doubt I'd do that well, but back then my goal was getting it down to 25 mins. I know I most likely can't do that right now, but I'll start running again next week, most definitively. Just wanted to know if that and a clean diet were enough to shed fat and get in shape. I just feel like if I were lighter I'd be able to do so much more in the gym.
Running and a good diet is the best way to lose weight. If you're just starting, running twice a week at 3-4 mile intervals is very good. Don't worry about your time just yet, but just get your body used to running and working on your cardio, as you keep running your time will eventually come. I'd try to keep running as your only exercise on your off days, as your body does need a chance to rest, which is what off days are for. But good work, keep it up.

So, you'd suggest no pushups or pullups or crunches, etc on non boxing gym days? What if I feel I could've done more on my gym days? Should I just do those extras during my gym days instead?

I'd try to keep running as your only exercise on your off days, as your body does need a chance to rest.

Hmmm, I may be doing something wrong then. I pretty much excercise every day. I always feel guilty if I have a day off and on running days I also incorporate the heavy bag & weights as soon as I get home after my run. How important is it to "rest"? Could I be doing more harm than good by running (30 mins), hitting the heavybag (30 mins) & pushing weights (30 mins) in a single session?

question: why is running better than skipping? when you have the exact same motions?

This is just based on my own experience and probably has no scientific basis... but I train 6-7 days a week without fail and about three hours each day. The other people I train with have different strategies that work well for them, but I personally need the routine and would feel unhuman if I didn't train every day.

With consideration for this though, my training isn't always about going hard. It includes a lot of light shaddow boxing or working on a specific technique repetitively. I don't do heavy weight training and recover well. The most important thing about this type of training is to know your own body. If you're injured, sick or extra sore then take a day or two off, or tone down your training. I sprained my foot really bad but still went to training without missing a day, however I just focused on my arms and skipped one leg for a few weeks. I was slow and my technique was crap, but it kept up my motivation and I never pushed myself or felt guilty. Just don't set your standards too high.

Hmmm, I may be doing something wrong then. I pretty much excercise every day. I always feel guilty if I have a day off and on running days I also incorporate the heavy bag & weights as soon as I get home after my run. How important is it to "rest"? Could I be doing more harm than good by running (30 mins), hitting the heavybag (30 mins) & pushing weights (30 mins) in a single session?

I was once told that, in order of importance, relevant to training where:

1) Genetics
2) Diet
3) Rest
4) Training

The first one you can't do a lot about, but it massively influences everything. Without proper nutrition and rest you won't grow and develop to your genetic potential. If you get that right, training will enhance your potential.

I'd say training every day is over-training and that's a bad thing.

Do you get lots of minor injuries, niggles or cold type bugs/lethargy. All symptoms of doing too much.

Just my opinion.

question: why is running better than skipping? when you have the exact same motions?

Good question.

Skipping probably is a better work out.

I was once told that, in order of importance, relevant to training where:

1) Genetics
2) Diet
3) Rest
4) Training

The first one you can't do a lot about, but it massively influences everything. Without proper nutrition and rest you won't grow and develop to your genetic potential. If you get that right, training will enhance your potential.

I'd say training every day is over-training and that's a bad thing.

Do you get lots of minor injuries, niggles or cold type bugs/lethargy. All symptoms of doing too much.

Just my opinion.


HEY i get those symptoms all the time.. but i keep increasing on my times....


what do you think?

Do you get lots of minor injuries, niggles or cold type bugs/lethargy. All symptoms of doing too much.

Just my opinion.

Yeah, I do get things like that. I think I'll start having a day off a week. And maybe, no other training on the days that I run.

Cheers bombs.

Oh, and that list of order of things in importance - pretty amazing how training is last on the list. Then again, I know with body building it is 80% diet, 20% training.

Without going all Star Trek on everyone, this is a very well researched subject applied to lots of professional athletes - see below.

Why is it important to recover?
Overtraining is an imbalance between training/competition and recovery. Additional non-training stress factors and monotony of training may also contribute to overtraining syndrome. Whilst short-term overtraining can be seen as a normal part of athletic training long-term overtraining can lead to a state described as burnout or overtraining syndrome.

Well-timed rest is one of the most important factors of any training program. The effects of training sessions can be negligible or even detrimental if insufficient rest and recovery is built in.

During training, performance temporarily decreases but begins to rise during recovery. After a certain amount of time, performance rises above the pre-training level because the body is preparing to handle the next training load better than before.

If the body does not receive the next training load within a certain period of time any performance gain begins to slowly decrease. However if the next high intensity session is held before the body has recovered from the previous one performance will remain lower than it would have been after full recovery. Continuous hard training with insufficient recovery will slowly lead to lower performance and a long-term state of overtraining. When over-trained, even a long period of recovery may not be enough to return performance to the original level.

The body needs time for recovery after a single high intensity session, or a hard training period of several days, or even after a low intensity but long training session. Without rest adaptation to the training load will not occur.

The overload principle is an important aspect of training and can be quantified by training load, duration, frequency and rest. However application of excessive training stress or too many training sessions can result in exhaustion of the body’s physiological system. Numerous studies have demonstrated that overtraining from long-term stress or exhaustion is caused by a prolonged imbalance between training and other internal and external stressors and recovery.

So, you'd suggest no pushups or pullups or crunches, etc on non boxing gym days? What if I feel I could've done more on my gym days? Should I just do those extras during my gym days instead?
I would suggest that. Depends really how many days and how much of a workout you are doing on your gym days. Even if you just set one day aside during the week to just relax your body and take it easy, that will help your body more than you know. It's like weightlifting, every other day builds muscle, because the human body needs to be able to build up, and rest. If you are going to be running on your off days, push ups and pull ups won't hurt bad, just don't max out and go to the gym sore.

Hmmm, I may be doing something wrong then. I pretty much excercise every day. I always feel guilty if I have a day off and on running days I also incorporate the heavy bag & weights as soon as I get home after my run. How important is it to "rest"? Could I be doing more harm than good by running (30 mins), hitting the heavybag (30 mins) & pushing weights (30 mins) in a single session?
Exercising everyday is not bad at all, I do the same. However the intensity of the workout is what matters, like I said to bedhead, working out everyday will help you, just make sure there's some difference in between workout days and light days, because your body needs it.

Hitting the bag, lifting, and running for an hour and a half combined is not doing more harm than good at all, that's a good workout you have going there. Just incoporate something light one day during the week and if you're doing that right after coming back from the gym, that may be a bit excessive.