Search the internet for advice on how to get fit and you may well end up on a “ Couch to 5K ” running plan, which takes people from being a complete beginner to running 5km. The programme is recommended by the NHS website , and a Couch to 5K app – voiced by celebrities such as comedian Sarah Millican – was developed by the NHS and the BBC in 2016. But until recently there had been little research into the programme’s effectiveness.
While many people find it helpful, some experts are concerned that it pushes people too hard, risking putting them off exercise or causing injuries. So what do we know about the benefits and potential downsides of Couch to 5K? Exercise is one of the most common healthy lifestyle recommendations as it reduces our chances of a host of medical conditions, from obesity and heart attacks to less obvious ones like depression and cancer. Doctors generally recommend we spend at least 150 minutes a week doing moderate-level aerobic activity, which could include running or brisk walking.
The Couch to 5K programme is designed for people who currently do no exercise at all, and want to build up to being able to run 5K without stopping, over nine weeks. It uses an approach called interval training, where running is interspersed with walking. So in the first week, people should do 60 seconds of running, then 90 seconds of walking, for 20 minutes.
The time spent running increases week by week. The idea was developed by a US amateur runner called Josh Cl.
