Before you start training

Before you embark on any fitness training you should carefully consider a few things.

See a doctor If you are:

• Over 35, or
• Have not exercised recently, or
• Overweight (Am I significantly overweight? - Click here to find out)
• Suffer from medical problems / on medication, or
• Recovering from an injury, or
• Are pregnant

Motivating Yourself

For many people, particularly when starting out, motivating oneself to get out and exercise can be difficult. Maintaining a fitness routine can be difficult due to commitments like work, college, family etc... so it is best to put aside time to exercise rather than just do it when you feel like it. Self discipline is important, and even if you don't feel like getting out one day you should resist the temptation and force yourself.

Exercising with someone else often helps people to get into a routine and this is also a good way of passing the time and improving.

Another good way to motivate yourself is to have goals. The most obvious one would be preparing to pass your Annual Fitness to get on a course etc... Another example would be taking part in a fun run. These are often organised for charity and usually involve running 5km or 10km.

The Right Runners / Training Gear

Buying a good pair of runners is the most important piece of gear when it comes to fitness training. Everyone's feet are slightly different and some have fairly major differences. Running in the wrong type of shoes can cause serious problems to the feet, heels, ankles, knees, hips, and other parts of the legs and leg muscles. There are many good brands of running shoes available in most good sports shops. Asics are particularly popular for running. Expect to pay around 100 Euros for a good pair of training shoes.

When choosing a pair of shoes for running you should base your decision on several factors.

• Cost will be often be a deciding factor for many but it's worth spending a bit more for a good quality pair.
• Try both shoes on with the socks you intend to wear while running.
• Forget about what the ads say and how the shoe looks.
• Buy a shoe designed for training on various surfaces and not one designed for running on tracks.
• There should be good shock absorption on all parts of the sole and good support for your foot.
• The fit should be firm around the whole foot but should not pinch.
• Before paying for them check them over for any defects or damage.

The rest of your training gear is really secondary. It should be a comfortable but not too loose fit. Synthetic clothing can be useful as it helps reduce sweating, and dries quicker. You clothing should help you maintain an even body temperature once warmed up. The general rule is to wear shorts and a T-shirt when the weather is warm, and tracksuit bottoms and a long sleeved shirt or light sweater when the weather is cold.

The last essential item for fitness training is a watch, preferably with a speedometer. These cost as little as 12 - 15 Euros.

• For more advice on the right kind of runners for you Click Here
  

Cut down on alcohol

Most people enjoy a drink now and then and drinking modest amounts occasionally will not affect your health or fitness. However it is well known that excessive consumption of alcohol will adversely affect your health and could eventually lead to death. Excessive alcohol damages many vital organs in the body which will affect your performance while exercising. The best advice that can be given is to reduce alcohol intake or give it up completely. In addition to the damaging effects of alcohol you should also reduce intake because it has a high calorie content.

Nutritional Considerations - Healthy Eating

For your fitness training to be effective and to make it easier you should carefully consider what you eat. Eat a wide range of foods with plenty of fruit and vegetables and less meats and fatty foods. Eat regular meals three times daily. If you need snacks, healthy alternatives such as bananas and other fruits are recommended.

• Eat fresh foods where possible.
• Avoid fried food. Grill it instead to reduce fat.
• Avoid sugary foods.
• Avoid salty foods.
• Avoid sugary soft drinks. Drink water instead.
• Avoid snack type foods such as peanuts and crisps.
• Eat more fruit.

Fish oils such as Cod Liver Oil and Omega 3 are excellent for keeping your joints healthy and flexible. Many brands come in 1 a day capsules.

Sleep - Are you getting enough?

Lack of quantity and quality of sleep will affect how you perform while exercising. The general rule is that you should get 8 hours of continuous undisturbed sleep every night. One of the most effective ways of getting a good nights sleep is by having a regular exercise / fitness programme. Avoid sleeping during the day as this can make it difficult to sleep at night. Don't eat within two hours of going to bed. Don't drink tea or coffee in the evening. A milky drink before bed can help you sleep - it's true! Milk contains tryptophan which assists sleeping.

Give up Smoking

Any doctor, physical training instructor or just about anyone will tell you that running and smoking don't mix well. Smoking will significantly increase the risk of cancer, heart disease and other medical problems, and will also make your running much harder. Give it up!

• For advice on giving up smoking visit this page or phone the National Smokers' Quitline on 1850 201 203.

The Basics of Fitness

Cardiovascular (Aerobic) Fitness

Aerobic exercises are those which are sustained for a period of time. Examples include walking, running, swimming, cycling. These increase the air intake while breathing. Getting aerobically fit means doing an exercise at your training heart rate for at least 30-45 minutes. When you get fitter your body will be able to sustain an exercise for longer, become less tired and recover quicker.

Strength / Muscular / Anaerobic Fitness

Anaerobic exercises involve short bursts of energy which is stored in the muscles. For exampling sprinting 100 metres at top speed.

Warming Up

Warming up is a key part of any training programme and should always be completed. Its main role is to prepare your body for the activity ahead. It raises your body's temperature, loosens and warms your muscles and brings your heart rate close to your training heart rate. It should take up 10-20% of the duration of the main exercise period. In general 10 minutes should be sufficient.

Your warm up should be broken into four parts.

1. Overall Warm Up

This should include movement of all your main muscle groups and a light jog and should last a few minutes. Move your arms and legs to loosen them and breath deeply to get your lungs ready for the main part of the exercise.

2. General Stretching

Stretches should include arms, legs, back and chest muscles. Flexibility exercises are also important and should include ankles, arms, waist and neck. Stretches should be held for 10 seconds during the warm up. Do not bounce into a stretch. Never stretch cold muscles. Always warm them up gently before.

3. Activity Orienated Warm Up

Jog a little more gradually increasing tempo. Alternate direction, move from side to side and vary speed.

4. Activity Orientated Stretching.

You should pay particular attention to the muscles used in the main part of the exercise. So for example, if you are going for a fast run you will need to cover all parts of the legs including groin, thighs, shins and calf's. Remember to hold for 10 seconds.

Strenghtening Exercises

During your warm up session you should do some general strengthening exercises. Press-ups and sit-ups are traditional but effective methods. When you first start training try doing 2-3 sets of 10-20 during your warm-up. If you cannot manage 20 don't worry, you will gradually improve. For a diagram showing how to correctly do press-ups and sit-ups Click Here.

You may also consider pull-ups and squats. Pull-ups are generally considered more difficult so don't worry if you can only do a few.

Cooling Down

Don't Just Stop!

The cool-down is the last element of your exercise period and also essential. When finished your main exercise you should gradually reduce its intensity. Don't just stop. e.g. if running keep jogging then walk for a while after. Your cooling down should last at least 10-15 minutes. Drink plenty of water after exercising. It is better to drink gradually rather than gulp it all down in one go.

Stretch off

The cool down should be followed by stretching. Exercise the same muscles as earlier. This time you will need to hold the stretch for 30 seconds.

Running to Get Fit

Running is generally recognised as the mainstay of military fitness, and an effective method of getting fit. It not only will exercise many of your muscles, it will also improve you cardiovascular fitness and general health.

Where can I run?

The possibilities are endless but in general you should look for a quiet area with a firm, soft surface to run on. Running on hard surfaces is often necessary but should be reduced if possible. The harder the surface is, the more chance you will have of getting a strain, muscle / join pain /injury. Running tracks are ideal and there are some around which may be used for free by the general public (e.g. UCD). Parks, football grounds and other places where there is grass or soft tracks are ideal.

Take it easy when starting out

One thing many beginners make the mistake of doing when starting running is to push themselves to hard. This may give them the idea that they're not able for it and give up. When starting out take it easy! Start by walking for twice as long as your run. e.g. run 250 metres, walk 500 metres. Gradually reduce them time you walk until it's just part of your warm-up and cool down.

Each week try and increase the time or distance you run for. Don't be too ambitious. Try adding maybe 500metres per week and once you're at a distance you're comfortable with (e.g. 5km) increase the pace. You may feel you'd like to progress to 10km. Fine, but don't rush it.

You would be surprised at how you're progressing. Most people should be able to build up to running 5km within a month or six weeks.

If you're preparing for a specific goal like running 3.2km (2 miles) for your fitness test make sure you know where you can run the distance and build this into your training programme. If preparing for a 5km or 10km fun run make sure you're actually able to run that distance.

Pace Yourself

Knowing what pace you're running at is important, especially for beginners. Here are some examples of walking, jogging & running paces.

• Normal walking: 10minutes - 11minutes 25 seconds per Kilometre
• Jogging: 7 mins 30 secs - 9 mins 22 secs per km
• Slow running: 6mins 15 secs per km
• Normal running: 5 mins per Kilometre
• Faster running: 4 mins 20 secs per km - 4mins 45 secs per km
• Short-fast run: 3 mins 10 secs - 3mins 50 secs per km

When beginning to run you should start running at a pace of no more than 1 kilometre in 6minutes. This will get your body used to running. Gradually increase your pace toward 5 minutes per kilometre. If preparing for a fitness test you will need to run at a pace faster than this.

• To calculate running pace you can use the pace calculator here.

How do I know how far I've run?

Knowing the distance you're running is useful to maintain a pace and improve.

• Along the coast of Dublin Bay (and in other places) is the Sli na Slainte (The Health Way). This is a route marked out every kilometre by a blue post and marker stone.
• The inside lane on an athletics track is normally 400 metres.
• A useful website to work out the distance you run is www.mapmyrun.com
• You could also try driving along the route you intend to cover or get out your map and measure.
• Once you know your pace you should have a good idea of what distance you've covered in a particular time.
  

Improving

Setting Personal Targets

At times you may feel you need to challenge yourself to improve. Start running a set distance and see if you can gradually improve your time. This will not only help you get fitter but also show you what you are capable of and make you feel good.

Try and work an alternative type of running into your programme. For example running with a small rucksack once a week.

Run a Fun Run

Every year there are runs held designed to get people out running for fun. They are often run in aid of charity and people of all abilities and ages run, jog or walk them.

Keeping an Eye on your Heart

Monitoring your heart rate when exercising is important. This is an individual thing and you should keep an eye on it.

You should run at (just below) your Training Heart Rate (THR). To work this out there is a formula:

1) Find your Resting Heart Rate (RHR) by taking your pulse for 30 seconds sitting down after relaxing for a while and double it. (If doing a lot of physical work or running before it will be higher so wait for a good while). It may be something like 59 beats per minute.

2) Then find your Maximum Heart Rate by subtracting your age from 220. e.g. 220 - 23 = 197

3) You then need to find your Heart Rate Reserve (HRR). To do this subtract your RHR from your MHR e.g. 197 - 59 = 138 beats per minute.

4) To get your Training Heart rate get 70% of your HRR and then add to your RHR. e.g. 0.70 x 135 = 97 + 59 = 156 beats per minute.

• So after about 20 minutes of running count your pulse for 30 seconds and double.
• If above your Training Heart Rate slow down / reduce the intensity of the exercise
  

Other Exercises

In any fitness training programme variety is important. Not just to have a change of scene but also to rest and exercise other muscle groups.

Walking

If not out running for any reason walking is important to keep your body flexible and for general exercise. It can also be important if you cannot run for a while due to injury or if undergoing a weight loss programme.

Cycling

Cycling is an excellent and useful form of exercise. Many of us own a bicycle but probably don't use it as much as we should. It will focus your workout on different muscles and is a useful cardiovascular exercise too.

Hillwalking

For anyone in the military, particularly in an infantry unit where a lot of walking with a rucksack is inevitable, hillwalking is an essential exercise. Apart from developing back and leg muscles it will also get you more used to moving over rough ground, give you an opportunity to practice your navigation and map reading, get you used to enduring poor weather conditions and sleeping, cooking and living outdoors.

You don't necessarily need your own car to be able to get to the mountains. If you live in Dublin for example you can get to the Wicklow Mountains using the Glendalough Bus (www.glendaloughbus.com), Dublin Bus, or Bus Eireann.

When planning a hillwalking ensure you are prepared for poor weather, possible injuries. NEVER go hillwalking alone. ALWAYS carry a survival blanket! These can be bought for a few Euros in any outdoors shop and may save your life. For more information about safety when hillwalking visit this page on the Mountaineering Council of Ireland's (MCI) website.

Sports

Getting involved with a local sports club is a good way to improve your fitness and give you a reason to get fit and stay fit.

Orienteering

Orienteering is a useful sport as it combines several skills (map reading, navigation, running and time management) which are important in the military and will get you fit. There are many orienteering clubs locally and often unit teams. There are competitions at Brigade and Army level so try to get involved in these. Your unit should be able to help you with entering these competitions.

Dealing with Minor Sports Injuries

Sports related injuries and strains, be they major or minor, are something which all of use will probably encounter at one point or another. They range from minor things like muscle strain to major things like broken bones. The most common ones you will encounter while running are shin splints, runners knee, and stitches.

Many injuries are shoe-related. Too much wear on shoes increases the risk of injury. It is said that a good pair of running shoes will lose 30-40% of their shock absorption after 800km of use.

Shin Splints

Shin splints encompasses a range of pains and minor injuries of the lower leg which occur during exercise. These pains are often because of an inflammation of the tendons which connect the bone to the muscle. Shin splints usually happen when you exercise too hard for too long on your legs. You will likely encounter this particularly if you run on hard surfaces like concrete or tarmacadam. Shin splints are most common along the shin below the knee on the outside and along the inside of the shin above the ankle.

Shin splints are common with beginners and runners who have not exercised hard recently. The best way to avoid shin splints is to reduce the intensity of the exercise, or stop and rest. Increase your distances gradually when starting a training programme. This will allow time for your muscles to strengthen gradually. Vary your running to use a soft surface if possible.

One method of stretching which can help reduce shin splints is stretching the area. Both behind and in front need to be stretched.

Stretch behind the shin (the calf)

• Lean against a wall with your left foot forward (knee bent) and right leg straight back.
• Push down on your right foot until you feel a stretch at the back of the shin along the calf up to the back of the knee.
• Hold for 10 seconds when warming up and 30 when cooling down. Swap feet and stretch the other leg.

Stretch in front of the shin

• Kneel down on the leg to be stretched.
• Straighten the foot in line with the leg and sit on the heel.
• You will feel the stretch in the muscle in front of the shin.
• Hold for 10 seconds when warming up and 30 when cooling down. Swap feet and stretch the other leg.
  

Runner's Knee

This usually refers to a general pain in and around the kneecap and is common with runners who run a significant distance (around 60km) for the first time in total every week. It is caused by the incorrect movement of your thighs and feet. The cartilage around the knee becomes warn with distance, not able to recover. The front of your thigh may be weak knocking it off its natural course when running. The foot may be moving incorrectly when hitting the ground during running and you may be overpronating (rolling the foot in) or supinating (turning it out too much).

Runner's Knee can also occur when you increase your distance and pace too fast not allowing all the muscles which support you to develop accordingly. You may need to cut back and increase your distance and pace more gradually. Running on a curved track a lot may put more emphasis on the inside knee causing a problem. Try and run on a straight and level a surface as possible.

To give relief from runner's knee after running when the pain is severe use a basic ice pack, wrapped around each knee for 15 minutes. Anti inflammatories such as ibuprofen may help but always take with food and not before running. A hot water bottle or heat pads on each knee for 30 minutes before bed may also help.

Check that your shoes are correct for your foot type. A foot support to put in the shoe may help. You may eventually need to see a podiatrist about whether you might need orthotics.

Stitches

Stitches are particularly common in beginners and inexperienced runners. The two most common type of stitches you are likely to encounter are: 1) the diaphragm stitch due to a fast increase in breathing; 2) The high-colon stitch which occurs due to eating too close to exercise or eating too much.

A stitch will usually go if you reduce your running pace or stop. Other methods such as breathing out when the leg opposite the stitch hits the ground can help.

To avoid stitches increase your running pace and distance gradually and develop good deep breathing. You should not eat within an hour and a half to two hours of running.

Sources / Further Reading

• Clarke, Brian (2006) 5K and 10K Training. Human Kinetics, USA
• Egger, G, Champion, N & Bolton, A (1999) The Fitness Leader's Handbook. A & C Black, UK
• Davies, Barry (2001) Fitness Training. Harper Collins, UK
• Connect - The Defence Forces Newsletter. February & March 2006.
• MapMyRun.com - http://www.mapmyrun.com/ - Accessed 18 July 2007
• Run Republic - Stretching - http://www.runrepublic.ie/stretching.htm -Accessed 10 December 2006
• Run Republic - Stitches - http://www.runrepublic.ie/stitch.htm
• The Stretching Institute - Stretching and the Warm Up - http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/archives/stretching-warmup.php - Accessed 10 December 2006
• P.E. Centre - Aerobic and Anaerobic Fitness - http://www.physicaleducation.co.uk/gcsefiles/Aerobic__and_Anaerobic%20Fitness.htm Accessed 10 December 2006
• VHI Healthcare - Shin Splints by Chris Woolston - http://www2.vhi.ie/topic/shinsplints - Accessed 15 January 2007
• Cool Running - Knee Pain by Josh Clark - http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_5/194.shtml - Accessed 15 January 2007
• Cool Running - Shoe Shopping by Josh Clarke - http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_1/185.shtml - Accessed 16 January 2007