If the thought of starting a running routine feels daunting, you’re not alone. But here’s the good news: there’s a simple, proven strategy that will have you hitting the pavement with confidence, regardless of your fitness level.
Enter “Jeffing” – an interval training method that encourages people to alternate between walking and running at their own pace.
The creator of the technique, Jeff Galloway, recommends that your breathing be the guide – if you’re huffing and puffing, it’s time to walk.
For beginners, it might look like jogging for a minute or two, walking for a bit, and repeating the cycle for about 20 minutes.
As you progress, your walking intervals will naturally decrease and you’ll find yourself running longer and more effortlessly.
Birth of Jeffing
Jeffing isn’t just another passing trend—it’s been around for over 50 years.
Galloway developed the hybrid approach after competing for the US team at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. After his time on the track, Galloway began coaching novice runners and soon noticed a major problem: many young people were sidelined by injuries from pushing too hard and too fast.
At that moment a light bulb moment went off. Even elite athletes warm up and start slowly before picking up the pace.
Galloway put the idea to the test with a group of 22 novice runners, who were on average 42 years old. They started walking, running, and walking again, and after just 10 weeks, they each completed a 5K or 10K with zero injuries.
Safer. Further. Faster.
While the jogging method is a game-changer for beginners, experienced runners have also embraced it for its injury prevention benefits and endurance-enhancing qualities.
Experts say Jeffing significantly lowers the risk of injury by preventing muscle fatigue and overuse. A 2016 study in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine found that marathon runners using the jog-walk method experienced significantly less muscle soreness after the race than those who ran non-stop.
Galloway, a 79-year-old who says he hasn’t suffered a running injury since 1978, believes his method is simply more natural to the human body.
“According to anthropologists, while humans were designed for long distances – up to 5,000 miles during the earliest migrations – we were not designed for non-stop running,” Galloway told the Guardian. “It’s not in our DNA to run constantly, which is why many individuals break down.”
The jogging strategy also helps build endurance.
“This allows for better fatigue management, enabling runners to cover longer distances without feeling exhausted,” Kunal Makwana, a personal trainer, told Stylist. “This is especially helpful for those training for longer races.”
And here’s the real catch: Speeding yourself up doesn’t mean sacrificing speed. The same 2016 study found that Jeffing’s non-elite participants finished marathons in about the same time as non-stop runners.
According to Galloway’s website, switching to the walking method can shave 7 minutes off a half marathon and 13 minutes off a full marathon.
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Image Source : nypost.com