Running is safe and beneficial at any weight — start with walk-run

What to Do

If you're overweight, start with walking, then progress to walk-run intervals before attempting continuous running. Pre-emptively strengthen your feet/ankles, hip abductors, quadriceps, and core before adding running volume. Limit mileage increases to 5-10% per week.

Why It Works

For every extra pound of body weight, knees absorb 4 extra pounds of pressure per step. However, research in PM&R found that exercise in obese individuals does NOT increase osteoarthritis risk long-term. A Danish start-to-run intervention for obese adults using lower volume achieved higher adherence and fewer injuries than standard programs.

Tips

• Choose softer surfaces (treadmill, trail, track) to reduce impact initially
• The Jeff Galloway run-walk-run method is especially well-suited for heavier runners
• Mild muscle soreness is expected; joint pain is not — stop if joints hurt
• Consider swim-run or bike-run combinations to build fitness with less impact