Help

[Katierayray]

So I have completed the couch to 5k and I struggle to speed up in a bleep test. I jog for 20 minutes and try to incorporate the bleep test and I seem to struggle with my breathing. Any tips? Or am I not as fit as I think I am.

I can jog for a long time but when it’s comes to speed I cannot breathe

[Eletheelephant Graduate]

You've done great to build up your fitness to point where you an jog for 30 minutes - congratulations!

Im wondering why you're doing a bleep test and what you're wanting to get out of it?

They are designed to be hard and push everyone to their maximum level of fitness so you will be struggling with your breathing when you drop out. They're used to assess fitness and you shouldn't really be able to do them forever - 20 minutes sounds like a really long time from what I remember at school!

Do you know what level you're getting to? You're probably doing a lot better than you think

[Katierayray in reply to Eletheelephant]

Hi - I am doing it for a job. I can do the required level but I am so out of breath it’s embarrassing and wondered why I can jog so long but cannot run faster without seeming like my heart will explode

[Eletheelephant Graduate in reply to Katierayray]

Probably because it's harder 😁 bleep test is designed to push you to your maximum level of fitness. If you weren't put of breath then you wouldn't have reached your max level and be trying hard enough

[Katierayray in reply to Eletheelephant]

I need to push harder then. Thank you

[John_W Graduate Ambassador]

C25k and the bleep test are completely different levels of fitness and are using different energy systems in the body, both of which can be trained separately.

C25K should be mostly jogging - low heart rate, nice and easy, no effort at all (breathing wise) - in words, aerobic.

Bleep test - pushing your heart rate to its maximum, all out efforts, you can't speak and might even feel sick - i.e. anaerobic.

You've developed your aerobic fitness nicely with C25K but you havent done the same for your anaerobic fitness. Running-wise, the way to do that is to do plenty of HIIT stuff, so fast short, and medium length intervals as *hard* efforts. Takes a bit of work but it's very effective and really helps your speed as well.

[Katierayray in reply to John_W]

That makes perfect sense now! I’m great at jogging and even speeding up jogging but pushing myself to do the bleep does get me out of breath. I lll try hiit workouts - thanks John