Welcome to Gaia! ::

So, for the last 3-4 weeks, I have started attending a gym. Most of that time has been dedicated to running (I also stretch before and after the initial work out).

I recently ordered shoes intended for jogging but thought I'd ask if there were things I may have overlooked. Do my fellow gaians have recommendations for me? I run for a period of 3 minutes without stopping, then walk for 1 to 2 minutes. So in 20 or 25 minutes I cover a mile or so on a treadmill. After that I'll walk slowly for a few minutes then do some stretching afterwards for another 15 minutes at minimum.

I'm 6'5" and 300+ pounds (most of which is muscle). I like to think that I'm making progress, but need to properly weigh myself as I haven't done so in long time.

I had not considered purchasing specific socks. I like the anklet style of socks... anything shorter or longer than that drives me nuts. I will definitely check them out though, thanks!

You a veteran lifter?

Then I'm sure you're use to that feeling pushing yourself to a critical threshold, and then forcing yourself to continue on for a lot longer then you originally thought you could handle. That's all you really have to do for running.

I treat my cardio like burnout sets, if I'm not just barely getting by on fumes for the last minute or more then I haven't run hard enough yet.

Are you flat footed? If so you need to watch how your foot strikes the ground, and being as heavy as you are you need to mind how the rest of your body carries and balances your weight as your legs push off the ground.

Back pain huh? Can you describe it in more detail? Like where, and if it feels like a sharp pain or more of an ache? Or any details about how you feel in general while running is good too.

And that's good, my momma use to give me massages after each race in high school. Get massages anyway even if you aren't in pain xd

Horrible advice.

Really. The worst. gonk

You should never push your body to the point of actual, physical pain during exercise. This means you are either doing the exercise improperly or you have done it for too long, too hard.

This is not conducive to health, weightloss, or general well-being.

My rule of thumb is, schedule exercise, make plans for it. But, if you feel ANYTHING is amiss with your body, you have unexplained aches and pains, just aren't feeling it as you start your routine, stop, leave the gym at once, let your body recover a bit more and come back later.

Overtraining and pushing yourself past maximum is just asking for injuries that may possibly become permanent.

Back pain, for one, is a sign that running posture may be incorrect, or you may simply be pushing yourself too hard. I'd look into correcting the issues with the back pain BEFORE I'd go around telling people to "run past the point of utter exhaustion and pain." That will make the back pain just get worse and worse. confused

I will definitely keep this in mind. I have not experienced any back pain as a result of running though, and I think some of it has to do with my posture at times. I think doing some lifting or more specific stretches/yoga that target the back will take care of my dull back pain.
It's possible that my job is affecting it slightly, I'm on my feet most of the time. If I am able to sit, it's not usually in a proper chair (milk crates make for a makeshift seat)

Whoa whoa, I never said anything about pushing through actual pain!

But the feeling of tiredness from running is good to push through! So long as you're in good condition, meaning you've properly hydrated, watched your meals, are warmed up and rested enough.

Any sort of unnatural pain should definitely be avoided, but if you stop and rest any time you start to get tired, you'll make little progress. But progress is progress, so if you don't feel comfortable feeling tired, that's okay, just working as hard as you want is good enough.