Big People CAN Run – Part 2
A Big Man’s Guide to Running – A Heavier Runner’s Top Tips.
By Connor Campbell, Strength & Conditioning Coach, Better Physiotherapy.
Practical Tips When Running.
In this section, I want to outline some practical advice from a strength coach who has worked with runners, as well as being a self-converted heavy runner himself. I will discuss practical matters about running as a heavier person, including:
- Fuelling, Chafing, Equipment.
- Strength Training – a Non-negotiable.
- The Best Footwear for Heavy Runners.
- Training Plans for Heavy Runners.
- Best Running Technique for Heavy Runners.
Read on for more practical advice and tips.
Practical considerations – Fuelling, Chafing, Equipment
Fuelling
According to Precision Fuel & Hydration, the body stores around 500g of glycogen split between the liver and muscles – enough to fuel roughly 90-120 minutes of sustained effort, meaning for a heavy runner burning more calories per mile, those stores deplete faster and topping up during longer runs is non-negotiable.
For runs over an hour, aiming for around 60g of carbohydrates per hour is a sensible baseline, with that number climbing the harder and longer you go. Before any significant effort, aim for 1–4g of carbs per kilogram of body weight in the 1–4 hours before you head out, with a gel or chew in the final 20 minutes to top up circulating blood glucose.
As a heavy runner, the key takeaway is simple: your engine is bigger, your burn rate is higher, and your fuelling strategy needs to reflect that. I myself take on 60-90g carbs per hour for any runs longer than 30 minutes. So even on my easy runs, I’ll still take a 30-40g gel with me.
Chafing
Before I discovered what lined shorts were, the red raw burn on my thighs was insufferable, even from just running 5km. So, although thick thighs save fries, they didn’t save me when it came to avoiding chafing.
I don’t hear much talk about chafing, and yet for heavy runners, it can genuinely derail training. Chafing occurs where there is friction, moisture, and heat. Common areas for runners include the inner thighs, underarms, nipples, and around waistbands. And of course, longer runs mean more friction and a higher chance of chafing.
Moisture-wicking fabrics made from synthetic fibres, polyester, nylon, and spandex absorb sweat and dry quickly, keeping material from trapping moisture and causing irritation. Ideally, cotton should be avoided entirely.
An anti-chafe balm is the most reliable prevention method, particularly for skin-on-skin contact, and is especially important for runners carrying extra weight, larger muscle mass, or sensitive skin. I really like a brand you can buy from Boots called Megababe. Apply before you run, not after the damage is done!
Equipment
I’ve seen a surge in people wearing running vests and packs. Personal preference is that I prefer a running belt as I get hot easily, and a pack agitates me. But I love that I’m seeing more people lean into wearing the vest because it’s a really useful tool for hydration packs, energy gels, change of clothes, keys and phone.
Look at equipment as a way to help you, and if someone comments on you wearing a vest to run a 5K, well, those are also the people wearing carbons to a child’s fun run. So, you do you!
We want to make running as accessible as possible, so if you feel comfortable with a vest, don’t let anyone tell you any different. I personally really like Decathlon’s trail running vest.
Strength Training is Non-negotiable.
This is my bread and butter. Having come from a strength-training background, I firmly believe that throughout the last 16 months of running and the last 5 months of preparing for a marathon, the reason I haven’t picked up any serious injuries is due to optimising strength training!
Strength training for runners is about building the structural resilience to handle the load that running places on your body, correcting muscular imbalances and strengthening connective tissue that stabilises your joints. Posterior chain (the back, glutes, hamstrings, and calves) is really important as a focus area, to ease strain on ankles, knees and hips, and can also improve form and posture, especially during longer or harder efforts when fatigue sets in.
Evidence shows that lower limb resistance exercise is effective for improving running economy and performance, with a combination of strength and plyometric training being particularly recommended. A study published (Vikmoen et al., 2016) found measurable improvements in key running performance determinants, reinforcing that heavy strength training and endurance running are not only compatible but mutually beneficial.
In one cohort (Blagrove et al., 2018), performing resistance exercise at least three times a week was associated with a 54% lower risk of running-related injuries compared to performing none. Two strength sessions per week alongside your running is sufficient.
Prioritise compound movements, focus on single-leg work, and treat it as injury-proofing rather than performance enhancement, at least to begin with.
A strength training routine should improve your musculo-tendinous elasticity using plyometrics, your strength through the lower body compound work, a bit of hamstring and quad specific work, as well as direct calf and trunk work, which are two key areas to develop as a runner, especially being heavier. Good trunk control keeps the hips more stable, and the calf work means the Achilles doesn’t take too much stress.
Obviously, this is not an individual routine and doesn’t consider how far out from events you are or where you are in your strength journey. This is just a guide.
Feel free to book below to review this with me.
Invest in Appropriate Footwear – What are the best shoes for a heavy runner?
If you’re a heavier runner, what you wear on your feet matters more than most people realise. You need cushioning that protects without feeling unstable, durability that holds up mile after mile, and ideally a slightly wider platform to keep you balanced. The three key things to look for as a heavy runner are cushioning, stability, and sizing.
Cushioning should be high-stack and made with durable foam that absorbs shock without collapsing under weight.
Stability features keep you grounded through each stride.
Sizing should accommodate wider, broader feet.
I started with a daily trainer that was too small for me, and it gave me blisters, especially when I started doing longer distances as my feet got hot and swelled up. I sized up and it made a world of difference.
Here is the shoe rotation I have now:
Daily Shoe/ easy runs: New Balance More V6 (offers high-stack cushioning with stable platforms designed to handle higher impact loads.)
Tempo/ long Runs: Saucony Endorphin Speed 5 (For people who want to try out plated shoes for racing but not jump directly to carbon plates, the Speed 5’s are perfect)
Threshold/ race: Saucony Endorphin Speed Pro 4 (Excellent for long-distance races (Half Marathon/Marathon) where stability and cushioning are needed in the final miles).
If you are unsure get a gait analysis from a trusted running shop (More on the gait analysis later)
Training Plans for Heavier Runners – mileage and progression
The most common mistake heavy runners make is going too hard too soon. The cardiovascular system adapts relatively quickly to running. Tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and connective tissue adapt much more slowly, and it’s those slower-adapting structures that give way first when you progress too fast.
The 10% rule is a useful starting point, but recent research points to single session spikes as the real danger. A study of over 5,200 runners found that exceeding 10% of your longest run in the previous month raised overuse injury risk by 64%, with risk more than doubling when distance was doubled in one session. For a heavy runner placing greater load on joints with every stride, this matters enormously.
Zone 2 should form the backbone of your plan, roughly 60–70% of max heart rate, a pace where you can hold a full conversation. Zone 2 training improves lactate clearance by increasing mitochondria in slow-twitch muscle fibres, the foundation on which all endurance performance is built. It will feel slower than you think it should.
Walk-Running is also totally fine. In fact, walking is a very good way to keep building your endurance for running. Not just for your aerobic endurance, but remember that it takes more time for tendons, joints and muscles to adapt. The more time on your feet, the more you are training your body to handle the overall loads of progression. It’s a great way to build endurance and to not overtax yourself.
Whether you are taking a walk break during your run or adding on time with walking only, it helps.
Initially, I started with one run per week, and this was just a general run without too much focus on paces or zones of heart rate. After about 2 months, I wanted to have some more structure, and so that included a “long run” consisting of 5-10km of work, obviously building up over time until the distance started to feel easier.
The second session was a “speed session” which consisted of intervals with rest after each interval.
Understand and Analyse Your Technique
For heavy runners, poor technique can multiply your injury risk. The most common error is overstriding, landing your foot ahead of your body’s centre of mass. This turns the leg into a braking mechanism with each step, generating stress absorbed by the knees and hips, and is the primary driver of runner’s knee and shin splints.
Something I highly suggest to any runner, not just heavy runners, is a gait analysis to assess your cadence, foot strike and also what trainer might be best for you.
You don’t need to consciously change your stride, but a slightly quicker turnover will naturally pull your foot strike under your body. That will mean that cadence increases, and increasing your cadence by just 5–10% above your natural step rate has been shown to reduce peak impact at the knee by approximately 20%.
A lot of running shops offer free gait analysis. I had mine done at Runlimited using the Arion smart wearable insole; they captured detailed insights into my gait.
With this data, they were able to identify which shoes best match my unique movement patterns. By the end of the session, I knew the right running shoe and received a detailed gait analysis report to explore my data and better understand my stride. Best of all, it cost £5!
Changing the Narrative
The point of this blog wasn’t to tell you it is straightforward, but to show you that with the right planning, it is considerably more manageable than you may have thought. You don’t need to train like an elite runner, you don’t need to look like one, weigh what they weigh or run at their pace. You just need a plan that is built for you, the right foundations and a willingness to show up!
If you’ve read this far and you are a heavier runner, just know that every time you go out and run, you are single-handedly dismantling a stereotype.
On Sunday, 2nd March 2025, I ran my first 5km, on Wednesday, 9th April 2025, I ran my first 10km, on Saturday, 29th November 2025, I ran my first Half Marathon, and on Sunday, 26th April 2026, I completed my first ever marathon – at 106kg.
I did this for everyone who sees me and thinks, “Maybe I can too”…
Connor has 8 years of strength and conditioning experience behind him with UKSCA and CSCS accreditations.
Previously based at JDI Barbell in New York, he spearheaded the development of their national-level weightlifting team. Before that, he owned Central London Weightlifting Club. In 2022 was renamed Stoic Strength Systems, which encompasses Strength and Conditioning for international-level athletes, Olympic Weightlifters and everyday athletes around the world. His biggest coaching achievement to date has been coaching at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
