• Skip to main content

  • Fitness & Wellbeing Resources
  • Desk to 3K
  • Hints & Tips
  • Muscle Conditioning Exercises
  • Mobility & Stretches
  • Study
  • Research
  • Explore
  • Connect
Search icon
Close menu icon
Menu icon bar 1 Menu icon bar 2 Menu icon bar 3
University of Glasgow logo small University of Glasgow logo
  • Home
  • MyGlasgow
  • Sport
  • Fitness & Wellbeing Resources
  • Desk to 3K

Fitness & Wellbeing Resources

  • Fitness & Wellbeing Resources
  • Desk to 3K
  • Hints & Tips
  • Muscle Conditioning Exercises
  • Mobility & Stretches
UofG Sport Desk to 3K

Desk to 3K

Whilst we're at home with restricted outdoor exercise time, why don't you put your time to its best use? The UofG Sport Desk to 3K is a programme which will help efficiently move you from minimal exercise to running 3km with ease, just eight weeks after starting. Featuring conditioning exercises for at home and cardio work for outdoors, follow the programme and get yourself from desk (or couch) to 3K!

Desk to 3K – Running Log

Running Log

Download this editable PDF to keep track of your progress.

Download Running Log

Desk to 3K – Hints & Tips

Hints & Tips

Top tips for warming up, cooling down and stretching.

View Hints & Tips

Desk to 3K – Muscle Conditioning Exercises

Muscle Conditioning Exercises

Perform 8-12 reps of each of these exercises for 2-3 sets, a minimum of twice per week.

View conditioning exercises

Desk to 3K – Mobility & Stretches

Mobility & Stretches

These exercises should be completed at the appropriate times throughout the programme, as indicated in each weekly section below.

View mobility & stretching exercises

Desk to 3K – Week 1

Week 1

Day 1

  • Walk 3km at fastest comfortable pace and note time on log sheet

Day 3

  • 5 mins walk / mobility exercise
  • walk 1 minute / jog 30 seconds (repeat) for full 3km
  • 5 mins cool-down & stretch

Day 5

  • 5 mins walk / mobility exercise
  • walk 1 minute / jog 30 seconds (repeat) for full 3km
  • 5 mins cool-down & stretch

Exercises

  • Conditioning exercises
  • Mobility & stretching exercises
Desk to 3K – Week 2

Week 2

Day 8

  • 5 mins warm-up / mobility exercise
  • walk 45 seconds / jog 45 seconds (repeat) for full 3km
  • 5 mins cool-down & stretch

Day 10

  • 5 mins warm-up / mobility exercise
  • walk 45 seconds / jog 45 seconds (repeat) for full 3km
  • 5 mins cool-down & stretch

Day 12

  • Walk 3km at fastest comfortable pace and note time – aim to beat Week 1 Day 1 time

Exercises

  • Conditioning exercises
  • Mobility & stretching exercises
Desk to 3K – Week 3

Week 3

Day 15

  • 5 mins warm-up / mobility exercise
  • walk 45 seconds / jog 60 seconds (repeat) for full 3km
  • 5 mins cool-down & stretch

Day 17

  • 5 mins warm-up/mobility exercise
  • walk 45 seconds / jog 60 seconds (repeat) for full 3km
  • 5 mins cool-down & stretch

Day 19

  • 5 mins warm-up / mobility exercise
  • walk 30 seconds / jog 60 seconds (repeat) for full 3km
  • 5 mins cool-down & stretch

Exercises

  • Conditioning exercises
  • Mobility & stretching exercises
Desk to 3K – Week 4

Week 4

Day 22

  • 5 mins warm-up / mobility exercise
  • walk 30 seconds / jog 2 minutes (repeat) for full 3km
  • 5 mins cool-down & stretch

Day 24

  • 5 mins warm-up / mobility exercise
  • walk 30 seconds / jog 2 minutes (repeat) for full 3km
  • 5 mins cool-down & stretch

Day 26

  • 5 mins warm-up / mobility exercise
  • walk 30 seconds / jog 2 minutes (repeat) for full 3km
  • 5 mins cool-down & stretch

Exercises

  • Conditioning exercises
  • Mobility & stretching exercises
Desk to 3K – Week 5

Week 5

Day 29

  • 5 mins warm-up / mobility exercise
  • walk 15 seconds / jog 2 minutes (repeat) for full 3km
  • 5 mins cool-down & stretch

Day 31

  • 5 mins warm-up / mobility exercise
  • walk 15 seconds / jog 2 minutes (repeat) for full 3km
  • 5 mins cool-down and stretch

Day 33

  • 5 mins warm-up / mobility
  • walk 30 seconds / jog 3 minutes (repeat) for full 3km
  • 5 mins cool-down & stretch

Exercises

  • Conditioning exercises
  • Mobility & stretching exercises
Desk to 3K – Week 6

Week 6

Day 36

  • 5 mins warm-up / mobility exercise
  • walk 30 seconds / jog 3 minutes (repeat) for full 3km
  • 5 mins cool-down & stretch

Day 38

  • 5 mins warm-up / mobility exercise
  • walk 30 seconds / jog 4 minutes (repeat) for full 3km
  • 5 mins cool-down & stretch

Day 40

  • 5 mins warm-up / mobility exercise
  • walk 30 seconds / jog 4 minutes (repeat) for full 3km
  • 5 mins cool-down & stretch

Exercises

  • Conditioning exercises
  • Mobility & stretching exercises
Desk to 3K – Week 7

Week 7

Day 43

  • 5 mins warm-up / mobility exercise
  • jog full 3km, taking walk breaks when required, note no. of breaks
  • 5 mins cool-down & stretch

Day 45

  • 5 mins warm-up / mobility exercise
  • walk 30 seconds / jog 4 minutes (repeat) for full 3km
  • 5 mins cool-down & stretch

Day 47

  • 5 mins warm-up / mobility exercise
  • walk 30 seconds / jog 5 minutes (repeat) for full 3km
  • 5 mins cool-down & stretch

Exercises

  • Conditioning exercises
  • Mobility & stretching exercises
Desk to 3K – Week 8

Week 8

Day 50

  • 5 mins warm-up / mobility exercise
  • walk 30 seconds / jog 6 minutes
  • 5 mins cool-down & stretch

Day 52

  • 5 mins warm-up / mobility exercise
  • walk 30 seconds / jog 6 minutes
  • 5 mins cool-down & stretch

Day 54

  • 5 mins warm-up / mobility exercise
  • jog full 3km, taking walk breaks when required, note no. of breaks
  • 5 mins cool-down & stretch

Exercises

  • Conditioning exercises
  • Mobility & stretching exercises
Desk to 3K

Ask a Trainer

Got a question about the Desk to 3K programme? Simply drop us an email and one of our experienced trainers will get back to you as soon as possible.

Email sport@glasgow.ac.uk

Disclaimer

You should be in good physical condition and be able to participate in the exercise. If you have any reason to believe that you may have health/medical issues which may affect your ability to exercise, then you must seek medical advice before participating in any of UofG Sport's suggested exercises. Never rely on information on this website in place of seeking professional medical advice. You should understand that when participating in any exercise there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities and assume all risk of injury to yourself.

Back to the top

STUDY

  • Subjects A-Z
  • Undergraduate
  • Postgraduate
  • Online study
  • Short courses
  • International students
  • Student life
  • Scholarships and funding
  • Visit us / Open Days

RESEARCH

  • Research units A-Z
  • Research opportunities A-Z
  • Glasgow Research Beacons
  • Research strategy & policies
  • Research excellence
  • Our research environment

EXPLORE

  • Meet World Changing Glasgow
  • City of Glasgow
  • Visit us
  • Accessibility
  • Maps and travel
  • Facts & figures
  • News 
  • Events
  • Schools
  • Research Institutes
  • Colleges
  • Services
  • Library

CONNECT

  • Staff A-Z
  • Information for our alumni
  • Support us
  • Business & innovation
  • Community and public engagement
  • Social Media listings
  • Ask a student

JOBS AT GLASGOW

  • Current vacancies

University of Glasgow

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

The University of Glasgow is a registered Scottish charity: Registration Number SC004401

Fitness & Wellbeing Resources

  • Contact us

Legal

  • Accessibility statement
  • Freedom of information
  • FOI publication scheme
  • Modern Slavery Statement
  • Privacy and cookies
  • Terms of use

Current students

  • MyGlasgow Students

Staff

  • MyGlasgow Staff
The Times and Sunday Times Scottish University of the Year 2022

The University of Glasgow uses cookies for analytics and advertising. Find out more about our Privacy policy.

We use cookies

Necessary cookies

Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.

Analytics cookies

Analytical cookies help us improve our website. We use Google Analytics. All data is anonymised.

ON OFF

Hotjar

Hotjar helps us to understand and improve our users’ behaviour by visually representing their clicks, taps and scrolling. All data is anonymised.

ON OFF

Marketing cookies

Marketing cookies are used to ensure our marketing content is relevant, timely and interest based. They allow our approved partner to measure effectiveness and serve appropriate and personalised marketing messages on other websites based on your activity on glasgow.ac.uk

ON OFF

Privacy policy