To jog in The Sims 3, your Sim needs at least level 1 in the Athletic skill and must be a teen or older: then click a spot on the ground, or a destination in town, and choose Jog Here instead of Go Here. The Sim runs there and builds Athletic skill on the way. Jogging is part of the base game, so no expansion is required. Below we cover how to unlock it, the step-by-step method, who cannot jog, and how jogging ties into the Athletic skill’s abilities and challenges.
How to Unlock Jogging
Jogging is an Athletic skill interaction. A Sim with no Athletic skill will not see Jog Here, so the first step is to earn level 1. Any Athletic activity does it:
- Work out with a TV or stereo on the home lot (cardio or strength).
- Use a treadmill or a weight machine bought in Buy Mode.
- Go to the gym community lot, or take an athletic class at the stadium rabbit hole.
- Swim in a pool.
Sims with the Athletic trait learn the skill faster. If you would rather skip it entirely, our skill cheats guide sets Athletic to any level, and our guide to enabling cheats covers the console.
Age matters too. Only teens, Young Adults, Adults and Elders can jog. Children build a separate hidden childhood athletic skill (since patch 1.22, per the community wiki) that converts to real Athletic skill when they age up, so they cannot jog until they are teens.
How to Go Jogging
- Select a Sim who has Athletic level 1 or higher.
- Click the ground where you want the Sim to go, on the home lot or out in the neighborhood, such as a sidewalk or a park.
- Choose Jog Here. It sits in the same pie menu as Go Here once the skill is unlocked.
- Let them run. The Sim jogs to the spot on screen rather than disappearing off the lot, earning Athletic skill and logging distance as they go.
To keep a Sim jogging, queue several Jog Here commands to different points, or pick a destination on the far side of town. There is no dedicated jogging track object in the base game, so distance comes from the route you choose.
Higher Athletic skill means faster runs: the community wiki notes that a Sim’s jogging speed improves as the skill rises, and werewolves from Supernatural use their faster running animation while still gaining skill. Our werewolf guide covers how to get one.
Who Cannot Jog
- Children, toddlers and babies. Teens and up only.
- Sims with zero Athletic skill. Level 1 is the gate.
- Mummies from World Adventures. The community wiki notes they cannot jog at any Athletic level.
If Jog Here is missing on a Sim who should qualify, check the skill panel first. A Sim who has only built the hidden childhood skill still needs to earn Athletic level 1 as a teen.
Athletic Abilities: What They Really Are
Many online guides describe Don’t Break a Sweat, Good Pacing, Push Self and Quick Burst as jogging “styles” you pick from a menu, and this page once did too. They are not. They are Athletic skill abilities that change how every workout behaves, jogging included. Per the community wiki:
| Level | Ability | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Don’t Break a Sweat | Hygiene stops dropping during workouts |
| 1 | Jog | Unlocks Jog Here |
| 3 | Good Pacing | Work out longer before getting fatigued |
| 3 | Pumped | Earn the Pumped Up moodlet after a long enough workout |
| 5 | Push Self | Work out harder, at the cost of being more sore |
| 5 | Run Faster | Faster movement on Go Here |
| 6 | Train | Train another Sim to boost their skill gain |
| 7 | Quick Burst | Faster workouts with faster fatigue and hygiene loss |
Jogging Toward the Athletic Challenges
The Athletic skill journal tracks Distance Jogged, and that stat feeds the Marathon Runner challenge: jog at least 500 kilometers in total and the Sim earns the title, which the game describes as guaranteeing a longer, healthier life. It is the only Athletic challenge tied directly to jogging. The other two, Body Builder (60 hours of strength workouts) and Fitness Nut (75 hours of cardio), come from other workouts.
Maxing Athletic sends a framed certificate to the mailbox a few days later. Community mods can automate jogging or add tracks, but they are third-party; see our 50 best Sims 3 mods before installing anything.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can’t my Sim jog in The Sims 3? They need Athletic skill level 1 and must be a teen or older. Mummies cannot jog at all.
Do I need an expansion pack to jog? No. Jogging is in the base game as part of the Athletic skill.
How do I choose a jogging style like Push Self? You don’t. Push Self, Good Pacing and Quick Burst are Athletic abilities unlocked by skill level, not jogging options.
Does jogging count toward Marathon Runner? Yes. Distance jogged is tracked in the skill journal, and 500 kilometers earns the Marathon Runner challenge.
Can children go jogging? No. Children build a hidden athletic skill that carries over when they become teens, and can jog from then on.
For every other Sims 3 walkthrough, see our Sims hub.