do more, to do more

Unlocking Your Running Potential with Progressive Overload

I wanted to write this article to talk about the importance of progressive overload and consistency in running. I've seen and heard a lot of what I feel misinformation and inaccuracy lately online and in my interactions with people who are preparing for upcoming races or programmes.

I think a lot of people perceive and show behaviours that maintaining general fitness and having some variety is enough to allow your body to achieve what you set out to, rather than looking at training as a set of building blocks, where you need to continually build stress to allow your body to adapt and then cope with more stress, which in turn leads to running fitness gains.

If you're looking to take your training to the next level, we'll explore an important principle of progressive overload, a simple game-changer for improving performance, when applied correctly and consistently.

What is Progressive Overload?

Progressive overload is about gradually increasing the demands on your body during training. By consistently pushing your limits, your body adapts and becomes stronger, faster, and more resilient. Importantly this should be planned and measured. Increasing volume is one thing but there is also frequency and intensity to consider as part of a wider set of things to progress.

How It Works:

1. Increased Stress: Add more to your workouts—longer runs, faster paces, or extra hill reps.

2. Adaptation: Your body responds by getting better at handling these challenges, so neuromuscular, physiology and aerobic conditioning improve.

3. Improvement: Over time, (usually months and years) these small increases lead to significant gains.

In my experience, using progressive overload well has transformed my running, and also where I've not had the time, discipline or circumstances to do it as well as I'd hoped then my performance has dropped. But there is no doubt, building layers of load in the widest sense, consistently and with discipline, has worked well for me.

The Power of Recovery

Recovery is just as important as training. Without adequate rest, your body can't adapt to increased demands. Recovery includes proper sleep, nutrition, and rest days.

Key Recovery Strategies:

- Rest Days: Schedule regular rest days for muscle repair and growth. But be aware that feeling tired is part of the journey and adapting rest time and days is important. So as fitness increases with load, you may need to adjust the rest to also get the additional miles, frequency and intensity needed from your programme

- Sleep: Aim for good quality sleep to aid recovery. One tip I'd recommend is tracking sleep using a fitness tracker and listening to your body by switching workouts to perhaps an easier session on days where sleep is compromised, leaving a harder session to replace that easier planned day.

- Nutrition: This is key and whilst I'm studying for a Level 5 Diploma in this at the moment, the basics really are balance or macros and energy and also being aware that you shouldn't just eat what you want when training.

When I first increased my training, neglecting recovery led to fatigue and injury., usually showing up as tendon injuries in lower limbs and feet. This forced me to adapt the surface of my running at times and also to try and analyse my nutrition and gait.

Periodisation: The Smart Way to Train

Periodisation structures training in cycles, mixing high and low intensity to prevent burnout and ensure steady progress.

How Periodisation Works:

1. Macrocycles: Long-term plans spanning months to a year. e.g. A 16-18 marathon block

2. Mesocycles: Intermediate phases focusing on specific goals.. e.g. an 8-10 week 5k /10k block or often this might be an injury rehab cycle

3. Microcycles Short-term weekly cycles with detailed workouts: This is more focussed on the time, duration, intensity of particular sessions.

Periodisation has been important for me, helping me avoid overtraining and staying motivated. If you have a plan written that has logic, training principles applied and periodisation and microcycles that have the detail you need, you will have a greater chance of staying accountable to yourself.

The Magic of Deload Weeks in Macrocycles

Deload weeks involve reducing training load to allow recovery and adaptation, setting you up for greater gains.

Benefits of Deload Weeks:

- Prevent Overtraining: Avoid burnout and injuries.

- Enhance Adaptation: Consolidate gains before increasing load.

- Mental Refreshment: Keep motivation high.

I used to think taking it easy would set me back a bit, (too long and it will) but deload weeks at the right time, and not overdoing them have helped me come back stronger and more prepared. In my latest marathon block I programmed in 2 weeks into my macrocycle, that coincided with races, to allow for some neuromuscular adaptation to racing, but much less reduced mileage in those weeks to avoid the added fatigue before and after the races.

The Importance of Consistency:

Consistency is crucial. Without it, progressive overload, recovery, and periodisation won’t work. Steady, regular training builds fitness and prevents setbacks. Of course life gets in the way, but if you can be consistent, so much of everything else takes care of itself.

Why Consistency Matters:

- Steady Progress: Regular training maintains fitness levels and increases them as you build frequency, intensity, duration and specificity

- Injury Prevention: Gradual adaptation reduces injury risk as the body builds strength across the muscoskeletal system.

- Habit Formation: Consistent running helps establish good habits.

Staying consistent has been key for me. Missing key workouts, or having to pause due to illness has made it harder to progress, and that's part of the journey, but where i was able to sustain regular efforts, week on week and month on month it has led to significant gains.

Conclusion

"Do More, to Do More" through progressive overload, proper recovery, periodisation, and deloading is your ticket to long-term running success, no matter your levels. It’s about working smarter, not just harder. Remember, consistency is key. Regular, steady building blocks lead to the best results, measuring progress and adding as you go.

So plan your training smartly, with this in mind and and watch yourself achieve new heights.

--

References:

1. American College of Sports Medicine. (2013). *ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription*. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

2. Halson, S. L. (2014). "Monitoring Training Load to Understand Fatigue in Athletes". *Journal of Sports Sciences*, 32(4), 285-293.

3. Williams, T. D., Tolusso, D. V., Fedewa, M. V., & Esco, M. R. (2017). "Comparison of Periodised and Non-Periodised Resistance Training on Maximal Strength: A Meta-Analysis". *Strength and Conditioning Journal*, 39(4), 29-47.