EPISODE 44 LISTEN HERE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/44-progressive-overload-the-best-way-to-improve/id1446735036
We are often asked what workouts are best or what is the best weekly mileage to run. The answer is simple: use the progressive overload principle! What is that? The idea that you are starting where you are at with mileage and workouts then slowly building micro stress over a period of time to lead your body to have specific adaptations. Each training plan should be different because each athlete has a unique starting point. You need to assess your background and goals before you jump into training training plan
Have you ever jumped into a training plan because you liked the way it looked because it looked super hard? What happened?
Have you ever been given a training plan that looked pretty basic/boring but been amazing at how much improvement you had?
Why does the progressive overload principle work on our bodies?
Why is it a bad idea to jump all in on a super challenging training plan?
Will you see results from massive overload?
What will happen overtime from progressive approach vs a massive overload?
When people refer to training smarter not harder is this apart of this approach?
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WHAT IS IT⁉️
The gradual increase of load or stress placed on the body 📈
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HOW DO YOU IMPLEMENT IT⁉️
👉The most common rule of thumb is to not increase mileage more than 10% each week. Intensity should be added gradually as well! Another important piece of the progressive overload principle is starting where your fitness is at currently, not where you WANT it to be❗️If your most recent long run was 7 miles, you should ❌NOT❌ jump up to a 12 mile long run the the following week
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WHY THE 10% RULE⁉️
👉Physiologically, your body CAN handle jumping from 20 miles one week to 40 miles the next. You could handle this for a few weeks, or maybe even a few months, but your body will eventually break down in the form of injury or burnout. The BEST way to improve as a runner is to stay consistent, and you cannot stay consistent if you are injured or burned out. You need to run the amount of mileage that is most beneficial for YOU 👍
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HOW DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR MILEAGE SHOULD BE⁉️
👉Look at your last few months of training to figure out how many miles per week you’ve been running and how long your longest run has been. Then ask yourself if you felt good from day to day and if you were recovering from your hard workouts on that amount of mileage🏃♀️
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WHAT IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR FITNESS HAS STAGNATED⁉️
👉It’s true that you can’t just keep progressing your mileage to infinity. It’s not appropriate for most runners to keep increasing until you hit 100 miles per week. If you’ve been following the progressive overload principle for awhile and feel like your race times have stagnated, it’s time to focus on the little things in training! Look at your sleep, nutrition, and drinking habits. Where could you improve? It’s also important to keep focusing on consistency! Any race from the 5k to the marathon requires a big aerobic base, which can only be improved by continuing running with SMART training that is backed by the progressive overload principle
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