The 7 Training Principles for Runners

Running is simple on the one hand but also complex.

Anyone starting to run needs nothing more than a pair of running shoes and good motivation. During the first months of training, almost every runner is guaranteed consistent performance improvements.

The decisive factor here is the principle of regularity—one of the seven important training principles that are highly prioritized by athletes. The higher the performance level, the more important it becomes to fulfill all seven training principles as well as possible. In scientific examples, five to eight different training principles are usually discussed. In this article, the principles are specifically geared toward running.

When Must the Principles Be Followed?

If you always complete the same workouts at the same pace, you are, for example, neglecting one of the principles. If you train more at one time and less at another, you are neglecting another principle. Of course, as a runner, you are not obligated to follow all these principles. Running without a plan is perfectly fine and will undoubtedly help improve your health and well-being or bring some variety to your daily routine. However, if you want to improve in the long term, you cannot avoid adhering to the training principles.

The foundation of the training principles is the training plan. A good training plan considers all aspects of the training principles. These principles are scientific fundamentals or guidelines that specify what needs to be considered during training. Based on these principles, training is adjusted to achieve optimal performance progress.

However, following a training plan is by no means mandatory. Experienced runners automatically consider these principles due to their routine—they essentially have their training plan in their head.

These 7 principles should definitely be taken into account for optimal training:

1) The Principle of Effective Training Stimuli

A workout is only effective if the stimulus exceeds a certain threshold. Four different stimulus thresholds are distinguished:

1. Sub-threshold stimuli are ineffective.
2. Slightly above-threshold stimuli maintain the performance level.
3. Moderate to strong above-threshold stimuli are the ideal intensity for improving the level. These stimuli trigger physiological and anatomical changes.
4. Excessively strong stimuli damage the body and can lead to injuries and performance decline.

The threshold value of the training stimulus depends on the athlete's performance level and is genetically determined. However, if all your runs are just easy and leisurely, you will not improve in the long term, as this is a stimulus for maintaining the performance level.

2) The Principle of Regularity

Also called the principle of "repetition and continuity." A one-time workout rarely causes noticeable adaptations, and these regress to the original level during a prolonged training break. Therefore, it is necessary to repeat workloads multiple times, as the organism must undergo a series of acute adjustments in individual functional systems for stable adaptation. Ideally, training should begin when the supercompensation of the previous training has reached its peak (another training principle we will address later).

Final adaptation is achieved only when adjustments occur in other functional systems beyond the accumulation of energy-rich substances (substrates) and the central nervous system has also adapted. Metabolic (metabolic) and enzymatic adaptation processes occur very quickly (2-3 weeks), structural (morphological) changes take 4-6 weeks. The controlling and regulatory structures of the central nervous system require the longest adaptation time, over several months. If workloads are regularly absent, regression of morphological and functional adaptations occurs.

3) The Principle of Progressive Overload

Regular training is, of course, great and fundamentally leads to improvements for beginners in the first few months. However, once the performance level increases, the workload must logically also increase. Otherwise, the first training principle of effective training stimuli will no longer be fulfilled, and the training will be ineffective or serve only to maintain the current level.

For long-term performance improvement, the workload must therefore be increased regularly or adapted to the current level. If a beginner completes a 10 km run in 60 minutes, this will be challenging for them and might be the optimal workload. However, if the athlete now runs the 10 km in 40 minutes, a 60-minute run over this distance no longer makes sense, as the sub-threshold stimulus due to the too slow pace is ineffective.

If you always run at the same pace or lift the same weight, the body will adjust so well to it that the training will no longer trigger further adaptations.

A workload increase can be continuous or abrupt. The continuous form is usually applied. For elite and top athletes, abrupt increases are sometimes used to achieve further adaptations at a high level. However, the margin between the optimal threshold and an excessive threshold is very narrow.

Additionally, there is an upper limit to progressive overload. Depending on genetic predisposition or talent, an athlete reaches a point where no more time or effort can be invested in training because the body's potential is exhausted.

In the long term, changes to workload components should follow this sequence: increase the frequency of training sessions per week, increase the volume within each session, shorten rest periods, and increase training intensity. However, this is partially individual.

4) The Principle of Supercompensation

Also commonly referred to as the "principle of the optimal relationship between workload and recovery."

The supercompensation effect states that the body requires a certain amount of time to recover and restore performance levels after a training stimulus. This means the body develops its performance capability during the breaks between training sessions. The key is to choose the rest period so that the supercompensation effect occurs. If the break is too short, performance may even decrease. If you push yourself hard the day after an intense workout, while your body is still in a recovery dip from the previous day's efforts, the workout will cause more harm than good.

Conversely, if the break is too long, the body returns to its original baseline, and the effect is lost. The same applies to strength training. If you train the same muscle groups every day, you will barely progress because you are not giving your body the necessary time for recovery.

The principle of alternating stress and recovery applies not only from session to session (microcycle) but also on a larger scale. After two or three hard training weeks, a recovery week follows where training is significantly reduced (mesocycle). The macrocycle usually spans several months and is aimed at achieving a specific goal. Afterward, a longer recovery phase is needed to regain energy.

Recovery breaks for supercompensation processes can be supported or even shortened through specific measures, such as light jogging, physiotherapy, cold baths, and sauna sessions.

5) The Principle of Variability in Workload

The core idea of this training principle: varied training is more effective than monotonous and repetitive training.

If you apply the same training stimuli over an extended period, it leads to stagnation. Therefore, you must regularly change the training stimuli.

This can be done in several ways:

• Varying the intensity
• Varying the training content
• Varying movement dynamics
• Varying the rest period design

The reason lies in our sympathetic nervous system. This system prepares the body for heightened alertness during stressful situations: heart rate and blood pressure increase, breathing accelerates, and blood sugar levels spike. This state of heightened readiness is what we aim to achieve during training to create an effective stimulus. However, if the training becomes too monotonous, the sympathetic nervous system is no longer “surprised,” and the body remains in a resting mode.

6) The Principle of Planning and Systematization

Also called the principle of "periodization and cyclic structuring."

Training throughout the year must be systematically structured to achieve long-term performance gains. Additionally, the training should be aligned with key competitions. You should be in peak form when your highlight events are scheduled, not weeks beforehand.

An athlete cannot stay in peak condition all year round. Hence, constant workload variation is necessary, involving phases of increase, stabilization, and reduction within the macrocycle (e.g., preparation phase, competition phase, transition period). This prevents overtraining and allows for peak performance at the desired times.

The same applies to mesocycles and microcycles, which also include phases of increasing, maintaining, and reducing workloads.

7) The Principle of Individualization

This principle is often overlooked in training plans but is essential.

Every athlete responds differently to training stimuli. Training must therefore be tailored to the individual. A training plan should consider individual training goals (e.g., improving speed, building muscle, reducing body weight), individual workload tolerance, biological age, current training status, and previous training experience. Factors such as gender and genetic predisposition should also not be ignored.