How to turn a goal into a plan: principles, FITT-VP, periodisation, load monitoring, deloads, tapers, combining
lifting with running, and what to do when life gets in the way. Lifting variables are in
strength training, running zones and sessions in
endurance, and recovery habits in
stretching and recovery.
Training principles
Principle
Meaning
In practice
specificity (SAID)
Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands: you adapt to what you do
train the energy system, speed, load and movement of the goal; long runs for a marathon, heavy singles for a 1RM
progressive overload
the stimulus must rise as you adapt
add load, reps, sets, distance or pace, one variable at a time
individualisation
people respond differently to the same plan
set loads from your own tests and logs, not someone else's plan numbers
change the stimulus to keep progressing and limit staleness
rotate rep ranges, exercises or session types every few weeks; keep the core lifts and runs
recovery
adaptation happens between sessions
plan easy days and deload weeks; sleep and food count
supercompensation
load, fatigue, then recovery to above the starting level
a simplified model (after Selye); real responses are messier and depend on non-training stress too (Kiely 2018)
overreaching
short planned overload with a temporary dip in performance
functional overreaching recovers in days to weeks; non-functional takes weeks to months; overtraining syndrome takes months (Meeusen et al. 2013)
FITT-VP
ACSM's frame for writing an exercise prescription. Change one letter at a time when you progress.
Letter
Means
Running example
Lifting example
F
frequency
4 runs/week
3 sessions/week, each muscle 2×
I
intensity
80% easy, 20% hard by time
70–85% 1RM, RPE 7–9
T
time
30–100 min per run
45–75 min per session
T
type
road, trail, treadmill
barbell, dumbbells, machines
V
volume
35 km/week
12 hard sets per muscle per week
P
progression
long run +1 km per loading week
+2.5 kg or +1 rep per week
The ACSM 2011 baseline for healthy adults is 150 min/week of moderate cardio (or 75 min vigorous), resistance
training 2–3 days/week, and balance work 2–3 days/week. WHO 2020 sets 150–300 min moderate or 75–150 min
vigorous, plus muscle strengthening on at least 2 days.
Needs analysis and goal setting
Goal: one primary, specific and dated ("half marathon under 1:50 on 15 March"; "squat 1.5 × body mass").
At most 1–2 secondary goals.
Demands: which energy systems, strength qualities and skills the goal needs
(energy systems); race distance, terrain, heat.
Baseline: training age, current weekly volume, recent tests (5 km time trial, estimated 1RM, resting HR),
injury history.
Gap: demands minus baseline. Rank what limits you most.
Constraints: days per week, minutes per session, equipment, travel, work and family peaks, sleep.
Plan backwards from the event date: race, taper, peak, build, base (see the diagram below).
Checkpoints: a test or benchmark session every 4–8 weeks; adjust the plan, not just the goal.
Goal check
Ask
specific
what exact distance, lift, time or weight?
measurable
how will you test it?
achievable
is it a realistic step from your recent results, current volume and training age?
relevant
does it serve what you care about this year?
time-bound
what is the date?
Periodisation
Periodisation splits the time before a goal into phases, each with its own emphasis.
Level
Length
Purpose
Example
macrocycle
months to a year
the whole build to a goal or season
16–24 weeks to a marathon
mesocycle
usually 3–6 weeks
one emphasis, often ending in a deload
3 loading weeks + 1 deload
microcycle
usually 1 week
how sessions and rest days are arranged
Tue intervals, Sat long run
session
one workout
the unit you log
6 × 3 min at 5 km pace
Schematic macrocycle: mesocycles, deloads, volume and intensity (approximate)
Models
Model
Pattern
Suited to
traditional (linear)
volume high then falling, intensity low then rising, over months
beginners; one main event
block
2–6 weeks accumulation (volume, general work), 2–4 weeks transmutation (specific, harder work), 8–15 days realization (taper and peak) (Issurin 2010)
trained athletes, several peaks a season
undulating (DUP, weekly)
load and reps change day to day or week to week
intermediate lifters; mixed goals
reverse linear
intensity first, then volume
ultra and long events, where specific volume comes last
periodised plans beat non-periodised plans for 1RM (effect size 0.43)
Williams et al. 2017, 18 studies
with equal volume, periodised beat non-periodised for 1RM (ES 0.31) but not for hypertrophy; undulating beat linear for 1RM only in trained lifters
Moesgaard et al. 2022, 35 studies
linear and daily undulating give similar hypertrophy
Grgic et al. 2017
across 137 reviews, periodisation did not consistently change outcomes for average healthy adults
ACSM 2026
the physiological basis of classic periodisation is weaker than its popularity suggests
Kiely 2018
Reading: structure helps you progress and schedule recovery, but the specific model matters less than consistency,
enough volume and managing fatigue.
What to watch: how an endurance coach maps a plan from the event's demands, working from general aerobic and speed support toward race-specific sessions.
Session RPE (Foster et al. 2001): about 30 min after the session, rate the whole session on the CR-10 scale.
session load (AU)=session RPE×duration (min)
CR-10
Session felt
0
rest
1
very, very easy
2
easy
3
moderate
4
somewhat hard
5
hard
6
(between 5 and 7)
7
very hard
8–9
(between 7 and 10)
10
maximal
Metric
Formula
Use
weekly load
sum of session loads
the trend week to week
monotony
mean daily load ÷ SD of daily load (rest days = 0)
high means every day is the same; add easy and rest days (Foster 1998)
strain
weekly load × monotony
in Foster 1998, most illnesses followed weeks above the athlete's own strain threshold
ACWR
7-day load ÷ 28-day average weekly load
contested, see below
How fast to increase
Claim
Evidence
"never increase weekly mileage by more than 10%"
folklore. In a trial of 532 novice runners, a 13-week plan built on the 10% rule gave the same injury rate as a standard 8-week plan (20.8% vs 20.3%) (Buist et al. 2008)
big weekly jumps are risky
novices who raised weekly distance by more than 30% over 2 weeks had more distance-related injuries than those under 10% (HR 1.59, 95% CI 0.96–2.66; exploratory) (Nielsen et al. 2014)
single-run spikes matter more than weekly change
in 5 205 runners, a run more than 10% longer than the longest run of the previous 30 days raised the overuse-injury rate: HRR 1.64 for 10–30% longer, 1.52 for 30–100%, 2.28 for over 100%. The week-to-week ratio showed no relationship (Frandsen et al. 2025)
keep ACWR at 0.8–1.3, danger at ≥ 1.5
proposed from team-sport data (Gabbett 2016). Later critiques found no causal evidence, plus statistical artifacts from the ratio, and advise against using it to manage injury risk (Impellizzeri et al. 2020)
Practical rule: there is no proven weekly limit. Grow volume steadily (many coaches use 5–10% in loading weeks) with a step back every 3–4 weeks. Keep
each long run within about 10% of the longest run of the past month. Watch sleep, soreness and mood as well as
the numbers.
Deloads and recovery weeks
A deload is a planned period of reduced training stress to shed fatigue and prepare for the next block (Bell et al.
2023).
Question
Evidence or consensus
how often?
every 4–6 weeks, by coach consensus (Bell et al. 2023); strength athletes reported every 5.6 ± 2.3 weeks (Rogerson et al. 2024)
how long?
about 7 days (reported 6.4 ± 1.7 days); anything from one session to 2 weeks
what changes?
fewer sets and reps, lighter loads, more reps in reserve; frequency and exercise choice mostly unchanged. Complete rest is not the default
how much less?
not trial-tested. Common practice cuts sets by 30–50%, drops load about 10% and adds 2–3 RIR. For comparison, strength tapers of 30–50% less volume worked better than 50–70% (Travis et al. 2020)
is full rest as good?
one week off in the middle of a 9-week block gave similar muscle growth but slightly smaller strength gains than training straight through (Coleman et al. 2024)
runners
a recovery week at about 60–80% of recent volume, with strides or short pickups to keep speed (coaching practice)
reactive deload
take one early if performance drops for 2+ sessions, joints ache, sleep is poor or motivation sinks
What to watch: when to take a deload and how to cut back training during it.
A taper is a progressive, non-linear cut in training load before a goal event, to shed fatigue while keeping
fitness.
Variable
Guidance
Source
duration
2 weeks was optimal in the meta-analysis; 4 to over 28 days in the literature
Bosquet et al. 2007; Mujika & Padilla 2003
volume
cut by 41–60%, exponentially (bigger cuts near the event)
Bosquet et al. 2007
intensity
keep it: short efforts at race pace or faster
Bosquet et al. 2007; Mujika & Padilla 2003
frequency
keep it; cut by no more than about 20%
Bosquet et al. 2007; Mujika & Padilla 2003
expected gain
about 3% (usual range 0.5–6%)
Mujika & Padilla 2003
marathon (recreational)
strict, steadily falling 3-week tapers were a median 5 min 32 s (2.6%) faster than a minimal taper, in 158 000 Strava runners
Smyth & Lawlor 2021
max strength
1–2 weeks, volume −30–70% (−30–50% best), load ≥ 85% 1RM, then 2–7 days of little or no lifting
Travis et al. 2020
Concurrent strength and endurance
Issue
Guidance
Source
interference
max strength and muscle growth are not blunted by adding cardio; explosive strength is
Schumann et al. 2022
same session vs apart
explosive strength suffered more in the same session than with ≥ 3 h between
Schumann et al. 2022
hours between
0 h (back to back) gave the least strength gain, 6 h was better, 24 h best
Robineau et al. 2016
cardio mode
running interfered with lifting more than cycling; longer and more frequent endurance work interfered more
Wilson et al. 2012
Priority
Order and spacing
strength first
lift first, or run in the morning and lift over 6 h later; easy cardio only after lifting
endurance first
run key sessions fresh; lift after the run the same day (≥ 6 h if possible) or on easy days
equal
put hard runs and heavy lifts on the same days to keep easy days easy; no heavy legs the day before a key run
same session unavoidable
put the priority first; keep cardio short and easy, or cycle rather than run
Adjusting for life
Situation
What to do
missed 1 session
skip it and carry on; don't stack two hard days together
missed a week
repeat the previous week, then continue
short on time
keep intensity, cut volume: fewer sets, shorter runs with the key segment kept (Spiering et al. 2021)
travel
bodyweight, bands or hotel-gym sessions; easy runs to explore; count long travel days as hard days
work or family stress, poor sleep
non-training stress adds to fatigue; swap a hard day for an easy one and move the key session
cold above the neck only (runny nose, sore throat, sneezing)
may train easy by the "neck check" rule; stop if you feel worse (Metz 2003)
below the neck (fever, chest cold, cough, body aches, stomach bug)
don't train. Resume easy after symptoms and fever have gone
after illness, see a doctor
chest pain, palpitations, fainting, or breathlessness out of proportion to effort
niggle or pain
pain that changes your gait or technique, or gets worse during a session: stop and cross-train; persistent pain: see a physio or doctor
Detraining and maintenance
Stopped completely
What happens
Source
10 days
metabolic shifts: more carbohydrate use, lower insulin sensitivity
Mujika & Padilla 2001
12–21 days
VO₂max down about 7% in trained endurance athletes; muscle oxidative enzymes fall with a half-time of about 12 days
Coyle et al. 1984
over 4 weeks
recently gained VO₂max is lost completely; long-trained athletes stay above untrained levels
Mujika & Padilla 2001
56–84 days
VO₂max stabilizes about 16% below trained, still above sedentary controls
Coyle et al. 1984
strength
declines more slowly than endurance and stays above baseline for long periods; bigger losses with longer breaks, in people over 65 and in untrained people
Mujika & Padilla 2000; Bosquet et al. 2013
Minimal dose to maintain (Spiering et al. 2021, general populations):
Quality
Keep
Can cut
endurance
intensity (heart rate)
frequency to 2 sessions/week, or volume by 33–66% (13–26 min per session), for up to 15 weeks
strength and size, younger adults
relative load
to 1 session/week and 1 set per exercise, for up to 32 weeks
muscle size, older adults
relative load
to about 2 sessions/week and 2–3 sets per exercise
Tracking and logs
Log each session as you go and review the log once a week. The log is what makes individualisation and
autoregulation possible.
Date Session Min sRPE Load Details Sleep Sore Notes06-02 Easy run 45 3 135 8.1 km @ 5:33/km, HR 138 7.5 h 2/506-03 Intervals 60 7 420 6x3 min @ 4:25/km, 2 min jog 7 h 2/5 legs heavy on rep 506-04 Lower (heavy) 60 6 360 Squat 4x5 @ 100 kg RPE 8 7 h 3/5 RDL 3x6 @ 80 kg RPE 7Week Total km 42 Runs 4 Lifts 2 Load 1785 AU Monotony 1.4 Longest run 16 km
Track
Why
sets × reps × kg @ RPE
progression decisions, 1RM estimates
distance, time, pace, HR
fitness trends; long-run spikes
session RPE × minutes
one load number for running and lifting
sleep, soreness (1–5), mood
early warning before performance drops
body mass (weekly average), illness, niggles
fueling and injury patterns
tests (5 km TT, estimated 1RM)
checkpoints every 4–8 weeks
Recipes
12-week half-marathon outline
For a runner already doing about 25 km/week over 4 runs with a 10 km long run. There are two 3:1 blocks, two more build
weeks, then a 2-week taper. The long run never grows more than 10% past the longest of the last 30 days.
Week
km
Long run
Key session
1
26
10 km
6 × 20 s strides
2
28
11 km
6 × 1 min hills
3
30
12 km
3 × 6 min at threshold
4 (deload)
23
9 km
strides only
5
31
13 km
3 × 8 min at threshold
6
33
14 km
5 × 1 km at 10 km pace
7
35
15 km
2 × 12 min at threshold
8 (deload)
27
11 km
strides only
9
36
16 km, last 4 at half-marathon pace
4 × 2 km at half-marathon pace
10
38
17 km, last 5 at half-marathon pace
3 × 10 min at threshold
11 (taper)
27
12 km
3 × 2 km at half-marathon pace
12 (race)
15 + race
race
2 × 1 km at race pace early in the week
Keep strength work at 2 sessions a week (see strength training), and halve it
in weeks 11–12. Paces and zones are in endurance.
8-week strength block with deloads
For one main lift (such as the squat), twice a week with 2–3 assistance lifts. The first three weeks build
volume, the next three build intensity, and each ends in a deload.
Week
Phase
Main lift
Assistance
1
accumulation
4 × 8 at RPE 7
3 × 10–12
2
accumulation
4 × 8 at RPE 7.5
3 × 10–12
3
accumulation
5 × 8 at RPE 8
4 × 10–12
4
deload
2 × 8 at about 90% of week 3's load, RPE 6
2 × 10
5
intensification
4 × 5 at RPE 7.5
3 × 6–8
6
intensification
5 × 4 at RPE 8
3 × 6–8
7
intensification
5 × 3 at RPE 8.5
3 × 6–8
8
deload + test
2 × 3 at RPE 6 early in the week; test a single at RPE 9 or a 3RM at the end
1–2 × 8
Hybrid week: lift and run
For balanced goals: 4 runs and 3 lifts. Hard running and heavy legs share a day, at least 6 h apart, so the easy
days stay easy.
Day AM PMMon Easy run 40 min Upper body 45 minTue Intervals 6 x 3 min @ 5 km pace Lower heavy: squat 4x5, RDL 3x6 (6+ h later)Wed Rest or 30 min easy spin / mobility -Thu Tempo 25 min @ threshold Upper body + core 40 minFri Rest -Sat Long run 80-100 min easy -Sun Easy run 30 min + 6 strides Lower light: split squat, calf raise, hops 30 min
Marathon taper, 3 weeks
Starting from a peak week of 80 km. Volume falls steadily, intensity stays, and the number of runs stays the
same.
Week
Volume
Long run
Keep
race −3
64 km (−20%)
26 km with 10 km at marathon pace
one threshold session
race −2
48 km (−40%)
18 km with 8 km at marathon pace
5 × 1 km at threshold
race week
30 km before the race (−60%)
none
Tue: 3 × 2 km at marathon pace; 2 short runs with strides
Last heavy lift about 10 days out. After that, bodyweight or light work only; no new exercises.
