Train to Adapt, Not Just to Get Fitter

Kelvin Kiptum of Kenya holds the male world record for the marathon. His time? 2:00:35. He can run 42.2km (26.2 miles) in seconds over 2 hours. That’s running 2:51 per km (or 4:36 per mile) for 2 hours. Not only was he the first person to get under 2:01 for the marathon, but he also ran the second half faster than the first half (called a negative split). While training for this feat, Kelvin would have put his body through progressive stress, time and time again. Breaking down his body for it to grow stronger. He trained to adapt his body to be capable of running at what most people would call a sprint pace (if you can even run that fast), for an endurance event. That goes beyond just fitness.

Adaptation for the Mere Mortals

Bringing this back now to the world of the everyday athlete, who isn’t running anywhere near Kiptum’s times, progressive overload and adaptation in training is still a crucial element.

As a coach, I create training plans for athletes through periodisation. Many coaches follow a similar technique, but I build intensity over a period of 3 weeks (give or take, depending on an individual’s availability) then incorporate a recovery week. During these blocks of training, there may be a specific focus. It could be sprint speed, or endurance, but we’ll look at training a specific system for a period, before shifting focus elsewhere. Why? To give the body a chance to adapt.

It's applicable to any form of athletic training - Anytime Fitness

Many people find themselves plateauing through training. This is rarely down to a lack of effort, but a lack of change. Our bodies, like our minds, get comfortable in the ‘status-quo’. Steady state aerobic runs with a few higher tempo intervals scattered in starts to get comfortable. We may feel like we’re getting fitter, and we are (to a degree), but then progress stops. Our aerobic systems have got comfortable with the new level of activity and aren’t being challenged like they were before. It’s our sign to change things up!

How to Train for Adaptation

Is this a shameless plug? Probably. My first recommendation would be working with a coach. They will work with you and your existing commitments and routines to generate a programme that builds. It should have variety and continually challenge your body to be making progress. But, if coaching isn’t for you, then look to do this yourself.

Using the 3 on, 1 recovery framework, structure your training with a particular focus. It might be that your overall target is a faster 10k time. For that, one block may have more interval sessions, where you’re working on increasing your vO2 max and raw sprint speed. Then you may shift focus to ramp up the distance, so your body can handle more time running at a tempo pace. Mixing up a training focus (but go careful to not omit any areas or overtrain) can help you to train your body to adapt. To feel comfortable in the discomfort.

Another tool is reflection and regular testing. Looking over your recent race times and planning your training paces against something like the VDOT tables, gives you target paces relative to your fitness level. That way you’re pushing your body to an appropriate level. By running races or testing yourself on a 5k time trial periodically, you can re-assess your training paces and ensure you are adapting to your training load. Once again, go careful to not overdo it. You don’t need to be testing weekly, but every 6-12 weeks, depending on your goals and race calendar, could be beneficial.

Adaptation is a key aspect of any athlete’s training. It’s what causes us to grow, to improve and to reach our peak performance. Too little change and we plateau. Too much and we lose focus. A coach can help set you on the right path, but equally you can sit down and work on this yourself. It’s a game of trial and error, but once you start seeing your performances improving, you’ll be grateful you started.