Cyclical Training - StrengthRunning

Aug 13, 2025

Intro

This is a quick summary of Cyclical Training from StrengthRunning. It’s a great watch — we’re breaking it down so you can try the approach today. Be sure to check out the full video for all the details.

Key Points

All training should follow a cyclical pattern: Rest → Base/Easy Training → Competition Phase → Peaking, then back to Rest.
Rest: Start after a break or post‑race; focus on getting legs under you and rebuilding consistency.
Base/Easy: Build aerobic mileage, add tempo/lactate‑threshold runs, and gradually lengthen the long run.
Competition Phase: Add harder workouts and tune‑up races; fire on all cylinders.
Peaking: Taper, race your goal distance, aim for a PR, then return to rest.
Your next step depends on where you are: if you’ve been hard, start tapering; if you’ve been easy, add workouts and plan races.

Workout Example (no exact paces given, adapt to your own paces in the Pacing app):

Rest Week – 2–3 easy runs (30‑45 min) to recover.
Base Phase – 4–5 runs/week, including a weekly long run (increase 1‑2 mi each week) and a weekly tempo run (20‑30 min at comfortably hard).
Competition Phase – Add a hard interval session (e.g., 5 × 800 m at 5K pace with equal rest) and schedule a tune‑up race.
Peaking – Reduce mileage by 20‑30 %, keep intensity with short race‑pace efforts, and taper for 1–2 weeks before your goal race.

Closing Note Give the cyclical approach a try and customize the paces to fit your fitness in the Pacing app—your next breakthrough is just a cycle away! 🚀