Running skills

How balancing intensity and volume can supercharge your running performance

Words: Anna Harding

There are many training plans and methods for running, but the most common, and the one that is used as a foundation to influence many of them is the 80/20 method. You may already be doing it without realising. But what is it? And if you’re not already using it, how can you incorporate it into your running?

Whether you’re a marathoner or a beginner looking to get started with something more structured, understanding and implementing the 80/20 method could be the key to unlocking your full potential.

If you’re training hard and feeling like you’re always too tired to put in a great effort, the 80/20 method could put the spring back in your step

Back to basics

The 80/20 method of running is rooted in the idea of balancing the distribution of training intensities, the outcome of this being better performance. The method advocates spending 80% of training time at low-intensity levels and dedicating the remaining 20% to high-intensity efforts. Both coaches and exercise scientists believe that this balance offers the perfect blend of volume and intensity for physiological adaptations without overtraining.

This ratio may seem counterintuitive, as many runners believe that pushing themselves to the limit during every workout is the key to improvement. However, the 80/20 method challenges this idea, by emphasising the importance of balance and recovery.

The idea was first discovered in the early 2000s by Dr Stephen Seiler, an exercise physiologist. According to Seiler, the single most beneficial thing you can do to improve your performance in endurance running is to train a lot. There’s a caveat to that though; you need to make sure you don’t train TOO much, and risk overtraining. You do this by increasing your running volume at low intensities.

Now for the science bit

The main reason why scientists and coaches believe the 80/20 method works is because of the body’s physiological response to different training intensities. Low-intensity running enhances our aerobic capacity, improves endurance, and strengthens the cardiovascular system. On the other hand, high-intensity efforts, such as interval training and tempo runs, target our anaerobic capabilities and our ability to run faster.