On average the runners in that 120 to 150-minute race time group accumulated 3+ times more weekly exercise volume than the group of runners that’s on the opposite end of the race time spectrum, the slowest group.

That group, the slowest runners needed 240 minutes or more to reach the finishing line.

Once again, not a bad outing at all. But regular higher volume endurance training clearly results in substantially better race time for the distance that was trained.

I think you will see, down below that this makes for a solid observation and recommendation if you are considering running a marathon or doing any other longer endurance test. But even if you are just looking to improve your cardiovascular health and durability my conclusion down below holds great value.

“This is why there isn’t one level of effort that’s the right way to do everything, not all the time”.
Coach Mike, Strength By Fitness.

This is why there isn’t one level of effort that’s the right way to do everything, not all the time.

Our bodies adapt to each level of intensity, volume, load, and effort in specific ways. And the better your fitness level becomes, the more granular that adaptation becomes.

You train, adapt, recover, and progress to what you do, and how you do it.

Ergo, when we provide our bodies with a big enough, weekly exercise volume we reap a lot of benefits in fitness, and health. But if it’s all balls to the walls effort and intensity we will drown in exhaustion and our price of recovery will be so big it will flatline everything else.

And most likely, when the effort is too high, total exercise volume won’t be enough to unlock all the benefits that total volume gives for health, and fitness alike.

What I am saying is that yes you can do nothing but sprint 100-meter races every week, and get way fitter, and healthier.

But you will be leaving health and fitness adaptations on the side of the road, such as making room for strength training, with all its unique health, and fitness benefits.

Sure, volume can also be too much, and effort too small too often. But this is why my fact-based recommendation is to do it all. Assess and adapt to what makes you feel the best, and progress the best.

It´s all the same, yet unique too. Pay attention to the facts and science, listen to your body and enjoy lifelong progression of health and fitness.

So, as in the case with our 100 sprint example, long-distance endurance training, is the same thing. If all you do is run marathons at full pace, you will end up with less exercise volume in total, compared to the same person doing most of the long-distance training at a lower zone 1 and 2 effort.

That zone one person will also be able to effortlessly save some of their exercise volume every week, all year round for higher speed runs, and complementary strength training.

Not to mention doing some extremely beneficial sprint-interval work, or endurance training that doesn’t even involve running on your two feet. As such, the majority zone one runner get that incredible aerobic foundation, but they still do enough volume & effort running at high speed, and sprints to tap into most of the potential from those health and fitness adaptations. Same thing goes for strength training. By including a intelligent strength training plan, down regulated just a hair in total weekly volume to not reduce the endurance performance, the zone 1 runner will get to enjoy a progression in strength thats going to provide unique health benefits, while allowing a stronger, fitter body thats going to cope with the wear and tear of running in a much better way.

So yes, even marathon runners can enjoy a substantially stronger body. Speaking of strength training, the older we get, the smarter we have to train.

This is why zone one is so beneficial for endurance and cardiovascular health, it provides a superior outcome across our health span, with minimal exhaustion. And for the same reasons, older people, let us say above 50, should focus on training with bigger loads, and less strength training volume, because this allows the human body to build that highly beneficial capacity for strength even at a very advanced age, and it does so with minimal exhaustion. 

This means that zone 1 running and bigger load, lower volume strength training taken to a place that´s one or two steps away from failure ( RIR 1 to 4 ) are both achieving the same beneficial outcome across these incredibly beneficial realms of fitness and health, strength & endurance, while providing as much room as possible for our capacity for recovery. 

The human body is amazing, and it adapts to what you do, and everything you do has a price of recovery to be accounted for. So train smart hard enough, and educated.. Mix and match across exercise forms, load, effort, volume, and intensity and create a fitter, and healthier you.

Continuously assess and adapt to how you are doing.

For those of you who do not take my coach word for it, just hit up the cited study down below and see for yourself that the fastest marathon runners did not just do most of their training at zone one, they trained across all levels of effort and intensity. But they managed to do so because the big zone one volume gave them the needed volume and adaptations while providing enough recovery room for harder runs too.

Cited study.

1. Training volume and intensity vs Marathon race time results.
https://researchprofiles.herts.ac.uk/en/publications/the-training-intensity-distribution-of-marathon-runners-across-pe?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&s=09