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If exercise were a drug it would be the most widely prescribed one in existence; and It’s not even close.
Now for the tricky part. How much of this drug should you take? Drugs present a risk of overdose. Same is true of exercise. The world is littered with injured bodies that ran too far, that lifted too much too soon.
That OD'd on exercise.
How do we safely increase the amount of exercise we’re doing?
‘Girls used to diss me, now they write letters ‘cause they miss me.’ Probably bc I’ve been working out at Train.
How much should we aim for?
Got it. So if you’re not presently doing that 150 minutes + 2 weight lifting sessions per week you can just start at that amount.
Not so fast. Increasing the amount of exercise you do is a little tricky. Too much too soon can lead to nagging injuries, which leads to frustration, which leads to you to saying ‘F it, I was better off not exercising.’
Let’s build up your tolerance to this miracle drug.
Responsibly.
Start where you are
“A runner, by definition, is someone who will accidentally slam their hand in a door; diligently rehab their hand for several weeks/months; then go right back out and slam their hand in the door again.” Mike Boyle*
I’m a running cliche. I wanted to win. To win I had to train hard. I ran over 10 miles a day for an entire summer. I took zero days off. I ran even longer on both weekend days. By the end of that summer my body was a wreck. I was so injured I didn’t run a step for months.
It was inevitable I would slam my hand in the door again (I wanted to win). I had to learn how to run a lot without re-injuring myself. After some time off (and a cortisone shot) I resumed training. Time to slam my hand in the door: intelligently this time.
I started with 5 minutes of pain free running. I ran 5 minutes, 5 days a week, and then ran “long” on Saturday (long runs should be 25% of weekly mileage- so a whopping 6.5 minutes).
Plus/minus 32 minutes that week. That was my baseline.
If you’re not at 150 minutes of exercise start easy. 5 minutes a day worked for me, it can work for you. Set a baseline. Create an easy win.
Now how does one increase from baseline to 150, or in my case from 32 to (approximately) 550 minutes of weekly running, without fatally slamming the door.
How much should we increase, and how often?
The 10% rule
Increase your work load by no more than 10% every other week.
My 32 minutes became 35, 35 became 40, then 44, 50… fast forward 11 months I was running 80 pain free miles a week (and winning).
If you’re a runner increasing mileage you should increase by no more than 10% every other week. If you ran 20 miles this week, run 22 miles next week.
Then schedule in a down week once a month.
Do any runners actually follow this rule? No. It’s why we say there are two kinds of runners: those who are hurt, and those who are about to be.
This lesson applies to other fitness modalities. Lifting? Increase your weights and or reps by no more than 10% every other week. If you squat 100 lbs this week then go for 110 next week.
Then schedule in a down week (80-90 lbs).
This rule ensures safer progression and fewer injuries. It’ll raise you from where you are (5 minutes?) to 150 minutes.
And beyond?
It’s slow.
It’s steady.
It’s boring.
But let’s face it, exercise is a drug. Enjoy in moderation. Enjoy responsibly.
*overheard at a fitness conference he spoke at (should anybody wanna fact check).