How to Increase Your training volume without getting injured?
In running, training volume is a key factor in progression. Whether you’re a beginner or advanced, it’s tempting to want to train more, and many runners look to increase their weekly sessions. We’ve all felt that satisfaction after uploading a long run on Strava, receiving a rain of Kudos from the community as a reward for our efforts. But be careful, running is a sport with a high risk of injury due to the numerous ground impacts. In this article, we explain how to increase your training volume while minimizing this risk. A healthy runner is a runner who thrives in their practice!
Why increase your training volume?
Increasing your training volume in running is one of the essential pillars for improving performance, endurance capacity, and achieving running goals, whether it’s to lose weight, run longer, faster, or prepare for competitions. Here are some benefits related to increasing volume:
Improvement of aerobic endurance: Aerobic endurance is the body’s ability to supply oxygen to muscles over an extended period. By increasing volume, the runner learns to maintain a steady effort for a longer duration.
Muscle strengthening and physiological adaptations: When running, the body transforms. The repeated movements of running lead to numerous physiological adaptations. With the repetition of mechanical stress, muscles, bones, cartilages, and tendons are engaged during effort and strengthened during recovery, blood vessels develop, and cells become more efficient. These adaptations make the body stronger and capable of handling increased intensity and training volume.
Improvement of running economy: By increasing training volume, runners become more economical, meaning they expend less energy for the same speed.
Runners, be careful not to overdo it!
A study revealed that 70% of runners get injured after covering 2,000 km. In other words, among regular runners, this means that 7 out of 10 suffer an injury each year. This statistic speaks volumes. One of the most common mistakes among runners is wanting to do too much, too quickly. A rapid increase in training volume or intensity can quickly lead to injuries such as tendinitis (the famous and dreaded IT band syndrome), stress fractures, fatigue, or chronic muscle pain as the body’s maximum capacity has been exceeded. Note that injuries can also result from other factors like psychological stress, poor nutrition, unsuitable shoes, etc.
Keep in mind that the primary key to progress in running is regular practice. Staying healthy should therefore be your priority. An injury-free runner is a runner who progresses!
Apply the principle of progressivity
Gradually increasing training volume allows the body the necessary time to create physiological adaptations and enables you to string together training sessions while avoiding injuries. First, it is essential to quantify the level of stress your body is subjected to. You can use, for example, the number of kilometers you run each week as a measurement unit and apply the 10% rule. Increase the mileage volume or intensity by a maximum of 10% each week. As your training volume increases, it becomes essential to carefully monitor your workload, especially if you’re preparing for a marathon, where training sessions are frequent.
3 Key training concepts to master based on their importance

It’s important to individualize the training planning approach and adapt the volume to each runner. Below are our recommendations based on different runner categories classified by experience level.
3 Tips for practicing running according to your level
Beginner Runner (0 to 20 km per week)
Focus on foundational endurance runs
- Run at a pace that shouldn’t feel overwhelming. If you can’t hold a conversation and your breathing quickly accelerates, you’re going too fast. Alternating walking and running is also recommended. Listen to your body and start your run gradually. Then increase the volume over a week and then increase the intensity the following week. Do not increase volume and intensity within the same week.
Prioritize the frequency of your workouts over intensity and volume
- It will be less stressful for the body to run 4 times 6 km rather than 2 times 12 km. Avoid running too long at once and give your body time to recover. During the effort, try not to fixate on your pace.
Take care of your nutrition
- Avoid running on an empty stomach. Whether you’re starting or resuming running, your body is under significant stress. There’s no need to add extra stress by depriving it of the nutrients it needs to fuel your muscles.
Intermediate Runner (20 to 60 km per week)
Consistency will lay the foundation for your performance
- You’ll progress quickly after several weeks of training, but patience will be your greatest ally. To progress in running, there’s no shortcut, and the notion of talent quickly fades away with the experience and maturity gained from training. Don’t skip steps and give your muscles time to strengthen over the years.
Find the right balance for a well-rounded life
- Aligning your running practice with your current lifestyle will also help you enjoy your training. For instance, take time to analyze your personal and professional commitments before embarking on marathon preparation. Running should remain an activity that brings physical and psychological benefits. It shouldn’t turn into a constraint or logistical headache in your life. Periodizing your training can be a good solution, allowing you to run throughout the year and potentially increase your training load for a short period while preparing for your goals.
Advanced Runner (60 km and beyond)
Strike a balance between training and your social and professional life
- Building a training routine is essential for being effective in every aspect of your life. Intensive running practice requires impeccable organization. Doing your runs at fixed times each week will help eliminate chance.
Take care of your body
- Your body is under significant stress from training. Regular stretching and self-massage practices will allow you to oxygenate your muscles and facilitate good recovery.
Correctly dose the intensity of your workouts
- To perform all of your weekly workouts, it’s essential to run each session in the right intensity zone. It’s crucial to stick to your training plan and the indicated paces. Performing interval sessions at too high a speed will increase the recovery time needed and expose you to a higher risk of injury.
3 Practical Tips for Increasing Your Training Volume
Increase the duration of your warm-up and cool-down
During your interval training sessions, it’s crucial to warm up your body properly and prepare it for the effort to come. Adding, say, 1 km to your warm-up and 1 km to your cool-down will automatically increase the volume of your session without altering the nature of the training. A typical interval session is structured as follows:
Warm-up
20 minutes of progressive-paced jogging, drills, and muscle activation exercises, 5 accelerations
Main session
Intervals. Example: 4x2km with 2-minute recovery.
Cool-down
10 min of recovery jogging
Add a short jog
If you have the opportunity, incorporating a 20 to 30-minute jog once a week could be a quick and effective method to slightly increase your training volume. Such a short activity will stimulate blood circulation in your muscles and promote better recovery without depleting your mental and physical resources. Thus, your recovery process will not only be preserved but also accelerated.
Extend the long run
The long run is a key training session for progressing in running and providing a stimulus for your body in preparation for your next competition, especially if you’re training for a marathon. It might be wise to gradually extend it, for example, by adding 2 km each week. This will present a real physical challenge while sparking excitement and motivation, thereby boosting your mental confidence as you succeed in these demanding sessions. However, it’s important to maintain sufficient overall training volume. Most experts recommend that the long run should not exceed 30% of your total weekly mileage.
Strength Training: A Pillar for Injury Prevention
Strength training is often overlooked by runners, but it plays a crucial role in injury prevention. It’s clear that this is one of the least enjoyable parts of training for runners, but having strong muscles will help stabilize your joints and better absorb the many shocks of running. If you aim to increase your training volume, there’s no secret: strength training is your key asset to train more safely. Here, the goal isn’t to bulk up but to make your muscles stronger and more enduring. Simply integrating a bodyweight session once a week will already bring considerable benefits.
Focus on core exercises to build a solid trunk capable of absorbing and redistributing energy throughout your muscles. This is particularly effective for marathons, where posture tends to degrade over the course of the race. Then, work on your lower limbs. The quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, calves, and foot muscles are directly engaged during running. Incorporating plyometric and strengthening exercises like squats and lunges into your routine will help you have stronger muscles for injury prevention, joint strengthening, and making your stride more efficient.
Listening to Your Body: Recognize Early Warning Signs
When increasing your training volume, staying healthy is the priority. For a runner, listening to their body is essential. Ignoring early signs of fatigue or pain can turn a slight discomfort into a serious injury. It’s important to learn to detect these signals to prevent problems and maintain a regular and safe sports practice. For this, it’s crucial to differentiate between discomfort related to physical effort and pain signaling an injury. You can refer to this document from the Sentier Chiropractic Clinic (Québec), which identifies 10 different pain levels.

Persistent or sharp pain should be taken seriously, often warranting rest or medical consultation. Don’t hesitate to take a few days off to prevent an injury instead of risking continued training and facing a more severe injury and an inability to run.
The level of fatigue experienced is a very good indicator of stress levels. To improve muscle recovery and reduce fatigue, sleep is essential, as it’s during rest that the body repairs tissues damaged during training. It also helps regulate hormones related to energy and fatigue, thereby enhancing performance and endurance. Finally, good sleep strengthens the immune system, reducing the risk of injury or illness, especially with increased training volume. Professional marathoners can handle a high training load because they dedicate a lot of time to sleep! Most of them sleep 9 to 10 hours a night and take naps almost every day. Do not neglect sleep, and don’t hesitate to adjust your training if you feel fatigued.
Increasing volume is not for everyone
- While it may be tempting to increase training volume, there are situations where it’s not always the right approach.
- You’re overwhelmed by family, personal, and professional obligations
- Your work environment is a source of stress and takes up a lot of your time
- You’re sleeping less than 6 hours a night
- You’re not eating enough or are facing eating disorders
- You’re just returning from an injury
- You’re already progressing through other training factors
- You experience intense pain before, during, and/or after exercise
In these cases, increasing training volume can significantly increase the risk of injury. It becomes crucial to adopt an individualized approach and propose alternatives like low-impact sports (cycling, swimming, etc.) to continue engaging in healthy and safe physical activity.
Conclusion: Increase your volume smartly to avoid injuries
Progressing in running while minimizing the risk of injury is a challenge that requires a comprehensive and thoughtful approach. By following the principles of progressivity and regularity, setting realistic goals, strengthening your body, and paying attention to nutrition and recovery, you’ll not only improve your performance but also fully enjoy the practice of running. Integrate these tips in the coming months and set out to conquer your next sports challenge!