Building a body that lasts takes longer than 12 weeks. Here’s how to train for the long game.
You know the feeling. A birthday looms, a new year kicks in, or, like me you were watching the races at UTMB week and a wave of inspiration hits. You decide this is the year you’ll finally run that 10k, or tackle that half-marathon, or go slightly longer.
The mix of fear and excitement is intoxicating. You sign up. But what’s the next step? When you’re just starting out, all you see in magazines, on websites, and in apps are 12-week training plans. So you just kind of assume that’s what training is. You find a free one online (or you spend an eternity researching it – more on that last week here) and dive in.
You follow most of it, you crush the race, maybe even hit your goal time. And then, well, then what?
The post-race void hits. You either sign up for the next thing to keep the feeling alive, or you slide back to where you started.
The hard truth is, you were race-fit for a day, but were you fundamentally fitter? More resilient? Probably not. Twelve weeks can spark progress, but the adaptations that keep you healthy and fast accumulate over seasons and years.
A 12-week plan is like cramming for an exam. You might pass the test, you might even do great. But did you truly learn the material? Did you build a lasting foundation of knowledge? No. You memorised, performed, and then forgot. True fitness, like true knowledge, is built over years, not crammed into 12 weeks.
But it does work, to an extent. So what’s actually going on in your body? It was a question I asked myself, so I looked for some answers.
The “Why”: The Adaptation Timeline
To understand what’s happening, we need to look at the real timelines for physiological change. The initial feeling of getting fitter is real, but it’s not the whole story.
The Quick Gains (Weeks): Your Brain on Training
Those first few weeks of a new plan feel amazing, right? You get stronger, your coordination improves, and everything feels easier, faster. This is the magic that gets you hooked. But it’s not what you think it is. This isn’t your muscles getting bigger or your heart getting stronger. Not yet.
This initial, rapid improvement is significantly related to neuromuscular adaptation. It’s your brain and nervous system getting better at talking to the muscles you already have. Think of it like a software update for your body. The hardware is the same, but the new software runs it more efficiently. It’s why a 12-week plan can feel so effective. It gives you quick results. But it’s fool’s gold. It’s the “cramming” part of the analogy.
The real, lasting changes take much, much longer…
This is part of my weekly writing: Krok po Kroku.
In the full article, I break down the specific timelines for building your “engine” and “chassis” and provide a better framework for planning your training year.
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