Don’t Worry About the 10% Rule: Just Run Harder.
Runners are often advised to slowly increase their weekly mileage. The 10% rule says that you must add 10 percent to your total miles this week to find the safe miles to run next week. This is probably the second rule you heard as a beginner, right after “buy good shoes.” But if you find it difficult to follow this advice, we have good news for you: this rule is bogus.
Runners who increase their mileage dramatically tend to get injured, but the “10 percent rule” is just a guideline with no hard evidence. It’s also pointless when you’re just starting out: if you ran 2 miles in the first week, does that mean you can only run 2.2 miles the next? At this rate, it will take forever to get into a serious training program.
Experienced athletes do not always follow this rule , and it is not always useful for beginners. In one study published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders , beginners with a gradual 13-week program had the same injury rate as a more aggressive 8-week program.
Read the Competitor website for the arguments against the 10 percent rule and tips on how to train without it.
The 10 Percent Rule: Fact Or Fiction | Competitor