{"id":409155,"date":"2026-01-15T17:12:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T17:12:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/409155\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T17:12:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T17:12:07","slug":"an-expert-coach-shares-the-weekly-split-of-strength-training-intervals-long-runs-and-rest-days-that-he-says-should-form-the-bedrock-of-anyones-running-routine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/409155\/","title":{"rendered":"An expert coach shares the weekly split of strength training, intervals, long runs and rest days that he says should form the bedrock of anyone’s running routine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to Workout Diaries<\/a>, a series where we ask expert trainers to talk us through what a week of exercise looks like for them, helping you figure out how to develop and maintain an effective workout routine.<\/p>\n

Emmanuel Ovola<\/a> is an expert running coach, physiotherapist, the founder of London Select<\/a> running community and a Technogym<\/a> ambassador.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a passionate advocate of sport, exercise and activity. I think it\u2019s so powerful\u2014it changes people\u2019s lives,\u201d he tells Fit&Well.<\/p>\n

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Since a promising career in professional soccer was cut short by an ankle fracture, his interest has turned to injury prevention, rehab and helping others be as active as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cI worked as a physiotherapist in the NHS for 10 years, working in acute medicine and orthopedics, before moving into the private sector,\u201d says Ovola.<\/p>\n

Along the way he earned a degree in sports therapy and a master\u2019s in physiotherapy, all while moonlighting as an expert running coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis led me to become a Nike<\/a> running coach and a Technogym ambassador,\u201d he says. \u201cI want to always improve people\u2019s access to sport and enable people to be the best version of themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Start your week with achievable workout ideas, health tips and wellbeing advice in your inbox.<\/p>\n

At the time of our interview in mid-November, Ovola was deep in a training block, including punishing Norwegian 4×4 interval drills<\/a>, aiming to shave almost a minute off his 5K PR.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love running 5K\u2014it\u2019s short and sweet and the pain is just about bearable,\u201d he says, adding that his previous best is an astonishing 16min 40sec.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a while ago. I\u2019m actually building up to try and break 16 minutes in the next few weeks and months.\u2019<\/p>\n

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At the same time, he\u2019s built London Select into a community of over 700 runners, working together to \u201cbuild speed and boost confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a group of people who are running 15-minute 5Ks, which is super fast. We\u2019re trying to give people the tools and understanding to develop their speed.\u2019<\/p>\n

Here, the running coach provides a snapshot of his typical training week, reflecting the even split of strength training, track work and long runs that he says should form the bedrock of any running routine.<\/p>\n

Emmanuel Ovola’s weekly workout routine<\/p>\n

Monday 12pm
Rest or light recovery run.<\/p>\n

Tuesday
8am: 30min strength workout
2pm: 60min run\u2014Norwegian 4×4 intervals<\/p>\n

\u201cI coach a track session on Tuesday nights with my London Select community, but in the day I’ll usually do some sort of intervals,\u201d says Ovola.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the moment I’m doing the Norwegian 4×4 method\u2014four minutes of fast intervals four times, with three minutes of rest between each. I\u201dm trying to do that three times a week for 12 weeks, which the research shows is really effective for increasing VO2 max.<\/p>\n

Wednesday 12pm
60min long run<\/p>\n

Thursday 8am
60min run\u2014Norwegian 4×4 intervals<\/p>\n

Friday 8am
30min strength workout<\/p>\n

Saturday 9am
60min run\u2014Norwegian 4×4 intervals or hill repeats<\/p>\n

Sunday 10am
1-2hr long run at a conversational pace<\/p>\n

\u201cOn Sundays, I’ll do a long run to build my aerobic base,\u201d says Ovola. \u201cThat might be anywhere from 18 to 22km, so one to two hours. I try to keep it nice and gentle, to enjoy it, to even have a few stops if necessary. Time on feet is the focus, and to enjoy getting out there with no pressure.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my favorite places to run is the Seven Sisters hills. The expanse of space, leaving London, getting out of the city, it\u2019s a really invigorating feeling and really good for my mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emmanuel Ovola\u2019s tips for building a workout routineAllow flexibility in your routine<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t always need to think of your training routine as a seven-day series, says Ovola, which means you should be able to adapt it around life events.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could extend [your plan] to 10 or 12 days, depending on what\u2019s going on in your life,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe key is to be able to auto-regulate your training. Understand that some days you\u2019re not going to be feeling the best, but doing something is always better than nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keep your hard days hard<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to keep my hard days hard,\u201d says Ovola, pointing to the example of the Norwegian intervals and strength work he performs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.<\/p>\n

Structured wisely, ensuring he never pushes himself to breaking point, it means his body can work hard when required, and recover fully on lighter rest days.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I feel like I need to, I will always have a rest day to avoid burnout.\u201d<\/p>\n

Give yourself time to adapt<\/p>\n

When undertaking a new training plan, Ovola prefers to start easy, and finish fast, just like he would a race.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf in a 12-week training block, I tend to be a bit more conservative in the first four to six weeks,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom weeks six to 12, that\u2019s where I will train more fatigued\u2014when I\u2019m more sore\u2014to develop overload and ensure I\u2019m progressing,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI find people go too aggressive initially and then have aches, pains, injuries. As a physio, I\u2019m always trying to encourage specificity and progression.<\/p>\n

\u201c[The workouts] have to be specific to what you\u2019re training towards and really progressive, rather than too aggressive, so you don\u2019t struggle to finish [the plan].\u201d<\/p>\n