Sydney Marathon 2026
Strength Training · 20 weeks
April 2026
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Session A (Tue)
Session B (Thu)
Phases
AdaptationWks 1–460–65%
StrengthWks 5–1275–85%
PowerWks 13–1670–80%
MaintenanceWks 17–1870%
TaperWks 19–20—
Deload weeks: 4, 10, 13, 16
Triple progression — compounds
| Week in cycle | Action | Compounds affected |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 of phase | Start at bottom of load range · hit prescribed reps with perfect form | SL RDL · BSS · Cable Squat |
| Week 2 | Add 1 rep per set if all sets completed cleanly · keep load identical (e.g. 4×6 → 4×7) | All compounds |
| Week 3 | Increase load 2.5–5% · drop back to base reps (4×7 → 4×6 at new load) | All compounds |
| Deload week | Drop 1 set · keep new load · sync with Runna cutback week | All compounds |
Eccentric tempo — RDL · Ham Curl · Calf
| Week | Eccentric duration | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Wk 5 | 3s | Baseline — establish load at Strength phase intensity |
| Wk 7 | 4s | Slow eccentric · same load · increased tendon time-under-tension |
| Wk 9 | 5s | Slow further · same load |
| Wk 10 | 3s reset | Increase load 5% · reset eccentric to 3s · repeat cycle |
Note: Nordic Curl uses assistance-based progression (not tempo). Starts at 5s eccentric from Wk 5, zero assistance target by Wk 10.
Nordic curl assistance
| Week | Sets × Reps | Assistance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 4 (deload) | 2×3 | High (max) | Pre-exposure only — replaces 1 accessory set |
| Wk 5 only | 2×4 | High | Volume cap — prevents triple novelty collision |
| Wks 6–8 | 3×5 | High → reduce 5–10%/2wks | Begin reducing assistance progressively |
| Wks 9–12 | 3×5 | Minimal → zero | Target zero assistance by Wk 10 · eccentric 5–7s |
| Wks 13–14 | 2×4 | Zero (unassisted) | Power phase — volume reduces |
| Wk 15+ | Removed | — | Dropped for pre-race fatigue management |
Isolation accessory progression
| Exercise | Base reps | Progress to | Then |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tibialis Raise | 15 | 18 → 20 | +2.5% load · reset to 15 |
| Incline Cable Fly | 12 | 15 | +2.5% load · reset to 12 · first to drop from Wk 10 |
| Hip Abduction (Session A) | 10/side | 12/side | +2.5% load · reset to 10 |
| Hip Abduction (Session B) | 12/side | Already at ceiling — increase load immediately | +2.5% load · reset to 10 |
| Hip Adduction | 12/side | Already at ceiling — increase load immediately | +2.5% load · reset to 10 |
| Wrist Curls / Reverse | 15 | 18 → 20 | +minimal load · focus on reps |
GM2 modes — quick reference
| Mode | Always used for | Phase-dependent |
|---|---|---|
| CONSTANT | Hip Flexion Pallof Press Cable Plank Row Face Pull Ext/Int Rotation Incline Fly Side Plank Abduction | — |
| ECCENTRIC | Calf Raises (both) Hamstring Curl Nordic Curl | RDL + Row: Eccentric in Wks 5–12 · Standard all other phases |
| CHAIN | — | BSS + Cable Squat: Chain in Wks 5–16 · Standard in Adaptation/Maintenance |
| STANDARD | Hip Abduction Hip Adduction Kickback/Hip Thrust Tibialis Raise Pulldown Woodchop Tricep Pushdown Wrist Curls SL RDL to Balance | RDL + Row: Standard in Wks 1–4, 13–18 |
Fatigue rules
| Sport | Treat as | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Frisbee (Mon) | Interval session | 48hr buffer before long run · never before quality running |
| Tennis | Moderate intensity | Easy run days only · social only from Wk 13 · ≤1×/wk · see Tuesday rule |
| Swimming | Recovery tool | Day after hard sessions · keep throughout · ≤1×/wk |
| Frisbee (Wk 13+) | Risk on fatigued legs | Drop from Wk 13 — legs need full recovery for long runs |
Tennis-on-Tuesday: if Tennis falls on Tuesday, reduce Session A to Session B intensity OR move Tennis to Saturday. 80/20 rule applies across ALL sports combined.
Non-negotiables
01
Never skip Cable Hip Abduction
IT band, knee valgus, glute med — the three most common marathon injuries.
02
Eccentric mode: RDL · Hamstring Curl · Calf Raises · Nordic Curl · Row (Wks 5–12)
Tendon and hamstring resilience built in the lowering phase.
03
Plyometrics always FIRST in session
Fatigued CNS = wrong patterns, higher injury risk, zero economy gain.
04
Session B is conservative — reduce 10–15% if fatigued
One bad Thursday compounds into a ruined Sunday long run.
05
Stop all eccentric calf work 14+ days before race
DOMS peaks 24–72 hrs, lingers 5 days. Applies to iso hold too.
06
Deload in sync with Runna cutback weeks
Deloading running without deloading strength defeats the purpose.
07
Drop Frisbee from Week 13
Cumulative fatigue in final 8 weeks is the primary injury vector.
08
Achilles morning stiffness trigger
3+ consecutive mornings → reduce SL Calf Raise to 2×6 that week.
09
Rotator cuff work first in upper body block
Ext/Int Rotation on fresh tissue — before rows and pulldowns pre-fatigue it.
Adaptation60–65%
Week 1 · Session A
Tuesday · 13 Apr – 19 Apr
Lower · Plyo · Core · ~102 min · Base reps
Double-Leg Pogo Hops
~45 contacts · 90s rest
Primary running economy drill
3×15s
Squat Jumps (pause at bottom)
15 contacts · 90s rest
Full triple extension
3×5
Single-Leg Pogo Hops
16 contacts · 90s rest
Bilateral this week — SL from Wk 3
2×8/side
Box Jump to Riser Stack
8 contacts · 90s rest · 20cm · step down (no jump down)
2×4
SL Cable RDL
60–65% · 3-1-1 · 2.5 min rest
4×6/side
STANDARD
Bulgarian Split Squat
60–65% · 3-1-X · 2.5 min rest
4×6/side
STANDARD
Cable Hip AbductionNEVER SKIP
Moderate · 2-1-2 · 90s rest
3×10/side
STANDARD
Cable Hamstring Curl
70–80% · 3-1-3 · 90s rest
3×8/side
ECCENTRIC
Standing Cable Hip Flexion
8–10RM · controlled · 90s rest
3×10/side
CONSTANT
SL Calf Raise (Gastroc)
75–80% · 4s ecc+2s hold · 2 min rest
3×8/side
ECCENTRIC
Pallof Press
Light-mod · 2-3-2 · 60s rest
3×8/side
CONSTANT
Cable Plank Row
Light-mod · controlled · 60s rest
3×8/side
CONSTANT
April 2026
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Session A (Tue)
Session B (Thu)
Phases
AdaptationWks 1–460–65%
StrengthWks 5–1275–85%
PowerWks 13–1670–80%
MaintenanceWks 17–1870%
TaperWks 19–20—
Deload weeks: 4, 10, 13, 16
Triple progression — compounds
| Week in cycle | Action | Compounds affected |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 of phase | Start at bottom of load range · hit prescribed reps with perfect form | SL RDL · BSS · Cable Squat |
| Week 2 | Add 1 rep per set if all sets completed cleanly · keep load identical (e.g. 4×6 → 4×7) | All compounds |
| Week 3 | Increase load 2.5–5% · drop back to base reps (4×7 → 4×6 at new load) | All compounds |
| Deload week | Drop 1 set · keep new load · sync with Runna cutback week | All compounds |
Eccentric tempo — RDL · Ham Curl · Calf
| Week | Eccentric duration | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Wk 5 | 3s | Baseline — establish load at Strength phase intensity |
| Wk 7 | 4s | Slow eccentric · same load · increased tendon time-under-tension |
| Wk 9 | 5s | Slow further · same load |
| Wk 10 | 3s reset | Increase load 5% · reset eccentric to 3s · repeat cycle |
Note: Nordic Curl uses assistance-based progression (not tempo). Starts at 5s eccentric from Wk 5, zero assistance target by Wk 10.
Nordic curl assistance
| Week | Sets × Reps | Assistance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 4 (deload) | 2×3 | High (max) | Pre-exposure only — replaces 1 accessory set |
| Wk 5 only | 2×4 | High | Volume cap — prevents triple novelty collision |
| Wks 6–8 | 3×5 | High → reduce 5–10%/2wks | Begin reducing assistance progressively |
| Wks 9–12 | 3×5 | Minimal → zero | Target zero assistance by Wk 10 · eccentric 5–7s |
| Wks 13–14 | 2×4 | Zero (unassisted) | Power phase — volume reduces |
| Wk 15+ | Removed | — | Dropped for pre-race fatigue management |
Isolation accessory progression
| Exercise | Base reps | Progress to | Then |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tibialis Raise | 15 | 18 → 20 | +2.5% load · reset to 15 |
| Incline Cable Fly | 12 | 15 | +2.5% load · reset to 12 · first to drop from Wk 10 |
| Hip Abduction (Session A) | 10/side | 12/side | +2.5% load · reset to 10 |
| Hip Abduction (Session B) | 12/side | Already at ceiling — increase load immediately | +2.5% load · reset to 10 |
| Hip Adduction | 12/side | Already at ceiling — increase load immediately | +2.5% load · reset to 10 |
| Wrist Curls / Reverse | 15 | 18 → 20 | +minimal load · focus on reps |
GM2 modes — quick reference
| Mode | Always used for | Phase-dependent |
|---|---|---|
| CONSTANT | Hip Flexion Pallof Press Cable Plank Row Face Pull Ext/Int Rotation Incline Fly Side Plank Abduction | — |
| ECCENTRIC | Calf Raises (both) Hamstring Curl Nordic Curl | RDL + Row: Eccentric in Wks 5–12 · Standard all other phases |
| CHAIN | — | BSS + Cable Squat: Chain in Wks 5–16 · Standard in Adaptation/Maintenance |
| STANDARD | Hip Abduction Hip Adduction Kickback/Hip Thrust Tibialis Raise Pulldown Woodchop Tricep Pushdown Wrist Curls SL RDL to Balance | RDL + Row: Standard in Wks 1–4, 13–18 |
Fatigue rules
| Sport | Treat as | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Frisbee (Mon) | Interval session | 48hr buffer before long run · never before quality running |
| Tennis | Moderate intensity | Easy run days only · social only from Wk 13 · ≤1×/wk · see Tuesday rule |
| Swimming | Recovery tool | Day after hard sessions · keep throughout · ≤1×/wk |
| Frisbee (Wk 13+) | Risk on fatigued legs | Drop from Wk 13 — legs need full recovery for long runs |
Tennis-on-Tuesday: if Tennis falls on Tuesday, reduce Session A to Session B intensity OR move Tennis to Saturday. 80/20 rule applies across ALL sports combined.
Non-negotiables
01
Never skip Cable Hip Abduction
IT band, knee valgus, glute med — the three most common marathon injuries.
02
Eccentric mode: RDL · Hamstring Curl · Calf Raises · Nordic Curl · Row (Wks 5–12)
Tendon and hamstring resilience built in the lowering phase.
03
Plyometrics always FIRST in session
Fatigued CNS = wrong patterns, higher injury risk, zero economy gain.
04
Session B is conservative — reduce 10–15% if fatigued
One bad Thursday compounds into a ruined Sunday long run.
05
Stop all eccentric calf work 14+ days before race
DOMS peaks 24–72 hrs, lingers 5 days. Applies to iso hold too.
06
Deload in sync with Runna cutback weeks
Deloading running without deloading strength defeats the purpose.
07
Drop Frisbee from Week 13
Cumulative fatigue in final 8 weeks is the primary injury vector.
08
Achilles morning stiffness trigger
3+ consecutive mornings → reduce SL Calf Raise to 2×6 that week.
09
Rotator cuff work first in upper body block
Ext/Int Rotation on fresh tissue — before rows and pulldowns pre-fatigue it.