# of times to repeat a workout

Top distance coach Alan Storey tries to never set the same session twice.
Arthur Lydiard said if you keep doing 400m repeats you become good at 400m repeats - not necessarily a better athlete.
Repeating a session can allow monitoring of progress but the aim is not to become better at a session.
Younger athletes may benefit from more regimented training as they learn to pace the session etc better and so are more likely to run it at the correct intensity.
Chris Carmichael advocates working in one month blocks and some coaches even set the same session for a give day of the week each month before changing it.

Maverick:

Thanks for the comments. So, if a workout is not to be set more than once, or maybe repeated just once, is the idea then to set a workout that might accomplish the same physiological result - for example, instead of 4 x 1 mile one might do 5 x 1200m?

I like the notion (new to me) that the goal should not necessarily be to improve in a workout but to become a better athlete. Makes sense!!

Don Medeiros

Don,

I constantly change my program. While i do not train strictly for running (i do a lot of strength training as well) i have found that when training for a 5 k run i get the best results when i run 5 k's in training using different formats. After a month or so of endurance training i will, as you suggest, set my program so that i am running 12 x 400m or 5 x 1k or 6 x 800m in the month leading up to the goal date. I have achieved some solid improvements in my times in the last twelve months by periodising my program in that way. It works for me :D