The Strength Running Podcast

What is "Training?" The Principles, Science and Art of the Training Process with Dan Cleather

12 snips
Dec 25, 2025
Dan Cleather, a professor and strength coach, delves into the nuances of training versus exercise. He highlights that training is about purposeful, structured change aimed at specific goals. Discover why not all training systems fit every athlete and the importance of flexibility in plans. Dan emphasizes skill development through practical drills and reframes easy runs as essential for recovery. He also cautions against the common pitfall of inconsistency, urging runners to focus on quality over quantity for lasting progress.
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INSIGHT

Training Is Purposeful Change

  • Training differs from exercise because it pursues deliberate change toward a vision rather than casual activity.
  • Dan Cleather emphasizes structure and purpose as what makes activity "training."
INSIGHT

Systems Aren't Magic — Principles Are

  • No single branded system guarantees success because bodies only respond to the actual stimuli they experience.
  • Good programs simply organize principles coherently rather than invent new laws.
INSIGHT

Change = Adaptation Plus Practice

  • Change comprises two processes: adaptation (capacity building) and practice (skill learning).
  • Dan uses a Formula One car analogy to separate capacities (car) from skills (driver).
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