Ep 9 - How to Balance Lifting with Running and Conditioning

I was once the guy who said, “I hate running.” And that's because I wasn’t good at it and I didn’t know how to ease myself into it. Coming from a football background, conditioning for me meant short, explosive bursts, not long steady miles.After playing, I defaulted to HIIT every session and pushed too hard, too often. The result was poor recovery, hormone issues, nagging injuries, and a body that didn’t look, move, or feel the way I wanted. What I’ve learned since, is that the key to balancing lifting and conditioning isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing less but better, and with more intention.In this episode, I share how I structure my own training and my clients’ training to make lifting and running (or any form of conditioning) work together instead of against each other. More topics covered:Why high intensity training can’t be the default and how to balance it with low/moderate intensity trainingHow to properly manage load and intensity in your training to avoid overtrainingHow to drive great results in the gym without any pain The role of Zone 2 cardio and why it’s a game-changer for building aerobic capacity, improving performance keeping stress on the body low Why upper/lower and full-body are the two best training splits in the game and why they work great alongside running and conditioning The “seasons of training” approach: when to bias strength, when to bias endurance, and how to juggle both year-roundMy personal failures and the lessons learned from them: overdoing HIIT, negative hormone implications, unregulated training stress, overtraining and pushing through pain/injuriesWhy real progress comes from recovery and stress management, not grinding harderIf you’re tired of feeling like lifting and running pull you in opposite directions, this episode will show you how to balance both, avoid burnout, and train like an athlete for life.Everyday Athlete Online coaching Everyday Athlete In-Person Training Transparent Labs (10% off discount using this link)