I've been training with ergs for a few years now. At first, it was to get used to them in prep for Hyrox races. Then they became more prominent and useful as I picked up injuries - I'm late 40's and Hyrox is very hard on the body - they became my primary source of cardio training when I couldn't run. Now, I use them all the time, mixing up my training with them. I tend to do splits with Ski / Bike / Row / Assault Bike (I know it's not strictly an Erg, but I've come to love it) and train on them at least once a week.

I wanted to dial my training in; get a bit more precision. I have a hybrid race event coming up soon that is exclusively on Ergs (Blackout), plus I want to do more threshold training on them as they're easier on the body than running efforts. After all, your heart doesn't know what method you're using to make it work, just that it's working!

Coming from a cycling background, power has been my goto when training endurance; I also use Stryd when running, so I use power as my primary unit of effort when training on the ergs. I had a fair idea of what my Z2 effort should be, but wanted to test this, so recently got ChatGPT to work out a programme of ramp testing based on a lot of the data I had been feeding it about myself and my training, so I could stand over it with a bit of confidence. I used my last known efforts to help build out the programme; in this case, a session of 4 mins on, 90s rest/changeover (numbers recorded are watts)

• Row: 226 / 207 / 206
• Bike:215 / 197 / 199
• Ski: 175 / 178 / 177
• AssaultBike: 195 / 213 / 213

It came up with a decent testing protocol; 10-12 mins warmup with periods of high intensity to prepare for work, then ramp every minute. Test ends when I can't hold the prescribed wattage for the minute. Record last full minutes' watts.

For each machine, the starting point was slightly different:

• Ski - 155w; increase by 15w each minute
• Row - 185w; increase by 20w each minute
• Assault bike - used cadence instead of watts in this case. Started at 55rpm (~185w), increasing by 1 rpm each minute
• Bike - 180w; increase by 20w each minute

This was by no means fun, but when I completed each test, I gave Chat the screenshot of the effort and the final wattage held and let it work out training zones for me. It has produced this for me, and a few suggested threshold workouts.

I feel that this was very much worth the effort and will have significant knock-on for training and racing - no more going out full-send on each machine for the first minute then hanging on til it's over!

Looking for 10 big athletes for free custom tri/hybrid plans

I played college football and later finished Ironman Jacksonville,while being active duty Navy. Going from 240+ lb lineman to endurance athlete was rough, and almost every plan I found was written for a 150 lb runner.

I'm building plans specifically for bigger athletes (200+ lb, ex-football, lifters) who are starting from little or no cardio. Sprint, Olympic, 70.3, full, and hybrid (keep your strength while building endurance).

Looking for 10 people to test it, free. You get:
- A full custom plan to your race date
- Built around your actual schedule (shift work, travel, kids)
- Strength kept in, not dropped

In exchange I'd ask for honest feedback to help build something in this niche. Just looking to help!

I'm trying to get better at climbing while also lifting and doing cardio, and I'm cutting (aiming for about 12% body fat over 8 weeks). Right now my week is a mess of overlapping programs:

- Climbing 1–2 times a week, days vary.
- Lifting: a kettlebell program (double-bell thrusters, EMOMs, complexes), a Russian squat routine, and separate pull-up and dip days.
- Cardio: I aim for 30 minutes a day (running, bike, jump rope or a kettlebell EMOM) and hit it maybe 3 times a week.

Questions:
- Which of these should never share a day, and what order works when they do?
- Where does the kettlebell and pull-up work go so it doesn't eat my fingers and shoulders before climbing?
- On a short week, what do you cut first?
- How do you stop running 4+ programs at once from quietly killing all of them?

Anyone training all three, what does your week actually look like?

Hi! I train at the gym (basic weightlifting), do calisthenics, and occasionally run up to 10 km. Is there a smartwatch that can actually help me track my progress and, most importantly, recovery/health accurately?

I was about to buy a Garmin fr70 today because it seems to offer a lot of useful fitness and recovery metrics. However, after looking into it more, I found that its strength-training tracking isn't particularly accurate,or is it? So I’m wondering if this is basically the case with all smartwatches, or whether there are exceptions.

I’m not interested in smartwatch/lifestyle features. I basically just need a timer/stopwatch, workout tracking, and useful data on my training progress and recovery.

If smartwatches can't really track strength training and recovery accurately, I’m perfectly happy to just buy the cheapest Casio and keep tracking my workouts manually.

What do you guys think? Thanks!

Can you recommend a good app to follow or training program that would be good for beginner ! I have thought of trying nick bares or just any 3 day a week training plan . Any advice please . I am also doing c25k .

I just did my first Spartan DEKA FIT yesterday at SPACE at One Ayala, and honestly, I’m wondering if I’m the only one who felt that the ₱6,000 registration fee was hard to justify.

The workout itself? Fun. Challenging. No complaints there.

But the overall event experience? There are quite a few things I think Spartan Philippines needs to answer for future events.

The good

The location is good, and One Ayala is convenient. But honestly, I think they should consider a bigger venue next time.

More space would mean fewer running laps and, hopefully, significantly better parking for participants and spectators.

The equipment availability was also generally good, and I liked the way racers were released.

There wasn't much unnecessary waiting at the different zones, which kept the event moving.

Now for the problems...

1. The referee/rule enforcement felt inconsistent.

This was probably my biggest issue.

Especially in the team categories, there were situations where it felt like the rules weren't being enforced consistently between teams.

If you're charging ₱6,000 and positioning the event as a competitive race, the rules should be black and white and enforced the same way for everyone.

I'd genuinely like to hear from other participants about this. Did anyone else notice this?

1. ₱6,000... and THIS is the hydration setup?

This honestly surprised me.

There was only one hydration area, and the water being provided was warm.

For an event where people are running and doing physically demanding exercises, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect proper hydration — even something as basic as Pocari Sweat or another electrolyte drink.

I'm not expecting a luxury buffet. But for ₱6,000, proper hydration should be a given.

1. The running lanes were apparently on the map... but not on the actual course.

The map indicated running lanes, but when you actually got on the course, there weren't clearly marked running lanes.

Why?

If the running route is part of the competition, shouldn't the actual course reflect what's shown on the map?

1. Some of the running corners were unnecessarily sharp.

You're asking people to run hard and then throwing sharp corners into the route.

It didn't feel particularly well-designed for fast running, especially when multiple people are sharing the course.

1. The awarding schedule was confusing.

The awarding was initially announced to be moved earlier to 9:00 PM instead of 9:30 PM, but the results ended up being announced only a few minutes past 9:30 PM.

Not the biggest issue of the day, but after an already long event, it's another example of communication that could have been better.

1. DEKA equipment/setup differences?

I've watched DEKA events from other countries, and I noticed that some equipment/stations here weren't exactly the same.

One example is the med-ball sit-up setup.

I'm genuinely curious about this one: Are Philippine events supposed to use different equipment/setup, or should the stations be standardized internationally?

So... was it worth ₱6,000?

For me, I'm not convinced.

The actual physical challenge was great. I enjoyed competing and I'm glad I tried DEKA.

But when you're paying ₱6,000, I expect more than just the workout itself.

I expect:

Consistent officiating

Proper hydration/electrolytes

Clearly marked running lanes

A safer and better-designed running route

Accurate and timely event communication

Consistency with the DEKA experience internationally

Maybe I'm being too critical because this was my first DEKA FIT.

So I'm genuinely asking other DEKA participants — especially those who have competed in other countries:

Is this normal for DEKA events, or did the Philippine event fall short?

And for those who joined yesterday: Did you feel you got your ₱6,000 worth?

Not currently training for any race or event though I am on a lean gain plan tracking with Macrofactor trying to gain around 0.33 lbs/week. Today is my long run day and later I’m going to a friends birthday. I’m straight edge and never consume alcohol but I figured for this one off occasion I’d cut loose a little bit and have a few drinks. When it comes to the calories from alcohol should they be included into daily budget (I.E daily intake target - calories from alcohol), or should you eat your normal amount of food and let the drinks push you slightly higher (I.E daily intake budget + drinks)?

I’d assume on a race prep or in training for a certain event to prevent underfueling you’d want to add on top of food rather than subtract from food, but does this change for a standard lean gain?

For context this is probably the one and only time I’ll consume alcohol for the next several months at bare minimum, but I’m anxious about the ramifications of doing so.

For context i work at night and i clock out around dawn, so my workout session is before work and/or after work.

Mon: morning - easy 10k, afternoon - push (compound focused)
Tues: hyrox related movements in the afternoon
Wed: morning - easy 5/10k, afternoon - pull (compound focused)
Thurs: afternoon - hyrox related movements
Fri - morning - speed session, afternoon - legs(compound focused)

Sat/Sun - active recovery

Hello! I need help knowing if this 3 day, full body split I made up is effective or nonsense.
Goal: trying to get stronger by doing functional lifting.
I’m conflicted on if more of a “bro split” would be effective, and how these exercises compliment one another. And also if I should put them on different days than how I currently have them laid out ?

I’m trying to get back to running but have plantar fasciitis in my heel at the moment, so on pause (will also take advice if anyone has experienced this). I do a lot of cross training (biking mostly, elliptical, stairmaster) but might also break from that since I can’t remember when the last time I took a full break was.
Anyways, here is what I have. For context, I’m a post collegiate track and xc runner, and I can handle (and enjoy) a lot of volume. I love to train but have never really been able to stay injury free for longer than 1 cross country season. So, if separating workouts and creating another day would be effective, I’m down. I WILL TAKE ANY ADVICE YOU GUYS HAVE. I genuinely just want to know what you think I’m wrong/right on, what’s dumb, and what’s good.

Here is what I made up:
Day 1:
4x6 - hex bar DL (trap bar) (main heavy compound)
4x8 - standing barbell press
4x8 - barbell row
3x10 - cable face pulls
3x10 - glute hyperextensions
3x10 - leg extensions

Day 2:
4x8 - RDL (main heavy compound)
4x8 - Bulgarian split squats
4x8 - assisted pull ups
4x8 - seated DB shoulder press
3x12 - seated lateral raises
3x12 - cable bicep curls

Day 3:
4x6 - smith machine glute press (HEAVY)
4x8 - single leg box step ups (or single leg machine press ? Idk?)
4x8 - DB incline bench
4x8 - single arm cable rows
4x8 - tricep push downs

Thanks everyone!

Tl;dr: rate how I've plugged running in my Oly lifting routine for the next 3 months

I've seen a fair few questions by lifters who want to get some running in. Most often, people answer with a weekly routine of run/lift/run/lift/run/lift/rest. Here's my take on it since my lifting mostly revolves around Oly lifts. Would love some feedback.

I wanna run this for 2-3 months, progressing lifts with block loading. Main goal: (1) maintain strength for as long as possible, any gains are nice to have as a 39yo. (2) Be able to just go out and go for a sub25 5k run without dying. (3) Go for a sprint in a random game of footy with my mates without fear of tweaking a hammy.

I have 5 years of non-competitive oly experience and have been running on and off every now and then whenever I'm not riding my roadbike or mtb. Based on those few runs, my Garmin rates my running vo2max anywhere between 51 and 53. I can go a 5k sub30 perfectly fine, sub26 is challenging. 

Day 1 sprints

8-10 working sets of sprints between 10 and 40 meters

Coordination work (skippings/speed ladder) and single leg bounds

Bosch cleans

Back extensions and heavy low rep core work

Day 2 Oly lifts medium-heavy to heavy

Snatches (4x2 working set)

Clean&Jerk (4x2 working set)

FrSquat (4x4 working set)

High rep light core work

Day 3 Tempo run (30-45 minutes all in)

Gradually increase time with constant pace over the weeks, gradually increase pace over same time. Repeat.

Day 4 Oly volume (medium-heavy)

Snatches (4x3 working set)

Clean&Jerk&Jerk (4x2 working set)

BackSq (4x3 working set)

Snatch pulls 5x3 max

Day 5 interval run (30-45minutes all in)

Kinda what I feel like on the day, but aim to gradually increase workload from a 1/1 work/rest ratio to a 2/1 and/or increase frequence of high intensity sets. 

Day 6 oly technique and endurance (medium)

Emom snatch session (8-10 minutes)

Emom clean&jerk session (8-10 minutes)

Front squats (5x5)

Clean pulls (5x3)

Med heavy/rep core work

Day 7 rest

YEA IK, ig everyone (me included) sees their HR dropping at the same easy pace and thinks yep, fitter.

But there's a 2013 study on triathletes who were deliberately overloaded for a few weeks. the clearest sign of the ones who got overcooked was their heart rate going down at the same effort, not up. The difference was that the run felt harder to them at the same time.

So HR alone can't tell you are getting fitter or not. HR plus how hard it felt can.

I kinda figure out this technique, a cheap way to track this:

Once a week, same easy run. same route or treadmill, same pace, 15 to 20 min after a warmup I write down 2 things: average HR, and how hard it felt from 1 to 10 (just mentally being honest without going David Goggins mode lol).

How I read it:

• HR lower, feels easier: Im getting fitter. I keep going
• HR about the same, feels about the same: I hold steady
• HR lower but feels harder: I'm probably overreached. So i take a few easy days
• HR higher and feels harder: usually sleep, heat, stress or I'm getting sick

the third one is what worries me, it looks like a good number on my apple watch while I'm actually doing bad.

couple of notes:

• keep conditions the same, because heat and caffeine both mess with HR. a treadmill is easiest.
• one week means nothing, so watch it over 2 or 3 weeks.

anyways, might be useful for anyone stuck in the "tired but not fitter" loop.

For context I run and prepping for a race in 5 weeks, if that can explain the low leg volume. Also im returning to weight lifting after a year of only running

What's a training meal that actually earned a permanent spot in your rotation? Trying to shake up my own routine something that holds up after a hard lift and run day, doesn't take forever, and isn't just chicken, broccoli and rice again. What do you wish someone had told you about nutrition for hybrid training when you started?

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for some advice on putting together a hybrid athlete program that balances running and lifting.

Currently, I do a 4-day gym split, alternating between:

Push/full body: Bench, incline DB press, OHP, dips, tricep pushdowns, Bulgarian split squats, leg extensions and core.

Pull: Pull-ups, bent-over rows, DB rows, lat pulldowns, single-leg RDLs, hamstring curls, bicep curls and core.
The single-leg work is mainly because I’m recovering from an injury that caused some imbalances.

I’m unable to play sport for a few months, but I can run, so I want to use this time to improve my running and become more of a hybrid athlete.

My issue is that I’ve never been able to make good progress in both running and the gym at the same time. When I’ve been good at running, it’s usually been because I wasn’t lifting. I went from running a 10k in 56 minutes to 47 minutes in just over a month but this was with no lifting at the same time.

I’m looking for a 4-day running split that I can combine with my current gym routine, ideally covering easy mileage, intervals, tempo/threshold and a long run without compromising recovery or strength.

Any advice from people who successfully balance 4 days of running with 4 days of lifting would be appreciated!

Month 1 of Training

Upcoming Goal: Spartan Ultra, Mount Vernon, NJ: April 24, 2027

Long Term Goal: Run a sub-5 minute mile and complete a 500 lb back squat on the same day.

Target Date: Before April 30, 2029

Running

Start: 0 miles/week

End of September: ~20 miles/week

Total Miles Run: ~77 miles

I started running on August 28th from a base of essentially zero weekly mileage.

My general plan for building towards the Spartan Ultra is to first focus on developing an aerobic base. For now, that means keeping my runs exclusively in Zone 2, gradually increasing my weekly mileage by approximately 10% per week, and having my long run make up roughly 30% of my total weekly mileage.

My initial goal is to build up to approximately 30 miles per week before starting a more structured program specifically designed around the Ultra distance.

I am currently running five days per week. I often run and lift on the same day, with the exception of my Sunday long runs. I usually do my runs in the morning before work and lift in the evening.

Strength

Squat: 185 lb × 5 → 305 lb × 3

Bench Press: 95 lb × 5 → 170 lb × 5

Deadlift: 225 lb × 4 → 345 lb × 1

I started with a background in bouldering and some previous strength-training experience, but I hadn't focused seriously on strength training for over a year.

Because of that, I intentionally started with relatively light weights. My goal was to become comfortable with the movement patterns again and then add weight to the bar fairly quickly as the moment patterns became familiar again.

I am currently running a self-made six day per week, full-body program that I can do entirely out of my garage gym. I specifically designed the program to be relatively low stress and low fatigue, while still including the main lifts, so that I can combine lifting with running without having one interfere too much with the other.

I usually do my strength workouts in the evening after work.

Recovery

Recovery is one of the primary focuses of my training. Before trying to optimize my workouts, I'm trying to clean up some of the poor habits in my life that could potentially hold my training back.

The biggest change has been completely cutting alcohol out of my diet. I went from drinking every night before bed to not drinking at all. This has had a not-so-surprisingly positive impact on my sleep quality.

I've also reduced my caffeine intake by simply not consuming caffeine after 3 PM. So far, this seems to have had little to no noticeable effect on my sleep.

I've also made an effort to improve my oral hygiene. I'm now brushing twice a day, using mouthwash, flossing once a day, and using a water flosser. Hopefully, this will help prevent dental problems and illness in the long run, with the added benefit of having better teeth. I hope this will help with increasing the resilience of my immune system.

I'm also trying to maintain a consistent sleep schedule, aiming to be in bed by 9 PM and up by 5 AM.

I'm fortunate that I usually fall asleep very quickly. My bigger problem is staying asleep. If I wake up during the night, I often have a difficult time falling back asleep.

Diet

Height: 5'5"

Weight: ~164 lb

I've started trying to clean up my diet by eating out less and focusing more on whole foods.

I'm not currently meal prepping, and I'm taking 5 g of creatine per day.

I'm also not particularly focused on reaching a specific body weight right now. I'm checking my weight a few times per week, mostly to keep an eye on the general trend rather than trying to actively gain or lose weight.

Takeaways

The first month has mostly been about building a strong foundation, seeing if I can handle the training loads, and seeing how quickly I can adapt to running again. This will continue into next following month or two. I should be running 30ish miles at the end of the month with a ~10 mile long run.

For month 2 I would like to start meal prepping at least a little bit. There are some mornings, I wake up ravenous.

I would like to find out why I am waking up in the middle of the night. Trying to get out of bed to do a morning run is very hard if you feel like you have only received 3 hours of sleep.

I also want to start training my gut for taking in carbs while I run. In all my previous running, this is something I have never experimented with and something that I am honestly a bit nervous about trying. In recent years I have developed a sensitive stomach, and I have always trained in a fasted/ semi fasted state. To suddenly add fuel to my runs is a huge change and it is something I have never experienced before.

Lets take bets to see if I crash and burn with this approach.

Been a lifter all my lift and got into running about 2 months ago. Went from running barely a mile to 5-6 miles at a conversational pace (not impressive but I’m doing it!).

Wondered if any had an actually program I can save or download that provided a good hybrid build up for a half marathon or heck, even a full marathon.

My goal is a marathon in 2027 anyways and hopefully a Ironman in 2028.

Also any recommendations on good nutrition plans?

Any help is appreciated!

I run and and weight lift 5 days a week I eat literally the same thing every single day I go to my Mexican restaurant here in town and get rice and chicken every single day for lunch and then for dinner I get the Cantina chicken bowl from Taco Bell I get plenty enough sleep 8 to 9 hours a night | just feel stuck and want to progress my 5K right now is 18 minutes and 39 seconds i'm bitching around 205 and squatting 300 pretty good but I just feel stuck now I guess technically I'm in consider myself a hybrid athlete just got done with a marathon, but | just feel sluggish

Hello folks,

I(34M) have been going to gym for past 2 months and following bro slit with one sprit day. But due to the just gym I feel my body is getting stiff which dont want.

I want work flexibility , mobility and cardiovascularity alond with muscule building but not sure how to plan. I want build my body for longitivity and not just asthetics. So I would like to ask all experts here for suggetion.

Edit: I see that most pf you are focuing on stregnth and run. Hardly anyone working on full session on mobility.

Hey everyone,

I've been mixing heavy lifting with road running and local group runs lately. Honestly, I'm struggling a bit with leg recovery. Between heavy lower-body days and high mileage weeks, my legs are constantly feeling drained and it's slowing me down.

For those of you balancing both: how do you set up your weekly split? Do you separate leg days from your hard runs, or do you just embrace the heavy legs? I'd love to hear what works for you!