Episode 21: If I Had to Start Hybrid Training Again, I’d Do This

If I had to start hybrid training from scratch — lifting and running — this is exactly what I’d do differently.

Most people overcomplicate it early.

They chase pace too soon, keep lifting like nothing’s changed, ignore recovery… and end up injured, burnt out, or inconsistent.

In this episode, I break down the simple changes that actually matter when you’re starting out — especially if you want to lift heavy and run without it falling apart.

We cover:

- Why proper running shoes from day one matter more than you think
- How to adjust your lifting to support your running
- Why less volume (but high intensity) works better
- Running on grass vs concrete and managing impact
- The importance of proper running gear (especially for bigger athletes)
- How to make running more enjoyable so you actually stick to it
- Why pace doesn’t matter early on
- How bodyweight affects performance and efficiency

If you’re starting hybrid training — or feel like you’ve been doing it wrong — this will save you a lot of time.

LINKS

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Programs (5K / 10K / 21K):

https://liftheavyrunfast.myshopify.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/hybridcoachmike/

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https://www.tiktok.com/@hybridcoachmike

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@hybridcoachmike

Podcast (Spotify):

https://open.spotify.com/show/1RBMi9U6tJECkkdpW54B7N

Lift Heavy, Run Fast Podcast Intro

Transcript

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What's going on, everyone? Welcome back to another episode of Lift Heavy Run Fast Podcast. I'm your host, hybrid coach Mike, and today we're going to be doing episode 21, which is if I had to start hybrid training again, I'd do this. Or this is what I'd do if I had to start hybrid training again. I haven't decided on the title, I just kind of set it as on the fly. So anyway, let's dive into some of the things that I do if I had to start hybrid training again. And if you're someone that is new to this or you have friends or family or whatever, your sibling or partner is getting into hybrid training now and they need help. These some of these pointers you might find like a quite useful, some of them you might not, but like for some people, like these are things that I wish I didn't do, but you know, I I've done now. So they're interesting. You'll probably get some of something out of this. So the first thing is gonna be just get proper running shoes from day one. Don't fuck around with your running shoes. Just get they don't need to be anything special. Don't go get a pair of race shoes that are 400 bucks or 500 bucks, whatever they are nowadays. Get a comfortable pair of running shoes that don't hurt you, and just use them and use the shit out of them for the first three to six months. You only need one pair of shoes when you first start. When you kind of get a little bit more into it later down the track, you'll realize that there's different shoes for different types of runs. Some shoes you can go a little bit faster in, some shoes you'll do kind of like your slower recovery runs in. There's all different types. The main thing is in the beginning, get a pair of shoes that is comfortable and that you can run in regularly because you want to make the job as easy as possible. The next thing that I will say is getting proper running clothes, shorts, tights, whatever it is, can also go a long way. Running in regular cotton shirts, you'll realize after a period of time you can wait training them, but when you're trying to run in them and you get super sweaty, particularly when it's summer, it can get really uncomfortable. And the difference between proper running clothes and clothes that you might be able to wear in the gym, you'll find is a little bit different. I'm not gonna get into the science behind uh fabric and why you should use particular fabrics, fabrics to train and whatever, just from my own experience as someone that's gotten a few rashes in their time, chafing, um, you know, a bit of trial and error, had to cut a few runs short because things were bleeding where they shouldn't. I'm not gonna get into it, but long story short, getting proper clothes that can help you uh run better or at least make you feel more comfortable when you run can go a long way, and they don't need to be expensive, just have a look out there, get a proper pair of running shorts or tights, get a proper running shirt because it can go a long way in terms of helping you just feel more comfortable when you train. Anyway, uh next thing in the gym, I recommend lowering your gym volume. So if you were doing four to five gym sessions a week, you probably want to lower that down to maybe four or three gym sessions a week. If you still want to be strong and jacked, I I'm not saying reduce it completely, but lowering it down can go a long way. So you want to do a slight reduction, and the purpose of that reduction is to manage the fatigue that you're now gonna build or feel when you start running. Because in the in the beginning, running is probably gonna feel like shit. It's probably not gonna be the best thing that you're gonna do. You're gonna feel quite tired, it's gonna fatigue you quite a lot. But I have a feeling that if and when you do that, if you can reduce your lifting volume a little bit, you'll make it a little bit easier on yourself. Still go in the gym and have hard sessions, but don't have the same expectation that you're gonna be able to do four or five gym sessions every week and then you know just all of a sudden start running two, three, whatever it is, times per week and assume you're gonna feel great. You will feel quite sore after your first few runs. After your first month or two of running, you will feel quite sore because as the volume increases, your body is gonna adapt and it's gonna fatigue and you're gonna feel tired. So reduce your gym volume a little bit. It's gonna make sure that you can still hit the gym stuff hard and still run as needed. It's also gonna mean that you just need to be a little bit more intentional about your exercise selection, weights you're using, and all that kind of stuff in the when it comes to what you're doing in the gym as well. Like if you still want to maintain muscle, do a few more isolation exercises, don't worry about some of the bullshit fluff exercises that you're doing. And when you do those three to six sets of whatever muscle group it is you're trying to hit, just make sure you do them hard and there's intent behind them, you're not fucking around. Okay, really, you want your gym sessions to be as efficient as possible and you want your runs to feel as efficient as possible because in the beginning you're gonna find this type of training quite hard, quite tiring, and fatiguing. I reckon as well. If I could go back in time, I would do even more of my running on grass and not just on concrete. When I first started, I was about 103 kilos, I think, or 104, 103, I don't remember exactly. And I found when I ran on concrete, my legs were fucking on fire. Like they were well and truly lit up, like my shins felt like they were gonna explode. I don't think it was shin splints, but whatever was going on in my shin calf area just felt like there was blood supply that was not getting out of my legs, and they felt like they were gonna pop. That's me. I know other people have had that issue. Other people just get like ankle soreness or whatever. Running on grass can help a lot, or at least running on grass once a week out of your two runs that you're doing, or whatever it is. Just one of your runs should be or can be on grass, and you might feel it's a lot more um easier on the legs, glass grass is a lot more forgiving on your lower body, the impact is a little bit less, it feels a little bit more comfortable. It's nice to run slow on, okay. Um, you may not be that heavy and may not have that problem where you don't have any issues with concrete, but you will find that running on grass, particularly in the beginning, can just make running a whole lot more uh comfortable for you. And I did find when I was running on grass, I was always far less fatigued in my lower body after those sessions. In the beginning, right, the thing that's probably going to limit you the most in terms of your running performance or the amount of time you can run is usually actually not people's fitness. Most people have a 30-minute run in them, right? Most people are able to run 30 minutes unless they've come from an extremely sedentary lifestyle. Most people are able to run for 30 minutes, not fast, like you could be running at nine or 10 minute pace, whatever that is for you. You will probably be able to do it, but the thing is, it's tissue tolerance that usually impacts people the most. It's normally the soreness in their lower legs, a foot soreness, my knees sore, all of those kind of things are usually things that limit you more than your aerobic or cardiovascular fitness does. Most people are able to run for at least 30 minutes at a time, even if it's super slow, but it's being able to spend that time on your legs without them feeling like they're blowing up or your lower back hurting or whatever it is that normally limits you first. So running on grass can be good for that. Next thing uh running new places. If you're new to running, running in new places can make it a lot easier for you to enjoy the process because it might not be that enjoyable in the beginning. A great way to socialize with your friends and get other people involved, and also just give you something to look forward to. Like I didn't do this much, so I generally ran in the same places all the time because I was always on a schedule where I had clients before and after my runs or whatever it was. So I was the kind of person that would be like, okay, I've got an hour to run, I'm gonna go for my 30-minute run now, go to that park, come back, shower, go to my client, or whatever it was that I had to do. I'm probably still like that right now. I'm a creature of habit, I don't really change where I run very often. However, if I could and if I had the time to do it or if I had more friends, I don't know. I would probably run in different places more often, and I highly recommend you do it. It can make the process a lot more enjoyable. And if you're someone that is still looking for that buy-in, that uh you know, that that conviction to make running part of your lifestyle or convince yourself to do it more frequently, I think that uh running in new places is a great way to do that because there's something really nice about you know waking up in the morning, going somewhere to do a to do a run with your friends or going somewhere new near the beach or whatever it is, and then starting your day off nice. It it's a very positive experience overall. So, running in new places is a great way to do that. Next thing, don't stress about your pace, and honestly, don't fucking even worry about your pace in the beginning, don't look at it, like just run. And I recommend just running slow. And if you feel like running fast, run fast. Who cares? Don't worry about your pace. I don't even recommend following a program to be honest in the beginning for a lot of people. Um, one, it can take the enjoyment out of it, two, you're gonna improve regardless of what you do. If you have come from literally doing no cardio at all for most people, you are pretty much gonna improve regardless of what pace you run, uh, the distance you run or whatever. The key thing is the frequency, like you want to run if you're new to running, you know, once or twice a week is a great point to start, and then just work on building up the amount of time on your legs during that that run or those runs. So if you're running for 10 minutes today, next week try run for 11 or 12, the week after, try run for 14. Do that long enough, okay, and your fitness is gonna improve regardless of what pace you do that at. The key thing is that you're doing it continuously, you're doing it frequently, and you're consistent as fuck. Don't drop the ball and not run one week and then wonder why you feel like shit the next week. You really have to run frequently, do it every week, twice a week. Whatever you decide you're gonna do, just stick to it and do it, okay, because that's the main thing. So obviously consistency is key, but also don't worry about what pace you're running at. If you feel like running fast one day, your legs feel good, do it. If you feel like running slow because your legs don't feel great, you can also do that. Both answers are correct, in my opinion. Just do the thing is the main thing here. Next thing, and I as I mentioned when I started running, I was about 103 kilos or so. Uh, if you are someone that needs to lose weight, running is a great way to help you kickstart that kind of weight loss journey. I lost quite a bit of weight in the beginning, and I think I got down to about 96 kilos in my first six to eight, my first six months of running roughly. And I think for a lot of people, losing weight is a great way in order to just make the running experience one easier, improve your fitness fast. And I'm not saying you need to do it, I'm not saying you're fat if you if you choose not to, that that's that's okay. But if you decide that you really want to continue running and you want to push this thing, or maybe you want to sign up for a race or whatever it is, and you are a bit on the heavier side, you would know yourself if you feel that way. Trying to lose that little bit of weight early on can go a long way, and it'll make your running experience much easier. Um, and again, how to lose weight. I've done literally the first the last two podcasts were touched on this a little bit, but a bit of a calorie deficit, all that kind of stuff, can help a lot. Um, yeah, it'll it'll help you a lot. You'll find your performance feels way better and the runs feel way easier. Anyway, I think that's everything that I could think of when I did this episode or when I did the notes for this. If anything else pops into my head, I might mention it at a later time. But as always, if you need help starting running, or you're a beginner, you're someone that wants to get faster, whatever it is, contact me for coaching. I've got online coaching sports available for anyone, anywhere in the world. All you need to do is reach out. I'll do all the thinking for your lifting and running program. All you have to do is follow the pan, follow the plan, and we will be successful together. Thanks again for listening. Like, comment, subscribe. Do whatever you gotta do wherever you're listening. Share it with your grandmother. I know she's listening and I know she loves me. I'll see you guys next time. Lift heavy, run fast.