Rethink your training
Hello all.
I know that I’m a bit late on this one. Last-minute Christmas prep is in full swing around my house, and that has been keeping me busy.
But, before I get into the full issue today, I wanted to be upfront with you all.
While I truly believe that My Philosophy of a “Well-rounded and balanced lifestyle” represents the best way to lead a fulfilling life, I will never claim to live it perfectly.
In fact, to be completely transparent with you all, I had been going to the gym and working out consistently this entire year.
Until the end of September.
I spent some time in Arizona for a few weeks, fell out of my rhythm, and never recovered.
I’ve spent the last few months putting it off, letting my diet slip, and just flat-out not making my health a priority.
For reasons that I haven’t yet worked out in my head or in my journal, I couldn’t muster the discipline or motivation to make it happen.
But after spending some time in thought and reflection while I was in Oregon last week, I resolved to fix it before January.
(I don’t want to be part of the “new year, new me” crew, mainly, along with needing some momentum to start the year off right.)
Even if I can’t figure out why my health became less of a priority than it had been the rest of the year, I can’t afford to keep putting it off.
No matter if I’m motivated or not, I need to act. That’s the discipline of it all.
With my mind made up, I decided to start a new training regiment on Monday. This is a regiment that I have been wanting to try for a while now. It doesn’t solely consist of strength training or solely cardio.
It is a mix of both, called hybrid training. The goal of training hybrid is to get some sort of functional level of fitness. To look jacked, but also be able to run a marathon.
(That sounds well-rounded to me, and falls in line nicely with my philosophy.)
I’ve come to see that getting back on track with my health doesn’t mean I have to pick just one type of workout. It’s about finding a balance that works for me. That’s why I’m looking forward to this new training plan. It combines strength and cardio, which is exactly what I need.
It’s not about being the best at one thing or narrowing your focus so much that everything else falls to the side. It’s about being flexible, capable, and well-rounded.
That philosophy shows up in everything I do—how I try to work, how I try to create, and how I try to live. And when it comes to fitness, nothing captures that idea better than hybrid training.
Hybrid training is simple at its core. It’s the combination of strength training and cardio, practiced together, instead of choosing one and ignoring the other. It’s about building a body that’s as strong as it is enduring, as capable of running a 10K as it is of deadlifting twice your body weight. It’s not a new concept, but it’s one that doesn’t get enough attention. Most people are told to pick a lane—either you’re a lifter, or you’re a runner. Either you’re chasing strength, or you’re chasing endurance.
Hybrid training says you don’t have to choose. You can have both.
That’s what makes it such a perfect reflection of a well-rounded life. It’s not about extremes or absolutes. It’s about balance. It’s about versatility. And it’s about being ready for anything.
The Problem with Specialization
Specialization is tempting. It’s clean and straightforward. If you only focus on one thing, you can pour all your energy into it. You can chase numbers on a barbell or faster splits on a track. You can build your identity around that one thing. That’s what the fitness world often pushes—the idea that you need to be all-in on one discipline to see results.
But here’s the thing: specialization comes at a cost.
If all you do is lift, you might be strong, but you’ll probably gas out walking up a few flights of stairs.
If all you do is run, you might have endurance, but you’ll lack the strength to pick up heavy objects or protect your body from injury.
Specialization narrows your capabilities.
It makes you great in one area but leaves you lacking in others.
That’s not how I want to live and train. I want to be able to adapt to whatever life throws at me. I want to feel confident in my body’s ability to handle different challenges, whether that’s running a long distance, lifting something heavy, or just keeping up with the demands of everyday life.
Hybrid training gives you that. It builds a body that’s functional, durable, and versatile.
The Physical Benefits of Hybrid Training
From a purely physical standpoint, hybrid training is hard to beat. By combining strength and cardio, you’re training your body in two very different but complementary ways.
Strength training builds muscle, strengthens your bones, and improves your overall power. It’s the foundation of physical resilience. When you lift weights, you’re not just building strength—you’re protecting your body from injuries, improving your posture, and making everyday tasks easier. Strength training gives you the ability to move through life with confidence.
Cardio, on the other hand, improves your heart health, boosts your endurance, and increases your energy. It’s what keeps you going when life demands more from you. A strong heart and lungs mean you can recover faster, handle stress better, and have the stamina to keep pushing when things get tough.
For the longest time, I have hated any sort of cardio work. I’ve told myself that I’m not, nor will ever be, a runner.
That was until recently. I need the endurance that cardio and running provide. I want the benefits of it on my health. I know that it will suck, but maybe if I’m following a structured plan to get better, then who knows, maybe I’ll come to love it.
Anyway.
When you combine the two, you get the best of both worlds. You build strength without sacrificing endurance. You improve your endurance without losing power. Your body becomes more balanced, more capable, and more prepared for anything.
The Mental Benefits of Hybrid Training
Hybrid training isn’t just good for the body; I think that it has the potential to be great for the mind too. There’s something about balancing two different disciplines that change the way you think about fitness—and about life.
When I think about training for strength and endurance at the same time, I see how it could push me in different ways. One day, I could be lifting heavy weights, focusing on precision and power. The next day, I could be running long distances, finding my rhythm, and testing my stamina.
It sounds interesting. Like a way to step outside my comfort zone and embrace variety.
That sort of variety could teach me patience. I know that progress doesn’t always come quickly, especially when I’m balancing competing goals.
It might force me to focus on the process instead of the outcome.
I’d probably stop obsessing over specific numbers—how much I can lift or how fast I can run—and start appreciating the journey of becoming more well-rounded. I can see how that mindset could carry over into other areas of life. I’d likely become more adaptable, more open to challenges, and more willing to embrace the unknown.
I also think hybrid training could help build mental toughness. Balancing strength and cardio won’t be easy. It will take discipline and consistency. Some days, I might feel heavy-legged from a long run, but I’ll still need to show up and squat.
Other days, I might be sore from lifting but still have to lace up my shoes and hit the road. That kind of resilience will build grit. It will teach me to keep going even when things feel hard.
And that’s a skill that could translate far beyond the gym.
Why Hybrid Training Reflects a Well-Rounded Life
The reason I’m drawn to hybrid training is that it seems to mirror the way I want to live my life. It’s not about perfection or extremes. It’s about finding balance. It’s about being versatile and adaptable. It’s about refusing to let myself be boxed into one category.
Hybrid training feels like an antidote to a world that constantly pushes specialization. I don’t have to choose between strength and endurance, just like I don’t have to choose between being creative and being practical, or between chasing success and enjoying the journey.
I can have both. I can be both.
That’s why I think hybrid training is a powerful approach to health.
It’s not just about building a better body; it’s about building a better mindset. It’s about embracing variety, staying open to new challenges, and becoming the most capable version of myself. It’s about living a life that’s balanced, adaptable, and full of possibility.
When I start training this way, I’ll be building a foundation that allows me to handle whatever comes my way. And in the end, that’s what it’s all about—being ready for anything and living fully in the process.
I think that this will be fun. I’m going to get myself out of my little rut and try something new that also falls in line with my philosophy.
If you wanna give it a shot, you can download the plan that I developed below.
If you do end up giving it a try, please let me know what you think! I’d love to hear your thoughts on this approach.
If not, I’ll talk to you next week.
Talk soon, much love.
-H