s5/e27 (RE-RUN) Your Hybrid Training Crash Course with Dr. Alyssa Olenick, PhD
The Running Explained Podcast
Running Explained
4.6 • 534 Ratings
🗓️ 14 August 2025
⏱️ 92 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
We’re back with another fantastic re-run featuring the powerhouse herself, exercise physiologist and hybrid athlete Dr. Alyssa Olenick (@doclyssfitness)!
Hybrid training isn't just about picking between strength or endurance – it's about embracing BOTH for both health and performance goals. Dr. Olenick breaks down the interference effect, explains the shifting application of training intensity, and goes through hybrid training in the off-season all the way through your pre-race taper PLUS many more insights and educational tidbits along the way!
What You'll Learn:
- What hybrid (or concurrent) training is and how it blends strength and endurance for optimal fitness.
- How to manage the "interference effect" and fatigue when training for multiple goals.
- Why strength training is essential for runners for both performance and injury prevention.
- How to approach fitness with curiosity, NOT perfection.
- The importance of seasonal training and post-race recovery for long-term health and performance.
- Why group fitness classes can support your goals but shouldn’t replace focused strength or endurance work.
Chapters:
(00:00) Introduction to Hybrid Training
(03:48) Defining Hybrid Training
(11:35) Understanding the Interference Effect
(20:30) Training Tolerance and Goal Setting
(23:54) Benefits of Hybrid Training
(29:59) The Importance of Strength Training for Runners
(35:42) Overcoming the Fear of Lifting
(44:23) Building Confidence in Strength Training
(45:14) Embracing Imperfection in Training
(46:47) The Role of Group Fitness Classes
(51:30) Understanding Hybrid Training
(55:25) Balancing Running and Lifting
(01:00:06) The Importance of Recovery
(01:04:58) Long-Term Fitness Perspectives
(01:09:42) The Process Over Perfection
(01:16:11) Finding Joy in the Journey
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Meet Alyssa
Dr. Alyssa Olenick is an Exercise Physiologist, sports nutritionist, weight lifter, and ultra runner. She is known for her high energy and sassy approach to bringing science to your training in a no-nonsense way. Alyssa has helped thousands of women crush big lifting goals, cross race finish lines, or even do both.
www.doclyssfitness.com
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey listeners, Nick Lestava here, head of one-on-one coaching at Running Explained. |
| 0:04.0 | Wanted to let you know there's no new episode of the Running Explained podcast this week. Instead, we're going to have a rerun of an amazing episode with Dr. Alyssa Lennick. I really hope you enjoy it. Have a great day. Welcome to the Running Explained podcast. I'm your host, Coach Elizabeth. When I started running at the age of 29, I had so many questions |
| 0:22.5 | and what felt like nowhere to turn to for answers. So now I'm here to answer all your questions |
| 0:27.2 | about running and running adjacent topics to help you become a better, smarter, or knowledgeable |
| 0:32.5 | runner. Whether you're brand new or you've been doing this for a while, there's always more we can |
| 0:37.4 | learn about running. And now, there's always more we can learn |
| 0:37.6 | about running. And now, let's get started. My guest this week is the person that I go to for |
| 0:43.9 | hybrid athlete training, and that is Dr. Alyssa Olenek, aka Docless Fitness. You may have heard |
| 0:50.0 | of her, and if not, you should probably be following her because her education, her information, |
| 0:53.9 | her training is top notch. Dr. Alyssa Alenic is an exercise physiologist. She is an ultra |
| 1:00.3 | endurance athlete. She is a weightlifter. She is such a fabulous guest to have on for this topic |
| 1:06.2 | about hybrid training. What does it mean to train in a hybrid fashion? What does it mean to be a hybrid |
| 1:12.3 | athlete? And should you be one? All that and more in this absolutely jam-packed episode. Please |
| 1:20.2 | enjoy. Dr. Alyssa Alanick, welcome back to the show. I'm excited to have you here again. |
| 1:26.3 | I know. Welcome. Welcome. Again. I think it's been three, two. It's been a while, which is, I mean, we're in the same sphere. So you and I interact relatively frequently, but we haven't done this so while. So it's very exciting. No, it's been a few years. I'm happy to be back. So if people haven't had a chance to get to know you, go |
| 1:45.4 | ahead and just briefly tell us who are you? Yeah, the Cliff Notes version. I am Alyssa Lennick. |
| 1:51.8 | I have a PhD in exercise physiology. I am currently wrapping up postdoc in metabolism and |
| 1:58.6 | female physiology. If you listen to my first ever interview, I think |
| 2:01.6 | it was right as I was finishing my PhD. So it was like two years ago. You were PhD. We talked C when we |
| 2:06.3 | did that. See. Yeah. I was, I think it was like right before I defended. We talked about all things |
| 2:11.5 | menstrual cycle and performance and training. And so a lot of my research training and all that stuff is in |
| 2:16.9 | female phys, |
... |
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