How to Track Progress in Hybrid Training: Strength, Endurance, or Both?

As a coach working with hybrid athletes — people who want to be strong and have great endurance — I’ve learned that progress tracking is one of the most misunderstood parts of hybrid training. Some athletes focus only on their lifting numbers, others only on their running times, and many end up overwhelmed trying to track everything at once.

Here’s my approach to tracking hybrid training progress effectively, based on both coaching experience and my own training.

1. Keep Metrics Simple

For strength, I recommend sticking to a few core lifts that give a clear picture of progress:

• Back Squat

• Deadlift

• Bench Press

• Weighted Pull-Up

Decide whether you care more about absolute maximum strength (1RM) or submaximal sets like a 5RM. Personally, I recommend 1RM testing for hybrid athletes because it gives a true measure of peak force output — and hybrid training is about excelling across the full spectrum.

2. Match Endurance Metrics to Your Goals

Endurance tracking is more complex because it depends on the distance or event you’re targeting:

• Long-distance focus (e.g., marathon or ultramarathon)

• VO₂ max–type distances (3K–10K)

• Anaerobic capacity–focused targets (e.g., sub-5-minute mile)

Pick endurance metrics that match your primary goal. One underrated option for hybrid athletes is tracking pace at a fixed heart rate.Example: run 10 km at 6:00/km, measure average heart rate, and repeat under similar conditions. If your average heart rate drops, your aerobic capacity has improved.

3. One Log for Everything

Don’t overcomplicate it — use a single training log for both strength and endurance. After each session, record exactly what the program asked for:

• Strength: load, sets, reps, and RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion)

• Endurance: distance, pace, average heart rate, and RPE

This approach keeps hybrid training data in one place, making it easier to spot long-term trends.

4. Don’t Max Out Too Often

Max testing is taxing, both physically and mentally. For both strength and endurance, I don’t recommend testing more than every 2–3 months.

• Strength: nervous system fatigue can linger for a week after a true 1RM attempt.

• Endurance: events like a marathon can disrupt training for weeks.

When testing max strength, you should reach the point where you fail a lift — that’s the true maximum. If you don’t want to test, use RPE tracking instead.

5. Using RPE for Tracking Progress

RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) is a 1–10 scale for effort.Example: you squat 150 kg × 5 reps at RPE 7. A month later, you repeat the same weight and reps at RPE 5. That’s progress — more reps in the tank.

6. Expect Performance Fluctuations

Performance naturally varies. A good hybrid training program anticipates this — for example, a heavy posterior chain session the day before a threshold run will raise the RPE for that run. Anticipating these effects prevents frustration.

7. Technology Is a Great Tool but a Poor Master

Nighttime heart rate and HRV (Heart Rate Variability) are valuable recovery indicators:

• Resting heart rate: benchmark during a fully rested state. If it’s consistently 10–15% above baseline, you may be under too much stress and it’s time to take a rest day or two.

• HRV: know your baseline and try to keep it within range. Big drops usually mean poor recovery or illness.

Always trust your gut feeling first, and then confirm with data. I have a habit of asking myself: How did I sleep? before checking the scores. If I’ve had poor sleep, I avoid looking at the data until later to ensure the numbers don’t define how I feel.

8. Balancing Strength and Endurance Performance

The interference effect in hybrid training is real — improving one quality can temporarily reduce the other. I aim to keep performance in the “off” quality within 90% of peak.Example: If my back squat max is 180 kg, during an endurance block I’ll still squat ~162 kg for low volume to maintain strength.

9. Avoid the Biggest Tracking Mistake

The most common error hybrid athletes make is trying to progress everything at once — heavier lifts, faster paces, longer distances — all in the same block. This leads to overtraining. Focus on one primary goal at a time, while maintaining the other quality. Rotate focus over weeks, not days.

Example: If my back squat max is 180 kg, during an endurance block I’ll still squat ~162 kg for low volume to maintain strength. Then, when it’s time to get strong again, I ease off on endurance metrics.

Bottom line:Tracking both strength and endurance is essential for hybrid athletes, but it doesn’t need to be complicated. Pick clear metrics, record them consistently, test sparingly, and keep your goals in focus. Over time, the combination of data and self-awareness will give you the clearest picture of real progress.