When it comes to nutrition and training...talking about what's optimal is always fun, but making it practical changes lives. On this show we'll dive deep on all things training, nutrition, and mindset optimization while making sure to drive home the practical and applicable side of things.
-JL
292: Alex Thieme - Motivation, identity & building better habits
Host Jordan Lips interviews coach Alex Thieme about building sustainable habits through environmental optimization and self-belief, offering practical strategies for lasting behavior change.
14 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT
291: Alec Blenis - Hybrid training, movement optimism & the truth about “perfect form”
Episode Description
In this episode, I sit down with hybrid coach and athlete Alec Blenis to break down what it really means to train for both performance and longevity. We dive into his goal of running a sub-2:30 marathon while maintaining strength, the biggest mistakes people make with running volume, and why “perfect form” might actually be limiting your progress.
We also unpack the concept of movement optimism, why pain doesn’t always mean stop, and how the fitness industry has unintentionally made people more fragile. If you’ve ever worried about technique, injury, or balancing lifting with endurance training, this one will shift how you think about it.
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Guest
Alec Blenis is a hybrid coach and athlete specializing in combining endurance and strength training. He’s been coaching for over a decade and is currently documenting his pursuit of a sub-2:30 marathon while maintaining gym performance.
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What We Cover
0:00 – Intro + hybrid training misconceptions
2:00 – Alec’s background and coaching journey
5:00 – Why Austin is a hub for hybrid athletes
8:20 – The sub-2:30 marathon goal + recent 2:40 PR
11:00 – Overcooking training + bouncing back after a DNF
13:30 – Increasing mileage from ~40 → 70+ miles/week
17:00 – Why the “10% rule” for running is flawed
20:00 – Quality vs quantity in endurance training
23:30 – Why most runners get injured (not overtrained)
26:00 – What “movement optimism” actually means
28:00 – How the fitness industry creates fear around movement
30:30 – Pain during training: should you stop or keep going?
33:00 – Pain monitoring system (practical framework)
38:00 – Why you shouldn’t catastrophize minor injuries
40:00 – When to rest vs when to load
41:30 – “Weird” exercises (Jefferson curls, knees over toes)
44:00 – Risk vs reward in training
48:00 – Is any movement inherently dangerous?
49:30 – RDLs, lumbar flexion, and technique nuance
53:00 – Why technique must be viewed across the full program
56:00 – The problem with chasing “perfect form”
58:00 – Individual anatomy and why cues don’t work for everyone
1:00:00 – What actually matters for hypertrophy and progress
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Connect with Alec
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alecblenis/ (https://www.instagram.com/alecblenis/)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/alecblenis (https://www.youtube.com/c/alecblenis)
7 Apr 2026
290: Bryan Boorstein - Does your training split actually matter?
Does your training split actually matter… or are we overthinking it? In this episode, Jordan and Bryan break down the bro split debate, why most training roads lead to the same place, and what actually drives long-term progress. They also dive into the “bulking is dead” conversation, range of motion nuances, and why chasing perfection might be holding you back more than helping.
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Guest 👇🏼
Bryan Boorstein is a coach and founder of Evolved Training Systems as well as the co-founder of Paragon Training. He is known for his practical, experience-driven approach to strength and hypertrophy.
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What We Cover👇🏼
0:00 – Intro + catching up
3:00 – The return of the bro split and why it still works
7:30 – Do different training splits actually lead to different results?
10:00 – Frequency vs volume vs sustainability
15:00 – What people obsess over vs what actually matters
18:00 – The “bulking is dead” debate explained
22:00 – Why a small surplus still matters in practice
26:00 – The most practical way to think about gaining muscle
27:00 – Range of motion: general vs muscle-specific training
30:00 – Squat depth, internal rotation, and quad targeting
34:00 – How much technique cueing actually matters
37:00 – “Analysis paralysis” in training execution
38:00 – The case for being a fitness generalist
43:00 – Strength training vs mobility (and why the line is blurry)
48:00 – What mobility training actually looks like in practice
52:00 – Kids and lifting: how to approach it the right way
57:00 – Letting kids lead vs forcing structure
1:00:00 – Final takeaways on range of motion and training balance
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Connect with Bryan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bryanboorstein/ (https://www.instagram.com/bryanboorstein/)
Connect with Jordan👇🏼
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanlipsfitness/ (https://www.instagram.com/jordanlipsfitness/)
WOMP Coaching: https://marketplace.trainheroic.com/workout-plan/team/womp-gym-home-bundle?attrib=548099-ig (https://marketplace.trainheroic.com/workout-plan/team/womp-gym-home-bundle?attrib=548099-ig)
Inside a recent episode
292: Alex Thieme - Motivation, identity & building better habits
Published 11 May 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] It was funny as I'm trying to wreck my brain and it's really hard for me to isolate like one specific repeating question question type format anything like that because it's it it almost just flows so well that I feel at my most creative when I'm having those conversations and I'm not reading from any kind of template I don't have this you know motivational interviewing has like these question types right and like I've studied it I take extensive notes anytime I read a book or listen to a podcast. […]
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