How to Eat for Hybrid Training in 2026: The Complete Nutrition Guide for Athletes Who Run and Lift

You have got the training dialled in. Runs on the schedule, strength sessions locked, maybe even a HYROX or marathon on the horizon. But if your nutrition still looks like it did when you were only lifting, or only running, you are leaving performance on the table.

Hybrid training places a unique demand on your body. You are asking it to build and maintain muscle while also developing aerobic capacity, clearing metabolic fatigue from interval work, and recovering from the cumulative impact of high weekly training volume. That requires a different approach to eating than what most fitness content will tell you.

This guide breaks down exactly how to eat when you are running and lifting in the same week, the same day, and across different training phases. No filler, no generic advice. Just the practical nutrition framework that Edge coaches use with athletes training across multiple disciplines.

Why Hybrid Athletes Need Different Nutrition

If you only lifted weights, your nutrition would centre around protein and a modest calorie surplus. If you only ran, carbohydrates and total energy intake would dominate. Hybrid athletes need to do both, and that creates a tension that most generic nutrition advice fails to address.

The core challenge is what coaches call the hybrid tax. Training across multiple energy systems increases your total daily energy expenditure significantly. A typical hybrid training week involving four strength sessions and three to four runs can burn anywhere from 3,000 to 4,500 calories per day depending on body weight, session intensity, and volume. Undereating in this context does not just slow fat loss. It actively impairs recovery, blunts muscle protein synthesis, and makes your runs feel harder than they should.

The other issue is nutrient competition. Your muscles need glycogen to fuel intense lifting. Your aerobic system needs glycogen to sustain tempo runs and long efforts. If you do not replenish strategically, you end up in a state where neither system gets what it needs, and both your strength and your running stagnate.

How to Calculate Your Calories

Start with your basal metabolic rate and multiply by an activity factor. For most hybrid athletes training five to six days per week, that activity factor sits between 1.6 and 1.9. If you weigh around 85kg and train six days a week across running and strength, your maintenance calories are likely somewhere between 2,800 and 3,400 per day.

From there, adjust based on your goal. If you want to maintain performance while slowly improving body composition, eat at maintenance or a very slight deficit of around five to ten percent. If you are in a building phase and trying to add muscle while keeping your running sharp, eat at a small surplus of five to ten percent above maintenance.

The biggest mistake hybrid athletes make is eating too little. When you are covering 40 to 60km per week and lifting three to four times, a 500 calorie daily deficit is not a cut. It is a crash. You will feel flat on your runs, lose strength in the gym, and your recovery will deteriorate week on week. If you are going to diet, keep the deficit modest and accept that progress will be slower but more sustainable.

Macros for Hybrid Athletes

Here is a straightforward framework that works for most people training across running and strength.

Protein: 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. This range supports muscle protein synthesis from your lifting sessions while also covering the elevated protein needs that come with endurance training. For an 85kg athlete, that is roughly 135 to 185 grams per day. Spread it across four to five meals, aiming for 30 to 40 grams per sitting. Prioritise complete protein sources like chicken, fish, eggs, Greek yoghurt, and whey protein.

Carbohydrates: 4 to 7 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. This is the macro most hybrid athletes under-consume. Carbs fuel both your lifting and your running, and your needs will vary depending on the day. On a heavy strength day with no running, you might sit at 4 to 5 grams per kilogram. On a long run day, push that up to 6 to 7 grams per kilogram. For an 85kg athlete, that is 340 to 595 grams of carbs per day depending on training load.

Fat: 0.8 to 1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. Fat supports hormone production, joint health, and provides a secondary energy source during lower intensity efforts. For an 85kg athlete, aim for 70 to 100 grams per day. Do not go below 0.7g per kilogram as this can suppress testosterone and other hormones that matter for recovery and adaptation.

Day by Day Nutrition: Matching Your Food to Your Training

One of the biggest upgrades you can make is adjusting what you eat based on what you are training that day. Here is how to think about it.

Heavy Strength Day (No Running)

These days are about fuelling performance in the gym and kickstarting recovery afterwards. Prioritise protein and moderate carbs. You do not need as many carbohydrates as a run day, but you still need enough glycogen to sustain high-effort sets.

Pre-workout (2 to 3 hours before): A balanced meal with complex carbs and protein. Think rice with chicken and vegetables, or oats with protein powder and banana.

Post-workout (within 1 to 2 hours): A protein-rich meal with moderate carbs to begin glycogen replenishment and muscle repair. Grilled salmon with sweet potato and greens, or a large wrap with lean protein and salad.

Total carb target for the day: 4 to 5g per kilogram of body weight.

Run Day (Easy or Long Run)

Carbs take centre stage on run days. Your glycogen demands are higher, especially for runs over 60 minutes. Underfuelling here is one of the most common mistakes hybrid athletes make, because it does not just affect the run itself. It depletes stores that you need for your next strength session.

Pre-run (1 to 2 hours before): A simple, easily digestible carb-focused meal. Toast with honey and banana, or a bowl of porridge with berries.

During the run (for efforts over 75 minutes): A gel, energy chews, or a sports drink providing 30 to 60 grams of carbs per hour.

Post-run (within 1 to 2 hours): A mixed meal with carbs and protein. A chicken and rice bowl, pasta with a protein source, or a smoothie with oats, protein, and fruit.

Total carb target for the day: 6 to 7g per kilogram of body weight.

Double Day (Run in the Morning, Lift in the Evening)

This is where nutrition becomes truly tactical. You are asking your body to perform twice in one day across different energy systems, and what you eat between sessions determines how the second one goes.

Pre-run (30 to 60 minutes before): Something light and carb-forward. A banana, a couple of rice cakes with jam, or a small bowl of cereal.

Post-run and pre-lift window (the gap between sessions): This is your most important meal of the day. You need to replenish glycogen from the run while also priming your body for the lift. Aim for a solid meal with 40 to 60 grams of carbs and 30 to 40 grams of protein within an hour of finishing your run. A chicken wrap with rice, a large smoothie bowl, or eggs on toast with avocado all work well.

Post-lift (within 1 to 2 hours): Another protein-rich meal with moderate carbs. This is recovery time. A steak or chicken breast with potatoes and vegetables, or a protein-packed pasta dish.

Total carb target for the day: 6 to 7g per kilogram of body weight (towards the higher end).

Rest Day

Rest days are not zero days nutritionally. Your body is still recovering and adapting from the training you have done. Dropping calories dramatically on rest days is a mistake that impairs the recovery process.

Keep protein high at the same level as training days. Reduce carbs slightly to 3 to 4 grams per kilogram. Increase fat slightly if needed to keep total calories close to maintenance. Focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods. This is a good day to load up on fruits, vegetables, and foods rich in micronutrients that support recovery, such as oily fish, nuts, leafy greens, and berries.

Race Week Nutrition for HYROX and Marathon Runners Who Lift

If you are tapering into a HYROX race or a marathon while maintaining some strength work, your nutrition should shift in the final week.

Five to seven days out, begin increasing your carb intake to 7 to 10 grams per kilogram per day. This is carb loading, and it works. The goal is to maximise muscle glycogen stores so you start the race with a full tank. Focus on easily digestible carb sources like white rice, pasta, bread, and potatoes. Reduce fibre intake slightly in the final two days to avoid any gut issues on race day.

Keep protein steady at 1.6 to 2g per kilogram. Drop fat slightly to make room for the extra carbs without massively increasing total calories.

On race morning, eat a familiar meal two to three hours before your start time. Something you have practised in training. A classic example is porridge with honey and a banana, or toast with peanut butter and jam. Avoid anything new. Race day is not the time to experiment.

During the race, plan for 30 to 60 grams of carbs per hour through gels, chews, or sports drinks. For HYROX, this might mean one gel before the first run station and another at the halfway point. For a marathon, you will need a more structured fuelling plan with gels every 30 to 45 minutes.

Seven Common Nutrition Mistakes Hybrid Athletes Make

1. Undereating carbs. This is the number one mistake. Hybrid athletes who come from a strength training background often carry over a low-carb mindset that actively hurts their running performance and recovery.

2. Not adjusting intake for training volume. Eating the same thing every day regardless of whether you ran 15km or rested does not make sense. Your body needs more fuel on harder days.

3. Skipping post-run protein. Runners often refuel with carbs only after a long run. But your muscles still need protein to repair damage from the impact and eccentric loading of running.

4. Cutting calories too aggressively. A 500 to 1,000 calorie deficit while running 50km per week and lifting four times is a recipe for burnout, injury, and muscle loss.

5. Ignoring hydration. Especially for morning runners. If you wake up and run without drinking anything, you are already behind. Aim for 500ml of water before a morning session and consider adding electrolytes if the run is over an hour or the conditions are warm.

6. Relying too heavily on supplements. Protein powder and creatine are useful tools. But they do not replace real food. Most of your nutrition should come from whole food sources.

7. Not practising race nutrition. If you have a HYROX race or marathon coming up, you should be testing your gels, drinks, and pre-race meal during training runs. Never try something new on race day.

A Sample Day of Eating for an 85kg Hybrid Athlete

Here is what a typical training day might look like for an 85kg hybrid athlete running in the morning and lifting in the evening.

6:30am Pre-run: 1 banana, small glass of orange juice. (~35g carbs)

7:00 to 8:00am: 10km easy run.

8:30am Post-run breakfast: 3 eggs scrambled on 2 slices of sourdough toast, half an avocado, a handful of spinach. Glass of milk. (~45g protein, ~55g carbs, ~25g fat)

11:00am Snack: Greek yoghurt with granola and mixed berries. (~25g protein, ~40g carbs)

1:00pm Lunch: Large chicken and rice bowl with roasted vegetables and a drizzle of olive oil. (~50g protein, ~80g carbs, ~15g fat)

4:00pm Pre-lift snack: Rice cakes with peanut butter and honey. A coffee. (~35g carbs, ~10g protein)

5:00 to 6:15pm: Upper body strength session.

7:00pm Dinner: Salmon fillet with sweet potato wedges, steamed broccoli, and a side salad. (~45g protein, ~65g carbs, ~20g fat)

9:00pm Evening snack: Casein protein shake or cottage cheese with a few squares of dark chocolate. (~30g protein, ~15g carbs)

Daily totals (approximate): 2,900 to 3,100 calories. 205g protein. 325g carbs. 90g fat.

How Edge Builds Nutrition Awareness Into Your Training

Edge does not just hand you a meal plan. Instead, the app structures your training week so that your hardest sessions, your recovery days, and your race preparation all follow an intelligent sequence that makes fuelling intuitive. When your training plan spaces a heavy leg day appropriately before a long run, you can plan your nutrition around it. When your conditioning sessions are placed on days that account for cumulative fatigue, you know when to eat more and when to pull back.

This is what separates a training app from a real coaching system. Edge coaches understand that nutrition and training are not separate topics. They are the same conversation. If you want to train like a hybrid athlete, you need to eat like one too.

Try Edge free for 7 days and see how structured hybrid programming changes the way you train and fuel.