In this episode, I sit down with coach Alex Thieme to talk about the psychology behind sustainable fat loss, behavior change, motivational interviewing, self-belief, and why changing your environment often matters more than relying on willpower. We also dive into identity, self-talk, parenting, decision fatigue, grocery shopping, and how to build habits that actually stick long-term.

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Guest

Alex Thieme is an online coach and educator known for his thoughtful approach to behavior change, mindset, and sustainable fitness. His work focuses heavily on helping people build self-belief, improve their relationship with health and fitness, and create realistic systems that fit into real life.

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What We Cover

03:55 – Becoming a parent, purpose, creativity, and life changes after kids

10:56 – Why we tell ourselves stories that may not actually be true

14:46 – Alex’s coaching philosophy and helping clients build self-belief

18:20 – Motivational interviewing, asking better questions, and behavior change

27:20 – The “five whys” framework and uncovering deeper motivations

30:58 – Optimizing your environment instead of relying on willpower

35:49 – Practical examples of reducing friction and improving habits

43:10 – Grocery shopping, convenience foods, meal structure, and reducing decision fatigue

56:03 – Identity, self-talk, and why “all or nothing” thinking keeps people stuck

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Connect with Alex

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexthiemefitness/

Website: https://alexthiemefitness.com/

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Connect with Jordan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanlipsfitness/

WOMP Training: https://marketplace.trainheroic.com/workout-plan/team/womp-gym-home-bundle?attrib=548099-ig

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/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/alecblenis

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/

Connect with Jordan👇🏼

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanlipsfitness/

WOMP Coaching: https://marketplace.trainheroic.com/workout-plan/team/womp-gym-home-bundle?attrib=548099-ig