bam02 said:

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Stronglifts 5x5. All you need for strength. Incredibly simple plan and it works!

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I wouldn't advocate a program that prescribes squatting 3x a week with progressive overload to somebody that seems to go hard running and endurance training daily.

Compound lifts are the way to go for the OP goals though. Split doesn't matter beyond that. Only thing I'd say is if you are thinking about lifting 4 days a week, build rest days in where your cardio is just walks. Compound lifts will tax your CNS and you need to find a way to build more real recovery time into your routine.

Running and lifting can be counterproductive. You just can't meet you caloric demands to get stronger.

My advice, focus on body weight exercises and complexes. Hell, pulling a sled on your off days will help.

You will have a CNS adaptation gain, but after that, you will struggle trying to serve two masters.

JeremiahJohnson said:

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Volume is pretty light right now so this is my strength stage. I am 40 and 6ft 185. The heavier i get, the slower I am. So i want to stay in this range. Likewise the smaller i get, the weaker I am. If i keep up with protein i will gain muscle. I could lose 10 more lbs of body fat. I'm probably at 15-20%. I think 185 at 12-15% is sustainable.

I probably have different goals than 99% of people on here. Maybe some people call it hybrid, but just fit endurance athlete. I have a few friends that do both but not many.

I disagree 100% that you can't do both.

Did not know asking for a weight program would get a ton of people telling me I can't do it. I can and have. haha

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Re-read my last paragraph. I knew this was going to be your response. (And, please read this in all a fun and ribbing manner).

I can fully understand if you want to focus on endurance. You want to stay at that body weight. Its your body. Do whatever it is you want. BUT, you need to be clear eyed about what you results will be. No one is telling you that you can't do it. We are telling you that the goals you say you want will not be served by doing this. And, if you swing by the weightlifting thread, all of these posters are there and have spent years doing this. Not some yahoos who watched an Athlean X video.

You will not gain muscle by power chugging protein shakes and eating chicken breast lifting baby weight. You gain muscle by power chugging protein shakes, eating chicken breast, AND BEING IN A CALORIC SURPLUS AND LIFTING HEAVY. The laws of thermodynamics do not magically not apply to you.

You can disagree all you want. But science and data all point the other way. (But lots of fitness influencers can say you can do both. You cant. Its not metabolically possible, unless you augment with some serious drugs). Just because you don't like it, doesn't make it any less true. (Will you get a little change, sure, but nothing meaningful that changes the way you look).

If you are looking for modest neural adaptations for strength, yeah, you may get that. Maybe you put on a pound or two of muscle. But you are not going to magically recomp from 15-20% body fat into something 12-13% and stay the same weight.

ALSO, and here is something else to look at. You say you are in the 15%-20% body fat range. Don't guess. Get a DEXA scan. This will tell you where you are at both with lean body mass and body fat. This gives you a base line. Now you can actually track with certainty what's actually happening.

And another thing. You are likely undermuscled. If you are at that body fat, doing that kind of cardio, and not sub 15, it means you don't have enough muscle burning off your calories. I know, because I did this as well. I thought, I can just lift and cut. I did that. I cut to sub 10%, I looked like I had cancer.

Endurance athletes very rarely look strong and athletic. They look like sheet usually. (And for good reason, they need to be as light as possible). Sprinters and swimmers look awesome....wonder why that is....

In the end, you have a few choices, and its just the reality of it:
(1) Lift a bit to get some neural adaptations, keep calories the same, but nothing meaningfully changes.

(2) Keep doing what you are doing and continue to be under muscled, but enjoying your endurance sport.

(3) Focus on strength and aesthetics, going up in body weight to put on real muscle, then cut down to the same body weight looking stronger and more aesthetic.

If I may make a suggestion. You are 40. Your metabolic window to put on some easy muscle is closing (its not slamming shut, but every year your testorone drops and it gets a little bit harder). I would urge you to seriously consider taking some time to dedicate to strenght and muscle gain to set you up for a better run as you age. Long terms, this will benefit your health, quality of life, and keep you in your Endurance sport longer. Plus, you will look good.

Choice is yours.

(But get that DEXA and post it. Run your dreamer program, and come back and 6 months with a new DEXA. We will all be here to tell you we told you so).