Hybrid racing is exploding in popularity—and for good reason. It's accessible, challenging, and gives you a clear goal to train toward.

In this episode, Chris breaks down what hybrid racing actually is, starting with Hyrox: the fitness race that combines running with functional workout stations like rowing, sled pushes, burpees, and wall balls. Hyrox events sell out in minutes, which is why gyms worldwide now host "sims" to give athletes a taste of competition without the travel and expense.

But Hyrox isn't the only option. Hybrid racing includes triathlons, duathlons, biathlons, Spartan races, and even some CrossFit workouts like Murph. The common thread? They all mix endurance with strength or power in one continuous event.

Why is hybrid racing so appealing? The barrier to entry is low. Unlike a CrossFit competition with complex barbell lifts, hybrid races use simple movements you can learn in a single session. But the ceiling is high—elite athletes find endless room for improvement through better pacing, conditioning, and raw output.

Chris also answers a key question: is CrossFit hybrid racing? Not quite. While some CrossFit workouts fit the mold, full competitions include max lifts and gymnastics skills that create a higher technical barrier.

This summer, Catalyst is programming hybrid racing workouts every Saturday. If you're ready to try a real event, check out the Copper Bay Triathlon and Duathlon in Bruce Mines, Ontario.

Whether you're chasing a podium or just looking for a training goal, hybrid racing gives you something to work toward.

If you're walking regularly and wondering whether it's enough — this episode is for you.

The short answer: walking is genuinely good for you. A 2025 global review of 57 studies found that 7,000 steps a day cuts the risk of early death by nearly half. The research on walking is real and worth taking seriously.

But walking has gaps — and most people don't discover them until their 40s or 50s.

In this episode, Coach Chris breaks down exactly what walking can and can't do: why it doesn't build or maintain muscle mass, why it only protects some of your bones, and why your metabolism quietly declines without strength training alongside it.

The goal isn't to stop walking. It's to add the one thing that covers what walking misses.

Plus — three simple prescriptions you can act on this week, no gym required.

Book your free No-Sweat Intro at catalystgym.com/free-intro.

Is it safe for your kid to lift weights? You've probably heard the warning your whole life: weight training stunts a child's growth. It's so widely repeated that most parents accept it without ever asking where it came from.

In this episode of The Catalyst, Coach Chris Cooper traces the myth back to its actual source — an 1842 report from England's Children's Employment Commission about coal-mining children — and unpacks why the science behind it falls apart on closer inspection. The kids who worked in those mines weren't short because of the heavy loads. They were short because of malnutrition, lack of sunlight, chronic stress, and the fact that mine operators specifically chose smaller children to fit through the tunnels.

Modern research tells a completely different story. The National Strength and Conditioning Association, the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology all agree: resistance training is not only safe for children, it's beneficial — and in many cases, necessary for healthy bone density, muscle development, and injury prevention.

Chris also explains what most parents miss: kids get stronger by rewiring their nervous systems, not by building muscle. That makes strength training for children a form of skill training. He walks through the exact three-step progression Catalyst uses with young athletes — mechanics first, consistency second, intensity last — and gives parents a practical checklist for evaluating any youth coaching program.

Plus: why the coach matters more than the weight, and three things you can do this week.

Book a free No-Sweat Intro at catalystgym.com.