How to Build a Training Routine That Supports Your Life — Not Consumes It

On a bright Los Angeles morning, Holly Brooks is deep in a training block, demanding enough to intimidate even seasoned gym-goers. She’s preparing for her second HYROX while logging miles for the LA Marathon, with Berlin already on her calendar later this year. The volume is high. The goals are ambitious. And yet, she’s adamant that her fitness routine no longer runs her life.

That shift, from chasing an aesthetic to training with intention, is the throughline of Brooks’ evolution. The UK-born runner and founder of Strong Girl Society has built a global community around strength, confidence, and proper fueling. 

Brooks describes her current training approach as layered rather than singular. HYROX pushes her to the edge. “Hyrox is the one that honestly takes me to the next level mentally and physically. It demands so much strength, fitness, and also mental determination,” she says. It’s the sport that, in her words, is “really taking my wellness to the next level.”

Strength training, meanwhile, is her insurance policy. Because she demands so much from her body in long-distance racing and hybrid competition, she now prioritizes lifting to make sure her muscles and connective tissue can withstand that load. Pilates rounds it out. It’s slower, more controlled, surprisingly intense, but also restorative. A “peace of mind activity,” she calls it, a space to reconnect with her body and switch off from the noise of the outside world.

The blend isn’t accidental. It’s protective.

When Brooks first fell in love with running, she ran almost daily. The cumulative stress caught up with her, especially as someone navigating PCOS. “Cross-training is fabulous because it stops you from over-straining,” she explains. Incorporating Pilates was the first step in breaking the cycle of doing more simply because she could. Her body and mind, she says, were “very appreciative of the switch up.”

The lesson: intensity without variation isn’t discipline; it’s a fast track to burnout.

Scroll through social media, and it’s easy to see why so many women feel exhausted by fitness. Brooks doesn’t mince words about what she’s seeing. “HUGELY,” she says when asked whether aesthetic-driven trends distort consistency. She points to the rise of restrictive, under-fueled content masquerading as empowerment. “It’s honestly very scary,” she adds, especially for younger women trying to decode what health is supposed to look like.

The result is a generation conflating overtraining and under-eating with commitment.

Brooks has lived that version of discipline, and it cost her. In 2025, she dropped out of the Chicago Marathon after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in her spine. It was, she says, “the biggest wake-up call possible.” She had been overtraining, under-prioritizing strength work, and not resting enough.

Now, recovery is non-negotiable. Bed by 9 p.m. Strict sleep boundaries. Fueling intentionally— “high protein, carbs, and calories are the aim in a training block for me.” 

And perhaps most importantly, listening when her body whispers before it screams. “I used to think I was letting myself down if I took extra rest days,” she says. “Now taking that extra rest day when needed makes me feel more productive. Rest is productive!”

There was also a mental hurdle to overcome: identity.

For years, Brooks felt she had to choose—runner, lifter, Pilates girl. Master one before earning permission to try another. That binary thinking is common in fitness culture, where specialization is often mistaken for legitimacy.

“The truth is you can try as many forms of activity as you like, you can have all of the identities, it is what makes you happy,” she says. Sustainability, she’s learned, hinges on enjoyment. “Training is only sustainable when it's fun.”

Today, her definition of strength reflects that evolution. “Your strength isn’t defined by the size of your muscles, the weights you can lift, or how fast you can run,” she says. “It is defined by showing up, believing in yourself, pushing outside of your comfort zone, and striving to be the best version of yourself.”

For women trying to recalibrate their own routines, Brooks’ guidance is practical.

First, choose a form of movement that fits your life. “Find a movement you enjoy that aligns with your lifestyle,” she says. Something you’re genuinely excited to show up for.

Second, nail your nutrition. Energy is the currency of consistency. Whether it’s Sunday meal prep in under an hour or trying out a meal delivery service, the goal is sustainable fueling, not perfection.

Third, protect your social well-being. “Sometimes we think in order to be successful in our journeys, we have to be so disciplined and make no time for socializing,” she says. But connection, laughter, and community are as essential as any workout.