Training modality compatibility (TMC) is a principle that’s often overlooked but critical to long-term client results. We first introduced this concept in the specificity module, but it deserves its own spotlight due to the massive implications it has on program design, recovery, and outcome success.

What is Training Modality Compatibility (TMC)?

TMC refers to the degree to which different types of training support—or conflict with—each other in the pursuit of a goal. Think of your body like a bank with limited physical, neurological, and metabolic resources. Every form of training makes a withdrawal from that bank. If you’re trying to chase multiple objectives at once (e.g., fat loss, hypertrophy, BJJ performance), those resources become split, and your adaptations become compromised.

The Scientific Principles of Hypertrophy Training (a must-read for any serious coach) outlines this beautifully in a compatibility chart. While originally designed to evaluate hypertrophy training combinations, this framework can be applied to strength, athletic performance, and even general population clients.

3 Key Takeaways for Coaches

1. Educate Clients on the Cost of Mixed Goals

One of the first responsibilities of a great coach is to help clients understand trade-offs. For example, if a client wants to gain muscle but also trains BJJ four times a week, they need to understand that the energy demands and recovery debt from BJJ will impact muscle gain. It doesn’t mean they can’t do both—it just means the pace of muscle gain will be slower.

Coach’s Role: Help clients make informed decisions about training priorities based on realistic timelines and energy availability.

2. Adjust Caloric Intake to Match Output

With multiple training goals, especially when one is highly energy-demanding (like sport or cardio), calorie requirements will rise. If strength or muscle gain is a goal, failing to equate for the extra output will blunt progress.

Coach’s Role: Ensure total energy availability supports recovery and adaptation. We’ll cover energy expenditure and caloric equations in a later module, but start teaching clients that “more training” doesn’t automatically equal “more results” without fuelling the process.

3. Separate Conflicting Sessions for Better Results

The best strategy to reduce interference is time separation. If you must combine conflicting modalities (e.g., cardio and lifting), schedule them as far apart as possible. Ideally, you’d do strength work in the morning and conditioning or sport in the evening. This gives the nervous system a chance to reset and reduces the overlap in adaptive signals.

Coach’s Role: Build smart training calendars. Use recovery time, nutrient timing, and sleep to support dual-goal programs.

 

Bottom Line

Training modality compatibility is about aligning every component of a program with your client’s primary goal. When you try to serve two masters, results often stall. A well-informed coach not only understands this—they communicate it clearly and program accordingly.

Let the goal dictate the plan. Then help your client understand why the plan looks the way it does.