If you’ve participated in a fitness competition, you know that a well-designed training plan can be a game-changer for event day. And if you haven’t competed yet but are planning to, knowing you have access to a program intended to help you prepare can go a long way in inspiring confidence as you go after that goal.
In late October 2025, the inaugural LT Games hybrid fitness competition is taking place at Life Time Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn. The event is open to athletes nationwide who want to test and prove their hybrid fitness abilities. (Learn more: “Calling Hybrid Athletes: All About the LT Games at Life Time.”)
The LT Games features 17 stations designed to test strength and endurance, and preparing to compete requires time and effort. To help athletes feel equipped to take on the challenge, Life Time developed an eight-week digital training program to set you up for success at the games.
To learn more about the LT Games 8-Week Prep training program, we talked with Tommy Pomatico, CF L-2 coach, senior manager for signature programming at Life Time Westchester in Harrison, N.Y., and creator of the LT Games 8-Week Prep training program.
Life Time | What is the LT Games 8-Week Prep training program?
Tommy Pomatico | LT Games 8-Week Prep is an eight-week program designed with the purpose of preparing someone to participate in the LT Games; it’s available in the Life Time app.
This is a six-day-a-week training program (Monday through Saturday), along with one designated rest day. Each day is designed with intention and has a specific goal we’re trying to accomplish. As you go through it, you’ll progress through volume, intensity, and density.
Saturday workouts simulate competition day and feature all the same movements week-to-week, but with a progression in volume throughout the program. By the time you reach the final week, you’ll be performing the movements at the exact same level as in the actual LT Games competition.
This program familiarizes athletes with the competition movements, how they’re going to feel, what paces they should be holding, and how they’re going to break up movements. The goal is for athletes to be as prepared as possible for the competition by practicing it through the program.
This training program is designed for anyone and everyone looking to compete at the LT Games — it’s for anyone who’s up for the challenge.
LT | Can you walk us through what each day of the week looks like in the program?
TP | The training plan is programmed Monday through Saturday. Athletes can expect each daily workout to last between 60 and 90 minutes. Here is a breakdown of what each day will be focused on:
Monday: Monostructural Conditioning Day
This involves doing aerobic work on the machines used in the LT Games: the rower, the ski erg, and the treadmill. The workout is performed threshold-style, teaching the athlete how to push faster paces on each of those machines.
Tuesday: Strength Day
In the LT Games, there is a lot of weight involved for a lot of repetitions, which this day will help prepare you for. It’s focused on building full-body strength, which is helpful for keeping your ligaments, tendons, and joints healthy.
Wednesday: Motor Work Day
On this day, we’ll mix multiple types of modalities like gymnastics, conditioning, and weightlifting into one session. Athletes will have to do this in the workout at the games.
This day gives athletes an opportunity to work on movements that are performed in the competition at a higher level of intensity — they can expect their heart rate to rise while their muscles feel like they’re screaming. It’s also an opportunity to work on technique for each movement.
Thursday: Rest Day
Your choice of rest is up to you, but we recommended stretching, spending time in the sauna, and applying ice to sore muscles. Light walking is also good for keeping the body loose.
Friday: Aerobic Day
We’ll focus on being in zone 2, with the first goal being to build your aerobic base so you can exercise for long periods of time. The workout itself is longer — think being comfortable exercising for 40, 50, 60, and up to 70 minutes.
The second goal is to not overdo it because Saturday is the hardest workout day of the week.
Saturday: Competition Simulation Day
Athletes will be doing the LT Games workout every single week in an interval-style format to prepare them for the event. We’ll start with less volume and gradually progress to the volume of the LT Games by week eight. This will be the most challenging session of the week.
LT | Is this training program designed to be completed on your own? What type of equipment is required?
TP | This program is designed for athletes to complete individually at the club on their own. The plan is clearly laid out for you in the Life Time app. However, you are always welcome to engage with a Life Time Dynamic Personal Trainer or coach who can help you work on any individualized areas of opportunity in your training and provide a more personalized experience.
Life Time is also a place of community, so if you do better training with others, we encourage you to find another member to train with — and then you can compete together on event day!
This training is best completed inside of a Life Time because of the equipment involved: You’ll use the treadmill, rower, and ski erg, as well as a jump box, barbells, wall balls, and dumbbells.
LT | What advice would you give to someone embarking on the training program?
TP | Listen to your body. If there are days when you’re feeling beat up and tired, take an extra rest day rather than forcing the workout.
For the more experienced athlete who has been training hard for, say, a year or two and is comfortable with this type of intensity, I recommend following this program exactly and not adding anything extra to it.
LT | What excites you most about this training program and the LT Games?
TP | I believe the LT Games is a very good middle ground between the fitness competitions currently offered to the public: It’s not too easy, but it’s also not too hard. I truly believe anyone can do it. However, it is tough enough that you have to practice and prepare for it to be successful and feel like you can accomplish it, which is why I’m excited we have this program to help empower people to do just that.
LT | I’m interested! How do I access the LT Games 8-Week Prep program?
TP | You can enroll in the LT Games 8-Week Prep training program in the Life Time app. If you’re interested in training to compete in the LT Games, you can register for the LT Games here.
Even if you’re not planning to compete in the LT Games but are interested in hybrid training, this program can help any participant increase their strength and aerobic endurance.
Keep an eye out for more LT Games events to come in 2026. This training program is here to help you prepare for those, too!
