Want better conditioning and a bit leaner but every time I add cardio my lifts suffer and I'm wrecked. How do you fit conditioning in without it eating your strength and recovery?
Keep most of it low intensity (zone 2) - walking, easy bike, incline treadmill. It barely touches your recovery and adds up for conditioning and fat loss. Save hard HIIT for once or twice a week max, away from leg days.
So lots of easy stuff, minimal hard stuff?
Right. Low-intensity cardio is almost free recovery-wise. It's the all-out intervals that compete with your lifting, so use those sparingly.
Schedule matters - put hard conditioning after lifting or on rest days, never right before a heavy session. And keep it away from the muscles you're about to train hard. I do intervals after upper days so my legs are fresh for squats.
Steps are the underrated lever - 8-10k daily walking does loads for conditioning and leanness with zero impact on lifting recovery. Most people skip easy movement and jump straight to brutal cardio that fights their training.
Honestly I barely walk and go straight to sprints. Backwards.
Flip it - lots of easy walking/zone 2, a little hard conditioning placed smartly, and your lifts stay intact while your conditioning climbs. Cheers.