Hybrid training has quickly become one of the hottest fitness trends as it offers a range of real-world benefits, a beneficial dose of novelty and some serious enjoyment.
By blurring the lines between the training styles, hybrid training aims to deliver the best of all worlds, like greater strength, better fitness, enhanced overall health, and injury resilience through enhanced mobility and movement efficiency.
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The hybrid athlete
Beyond the physical benefits, swapping specialisation in the gym for a more generalist approach means you keep your training varied and interesting, empowering active individuals to train their way and tackle any physical challenge when the desire or opportunity arises.
As more people grow weary of training in the same gym environment day in and day out, with little variety in their exercise selection and workout structure, many are choosing to augment those weight room sessions with outdoor activities or sporting codes that add a dimension of fun or skill mastery.
The hectic pace of modern life also leaves little time to get to the gym every day, even for the most dedicated gym members.
The ability to throw on a pair of running shoes or hit the indoor trainer for a group Zwift cycling session means you get your daily session done, no matter what life throws at you.
By combining fitness activities, you also develop a unique combination of skills, abilities, and physical attributes that allow you to perform at a high level in various sports and activities.
It is also a great way to avoid overtraining and burnout by making it harder to plateau in your progress as the diversity constantly trains different systems and muscles.
Defining hybrid training
In this context, hybrid training is defined as any combination of multiple training modalities – it doesn’t need to be running and lifting.
Common hybrid training combinations include:
- Strength and Cardio: Combining weightlifting or bodyweight exercises with cardio activities like running, cycling, or swimming.
- Strength and Flexibility: Incorporating stretching or yoga into your strength training routine to improve mobility and reduce muscle soreness.
- Functional Fitness: Combining exercises that mimic everyday movements with strength training and cardio to improve overall functional fitness.
- Structured Training and Unstructured Play: Those who combine structured weightlifting and cardio during the week also like to incorporate unstructured play, engaging in other fun and trendy activities like weekly Padel or pickleball games, or head outdoors over weeks to go hiking or rucking (walking with a weighted rucksack).
While professional athletes in sporting codes like rugby, football, and track and field have always combined training modalities to develop the right balance between strength and fitness, mainstream exercise trends like CrossFit and HYROX have popularised a more varied training approach among the average fitness enthusiast.
Fuelling hybrid training
Hybrid athletes train with a combination of volume and intensity, which requires a balanced, nutrient-dense diet that delivers sufficient energy from carbs to fuel their efforts, with natural fats to support hormone production and protein to aid muscle repair and recovery.
Supplements can support hybrid athletes, ensuring they have the right amount of energy to train hard across disciplines or sustain efforts during cardio workouts or endurance events.
As such, hybrid athletes typically combine products from the bodybuilding and power sports categories with products formulated to support endurance athletes.
- Before training: A pre-workout that contains amino acids with some form of rapidly digestible carbs. These products provide energy from carbs to fuel efforts and amino acids to limit muscle damage and support recovery.
- During training or racing: A product offering a blend of simple carbohydrates for a rapid source of energy with electrolytes to support hydration during hard or prolonged training or racing efforts.
- After training or racing: Support muscle recovery and replenish depleted energy stores with a post-workout product that combines protein and carbs.
- Between sessions: Supporting the muscle-building process an anabolic support supplement to boost support natural testosterone production while limiting the impact of excess cortisol. Creatine is another beneficial product for hybrid athletes as it supports power output to enhance performance. As hybrid athletes typically carry more muscle than the average endurance athlete, additional joint support is warranted, especially for those athletes who engage in a lot of running.
Time to go hybrid
Ultimately, hybrid training offers a comprehensive approach to strength and fitness that can help you achieve your goals and maintain a healthy lifestyle, all while adding variety and an element of fun.
Whether you’re training for a HYROX competition or simply want to take your fitness to the next level, combining different training methods according to your personal preferences can create an individualised routine that challenges your body, keeps your mind engaged, and stokes your motivation levels to get you active every day.
Author: Pedro van Gaalen
When he’s not writing about sport or health and fitness, Pedro is probably out training for his next marathon or ultra-marathon. He’s worked as a fitness professional and as a marketing and comms expert. He now combines his passions in his role as managing editor at Fitness magazine.