Hybrid Training
Hybrid athlete training began taking off over the past couple years, especially amongst trail runners and ultramarathoners. You have leading names in the fitness industry who are running long distances all while lifting heavy. The hybrid training community is truly setting the precedent of how you can push the limits of both strength and endurance training at the same time.
So what is hybrid training? Is it for you? How do you get started? And what might it look like?
Want to start living out a hybrid athlete lifestyle? Choose from Kathletics Trail or Sustainably Fit and pair with any of our running, hiking, or general cardio plans.
Hybrid training is simultaneously improving fitness and skills across more than one type of training discipline. This used to be used primarily in terms of cyclists who were also runners, or even for triathletes. Now you see hybrid training amongst many endurance-based disciplines combined with strength training, especially within the world of running, trail running, ultrarunning, and other mountain sports.
Although hybrid training might be trendy right now, it’s important to recognize that this way of fitness has many health benefits that go beyond just challenging yourself physically.
1. Improved overall fitness
Resistance training or strength training has endless amounts of health benefits within itself. These benefits include improved strength, increased muscle mass, strengthened bones, improved mental health, improved brain and heart health, enhanced quality of life, increased longevity, improved sleep, and boosts energy, just to name a few.
Aerobic or endurance training, such as running or cycling, also have numerous health benefits such as improved cardiovascular health, increased endurance, increased stamina, improved sleep, decreased blood pressure, reduced resting heart rate, and improved heart rate variability.
Participating in both resistance training and cardiovascular training is one of the best ways to improve your health now and for your future self.
2. Increased athleticism
By focusing on both strength training and endurance training, your ability to be mobile and agile will likely follow. Hybrid training offers the unique opportunity to train at various intensities and speeds, and within different heart rate zones. This type of training encourages you to move quickly and powerfully in plyometrics, controlled in strength, efficiently in endurance, and intentionally in mobility. Hybrid training covers all the bases to enhance your athletic abilities.
3. Enhanced preparedness
Hybrid training is not just for elites. It’s for everybody. Being a hybrid athlete allows you to enjoy life inside and outside the gym, and on and off the trail. It sets you up to be prepared for a random last minute 5K your friend wants you to join, or when your sibling needs help moving their couch.
Hybrid training lays the groundwork so you feel physically prepared for whatever life throws at you that day.
Are you intrigued, yet? Learn more about how to become a Kathletics 1:1 hybrid athlete.
When setting your goals you will want to consider your lifestyle, schedule, and past and present training history. This will help you meet yourself where you are in your fitness journey to ensure your goals are realistic and attainable.
Your workout split will derive from your goals and your schedule. You want to make sure your training availability aligns with your training frequency. You would not want to follow a 6 day per week split when you only have time for a 4 day split, right? Right.
For learning purposes, let’s use a 5 day workout split example.
Monday: Full Body Lift + Short Run
Tuesday: Intervals
Wednesday: Full Body Lift
Thursday: Full Body Lift + Cross Training
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Long Run
Sunday: Rest
The photo above displays an example from Kathletics Trail. Training split suggestions are found in all of my programs, including 1:1 programs, Kathletics Trail, and Sustainably Fit.
You may notice in the hybrid training split example above that I suggest full body lifts versus an upper-lower or “bro” split. I suggest a full body split so you have time to recover in between sessions. This is so you can still hit your weekly training volume without completely demolishing one muscle group all in one day. An alternative would be a push-pull-legs split, but again, as your running volume goes up, having all of your leg volume piled in on one day may not be in your best interest for recovery or running prep.
Recovery is incredibly important for anyone who works out, but especially for hybrid athletes due to the sheer volume of training you are enduring. Prioritize scheduling in 1-3 rest days per week, in addition to getting enough sleep, staying on top of hydration, fueling properly, and managing stress.
A noteworthy mention: If you are new to hybrid training, you will have an adjustment period of balancing strength and endurance training. Managing volume will be extremely important as you add in a new form or more volume of training.
Hybrid training prioritizes increasing your performance within each realm of strength and endurance. In order to progress appropriately and continuously, you will need solid programming to ensure training volume is managed and follows progressive overload.
So, how do you manage training volume? Training volume can be managed by breaking down your training into phases or blocks that are dedicated to enhancing specific parts of your fitness.
Within my programs, Kathletics Trail and Sustainably Fit, you will have blocks of Endurance, Hypertrophy (muscle building), Strength, and Power throughout the year.
While hybrid programming aims to improve both strength and endurance simultaneously, you may have seasons where one takes precedence over the other. For example, if you sign up for a trail marathon, there will be a time where your focus shifts more toward running versus resistance training. In this instance, your training split may shift from fairly equal strength and running sessions to more running volume and slightly less strength training volume. Whereas in the off season, you may increase your resistance training volume and decrease your running volume. But that’s the fun in hybrid training! You can tailor your workout split to whatever is serving you in that specific season of life.
Generally speaking, hypertrophy will take place at the beginning of your running off-season because it will require the most strength training volume and will likely be during the least amount of endurance volume or base building season. On the other hand, the power and endurance phases will likely be around your peak endurance training because your strength training volume will decrease as you gear up for an event.
As for progressive overload, this is the method of gradually increasing the volume, intensity, or stress to increase strength, muscle mass, endurance, power, and/or speed. This can be achieved by manipulating various parts of training such as reps, sets, weight, time under tension (or tempo), rest times, modalities, RPE (rate of perceived exertion), or even overall volume from training frequency.
Progressive overload is how you will continue to see improvements in your training over time. This is where working with a coach can be helpful.
Now you know how to set up the ultimate hybrid training program, but what exercises should you include? Regardless of training frequency, goals, or season of training, these 6 movement patterns should be included in your training program. These exercises are important for overall strength, endurance, power, and longevity.
Hinging movements are primarily hip dominant exercises. My hybrid training programs generally include hinge exercises like Deadlifts, RDLs, Hip Thrusts, Good Mornings, and their single-leg versions.
Squatting movements include more than just squats! These are going to be quad-dominant exercises such as Squats, Lunges, Bulgarian Split Squats, Step-Ups, etc. Single-leg variations are encouraged.
When you think of pushing exercises, think about Bench Press, Overhead Press, Push-Ups, Dips, and other chest, shoulder, and tricep dominant exercises. These exercises may not seem as pertinent as a runner, but they are important as an athlete and human.
Many pulling movements include much of your posterior chain. For this example, you will want to focus mostly on upper pull exercises such as Rows, Pull Ups, and Lat Pull Downs that involve your back and biceps.
Rotational exercises may not be as intuitive for this list, although it’s important to include in your program. You want to be able to twist and turn, especially as a runner who uses hips, obliques, and the muscles around your thoracic spine to propel yourself forward one foot at a time.
Forms of carries are helpful for overall strength and endurance. Exercises like Farmers Carry, Suitcase Carry, and Overhead Carry are functional exercises you do on a day to day basis (hello carrying groceries or carrying a kiddo), in addition to preparing for your efforts out on the trail or road.
In conclusion, hybrid training may be a trendy topic right now, but this way of life is here to stay. With the countless benefits and flexibility of training schedule, this is the type of training to participate in for health, quality of life, and longevity.
Join Kathletics Trail or Sustainably Fit and pair with any of our running, hiking, or general cardio plans.
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