5 Tips for Training like a Hybrid Athlete
The term ‘hybrid athlete’ can mean infinite things.
The best definition, in my opinion, is given by Alex Viada:
“An individual who pursues two different athletic endeavors that don’t directly support each other.”
Most commonly, this means pursuing strength & endurance simultaneously.
Now, there are definitely circumstances where cardio can support muscle growth or strength training can support endurance efforts.
However, hybrid training is different.
You aren’t doing one to support the other, you’re trying to significantly develop both.
This adds complications to how you write a program.
There are 1000s of different ways you can write a hybrid training program.
Some general concepts will apply to all of them though.
In this article, we’ll discuss 5 of them to help you more efficiently build strength & endurance.
#1: Get Specific
The terms strength and endurance can refer to a great many things.
Are you training for a marathon, a 10k, or a triathlon?
Are you trying to get stronger at olympic lifting, powerlifting, or just generally build muscle?
The more clear you are on what you are trying to accomplish, the more effective you can make your program.
This doesn’t mean you get to only pick one strength goal and one endurance goal for the rest of your training career.
Rather, each individual training program that you run through should have one specific strength & endurance goal.
There is a significant amount of overlap between the various domains of strength and the various domains of endurance.
So, if you train for a 10k run and general muscle building in one 12- or 16-week program, then you can expect a significant amount of carry-over if you want to train for powerlifting and triathlon in the next program.
#2: Start with the minimum necessary amount of each
As with most things, the Pareto principle applies here.
If you’re unfamiliar, Vilfredo Pareto is the economist who originally came up with the ‘80/20 rule.’
Or, in other words, 80% of your results will come from 20% of your efforts.
Now, this ratio probably shouldn’t be taken 100% literally.
However, the general concept applies.
Most of your progress will come from a minority of the things you do.
An easy example of this is your resistance training volume.
There is a minimum amount you need to do in order to elicit adaptations.
However, once you hit this amount, every next set is of slightly lower quality than the one that preceded it.
If you reach a point where you are plateauing in your strength or muscle gains, then adding volume might be something to consider.
However, if you aren’t plateauing, then I recommend using the minimum volume necessary and focusing on making each set as high quality is possible (intensity, technique, etc.)
Applying this 80/20 rule can mean many things depending on your situation.
The first tip, getting specific, can be a version of this.
The take-home here is make sure you are focusing on the most productive things before you start adding work for the sake of work.
#3: Have structure in your training
One personality type that hybrid training tends to attract is individuals who enjoy training for the sake of training.
Those who find enjoyment in pushing themselves, and those who feel alive while huffing-and-puffing instead of feeling dead.
If you’re reading this article, I’m sure this sounds familiar to you.
I can name a million reasons why this is a huge advantage.
It does have one disadvantage, though.
These types aren’t generally ones who properly plan out a program and have real structure in their training.
Why is structure important?
One of the biggest keys to making progress as a hybrid athlete is managing fatigue well.
If every week looks different, then your body is constantly being exposed to new stimuli; needlessly increasing fatigue and hampering average session quality.
Similarly, it gives you a clear plan on how to progress through the program. This in combination with fatigue management are some of the best ways to ensure injuries don’t arise during training.
#4: If possible, separate your strength and endurance sessions
In a perfect world, each session will be oriented towards building your strength OR endurance; not both in the same session.
The rationale behind doing this is to ensure a quality stimulus is delivered to each side of the coin.
Even if you’re training 4 days per week, I’d recommend keeping them separate. In this case, 2 days of strength and 2 days of endurance.
Even you are performing structured exercise 3 days per week, though, then I would recommend combining them in the same session.
Anything above 3 days per week of structured training, separate them.
#5: Don’t under-fuel yourself
I’m going to refrain from talking too deeply about nutrition in this article, as I have done so in others such as the following:
However, the main point I want to get across with this tip is this:
When you train like a hybrid athlete, you likely need more calories than you think; Especially from carbohydrates.
When you are trying to improve at strength and endurance simultaneously, your energy intake needs are higher than others.
Not just for the training, but for the recovery of training.
