What is Hybrid Training

Before designing a training programme, I want to provide a brief definition of what hybrid training is to make sure that I am clear in my explanations. Hybrid training is where we strive to improve both our cardiovascular system and our muscular strength in conjunction with each other. This means that hybrid training can encompass a large variety of sporting practices.

It differs from strength and conditioning for a specific sport in the sense that there is a desire to be at a competitive level in both cardiovascular and strength domains. This means we are not performing strength training to improve our sport performance; we are doing it to be strong.

Factors to Take Into Consideration for Programming

Training Economy

Training economy is one of the most important factors to take into consideration when it comes to hybrid training. Training economy is just a fancy way of saying how much time you have to invest in your training. Most of us live busy lives that will not allow us to train more than 5–7 hours a week. This needs to be taken into consideration when designing a training programme. Training can be very time-consuming when we are taking on multiple sports or multiple events within the year, so this is a very important factor to take into consideration.

Training Experience

Training age or experience is the amount of time you have already committed to training, usually measured in years. This is a very important variable, as it will dictate how much training you will need to make progress on a physiological variable. If you have been strength training for 10 years and are close to your genetic potential, then you are going to need a great deal more stimulus than someone who has never lifted a weight to make progress on your strength.

Designing a Programme

Specific Goals / Events

When designing a training programme, it can help to have a specific event to move towards or just specific goals you would like to hit. This will enable you to come up with a rational plan to approach the specific event or physical goal. An example of an event would be a semi-marathon while maintaining current levels of strength or a specific weight you would like to perform on a lift (e.g., deadlift). This will give you a very clear target to work with that will be the backbone of your programming.

Choosing an Emphasis or Maintenance

Once you have chosen your specific goal, you can then pick which physiological attributes you would like to emphasize during your programme. This will be based upon both the event and the individual. For example, if an individual would like to compete in a Hyrox event, then their current physiological ability will have a huge impact on their programming for this event. If they are an excellent runner, they will need to gain strength, and if they are very strong but not a good runner, it will be the inverse. This is why individuals may have the same goal but vastly different training programmes.

You cannot, unfortunately, emphasize everything when it comes to hybrid training. The best way to progress is to pick an emphasis, make significant progress, and then pick a different emphasis. If we try to get better at everything at once, the body doesn’t respond kindly.

Creating an Annual Outline

If you are looking to be doing hybrid training for a long period of time, it is great to draw up an annual calendar where you can break your year into different training blocks. This will allow you to visualize when your events are and how you are going to approach them in terms of programming. Personally, I love competing in multiple events throughout the year, and this helps me split my year into different training cycles with specific emphasis.

Sample Hybrid Training Programme

In this part of the article, I would like to provide you with a detailed example of a hybrid training programme to give you a feel for how you might design your own. Hybrid training varies dramatically because it can encompass so many different activities. In this example, I wanted to provide you with an individual with some specific goals throughout the year and how he would approach the year.

Avatar: John Smith

John has been cycling for over 10 years and enjoys competing in long-distance cycling events like L'Étape du Tour, meaning he has excellent cardiovascular abilities. He has recently decided that he would like to compete in a Hyrox, as he has a group of friends that are going to be doing it. He will be competing in the Hyrox in April (it is January in this example) and is doing L'Étape du Tour in August. This means that he will need to maintain some cycling form.

John has 10 hours a week to train (5 in the week and 5 on the weekend). He is very passionate about sport and has the habit of moving on a regular basis.

Block 1 (Jan–April)

Emphasis:  Hyrox Prep (Strength) / Cycling Maintenance

-Monday  – Hybrid Session (Strength + HIIT)

-Tuesday  – Low-Intensity Run

-Wednesday  – Strength Session

-Thursday  – Off

-Friday  – Strength Session

-Saturday  – Running Intervals + Low-Intensity Ride

-Sunday  – Long Ride

As a Hyrox event has both running and strength elements, we need a mixture of both training sessions in his training plan. We also need to maintain some kind of cycling form, meaning that he will be doing two bike rides in the week for maintenance. As you can see, we have put in enough strength training to truly have an impact on his strength capabilities in order to be able to perform well on the Hyrox stations, which require strength. As he already has such a developed cardiovascular system, he will be able to perform well on the other stations.

I hope this provides you with some idea as to how you might approach your own programming for hybrid training. Remember, in order to train well for multiple physical characteristics, you need to be aware of how to programme for individual characteristics, as this is absolutely crucial to creating progress.