Hybrid training is the pursuit of both strength and endurance simultaneously. But to do it effectively, you need to be smart about structuring your training

This will be an ongoing series breaking down the ins and outs of “Hybrid” training through my own experiences, research, and time spent coaching clients to becoming stronger, faster, and FITTER.

If you have any questions about this type of training, leave a comment below and I’ll answer it through a future post.

Let’s dive in.

Where people go wrong

Without a doubt the biggest mistake I see people make when trying to improve both strength and endurance is choosing goals that work against one another.

People see guys like Nick Bare or other beast athletes on social media who are taking down huge endurance efforts while looking like they’re 2 weeks away from a bodybuilding show, and assume the best way to reach their level is to mimic their strategy.

WRONG.

Understand that anyone you’d consider a “jacked endurance athlete” spent 5-10 years (if not more) focusing entirely on lifting weights to build strength and muscle. If they did any endurance training during this time it was marginal and likely used to achieve a low body fat %.

These long endurance events like Marathons, Ironmans, and Ultramarathons require a volume of cardio that makes building muscle nearly impossible. Someone who has very little muscle to start with and has never been consistent with lifting weights will be able to see some newbie gains…but that’s about it.

You have to be smarter with choosing goals…saying “I want to gain 20lbs of muscle and finish an Ironman this year” is setting yourself up for disappointment and failure. Which SUCKS…especially when you’re training hard.

A better way to do it

You should be segmenting your year based on the goals you have, prioritizing lifting or endurance in that season, then hold the other at maintenance.

Here’s an example:

January - June

• Primary Goal: Build muscle and strength

• Actions: Lift 4x, keep running volume <20 miles per week, eat in a caloric surplus

July - October:

• Primary Goal: Get faster for Fall Marathon

• Actions: Scale running into 40-50 mile weeks, lift 2x, eat to maintain weight

November - Dec:

• Primary Goal: Maintain fitness through holidays

• Actions: Lift 3x, Run 3x, and eat at a maintenance level

Notice how at no point through the year was lifting or running omitted from the training plan…it was either building or maintaining.

If you were to combine the build muscle and strength goal with the marathon prep goal, you’d find yourself unhappy with the lack of progress on both fronts.

Now…without getting too far in the weeds (which is easy on this subject), the more experienced you are, the more you can add “secondary goals”…

January - June

• Primary Goal: Build muscle and strength

• Actions: Lift 4x, keep running volume <20 miles per week, eat in a caloric surplus

• Secondary Goal: PR 5k race

July - October:

• Primary Goal: Get faster for Fall Marathon

• Actions: Scale running into 40-50 mile weeks, lift 2x, eat to maintain weight/lose a small amount of weight

• Secondary Goal: Improve max pull-up #

November - Dec:

• Primary Goal: Maintain fitness through holidays

• Actions: Lift 3x, Run 3x, and eat at a maintenance level

The key to a well placed secondary goal is to make it mesh with your primary goal. Most people will be able to improve their 5k time with limited mileage (<20 miles per week) if you add in strategic speed sessions. This won’t take away from the ultimate goal of building muscle and strength, but it gives your endurance training some direction during this time.

Same goes with the secondary goal of improving max pull-up #. Pull-ups are easier the lighter you are and because the goal of this block is to maintain/lose weight, you can improve your back strength (strength is different than muscle) while in prep for the marathon. Again, it doesn’t take away from your goal of running a faster marathon…if it did, then it’s NOT an effective secondary goal.

So choose your goals carefully and focus on prioritization through different seasons.

Hope this helps,

Mike