What Is Hybrid Training  (The Good And The Bad)

Hybrid training is when you are involved in 2 separate sports or forms of workouts. The most common Hybrid Training Splits include:

• Weightlifting & Running
• Weightlifting  & Martial Arts
• Calisthenics & Rock Climbing

When you combine 2 separate sports, you shouldn’t expect to improve your performance in any one sport than if you were focusing on one sport only. However, many sports acknowledge that other sports provide crossover benefits. For example, a boxer may jog every morning to improve their cardio and lift weights twice a week to improve their strength. So we can conclude every sport has an element of hybrid training. However, when people typically discuss hybrid training, they aren’t speaking about professional athletes who spend more than 3 hours a day training. They are usually referring to people who do one sport on one day and another sport on another day during their free time. A good example would be someone who lifts weights 3 times a week and runs on the other 3 days of the week. When your hybrid training there are some positives and negatives to take into consideration.

The Positives:

• Prevents boredom
• Gives you the opportunity to develop Strength and Cardio
• Get better at 2 separate disciplines

The Negatives:

• More time commitment is required
• You may not receive as much rest
• You won’t maximize performance in any single sport and will most likely be average in each sport

To maximize the benefits of cross training I would recommend finding two sports that can benefit each other. For example, you can combine boxing and dancing and both sports will improve your footwork and have a crossover benefit. Or you might combine Running and Weightlifting, and focus on strength exercises that make you a better runner.