r/HybridAthlete

Don't have many people interested in my endeavours to be a mediocre hybrid athlete so given I've just done my first backyard ultra I thought I'd share some of the events I've done and PBs I've achieved over the last year or so with the only group of people I know who might be interested.

I completed my first backyard ultra in June, calling it a night at 15 hours, just over 100km (62 miles).

https://preview.redd.it/mzpv3ag39ibh1.png?width=3072&format=png&auto=webp&s=d2546716d40109d4672c9f27c6a1624b632ad9af

I broke a sub 20 5km for the first time at the end of May, down from 22:33 last September.

https://preview.redd.it/ac17s1cv9ibh1.png?width=1502&format=png&auto=webp&s=84318ff998d2b7c4c7b6905f7e3ecdfd9a3c9f9b

In terms of lifting, as I transitioned to preparing for my "endurance" heavy events back in October I signed off with a 115kg bench, 160kg squat and a 220kg deadlift.

I don't have a video of any of the lifts around October but here is the first time I hit the 220kg deadlift in August last year.

In terms of other things I've done over the last year or two;

• 2026 burpees on New Year's day. Thread here.
• A couple of sprint triathlons and a standard distance triathlon.
• Marathon on the ski erg (having done the marathon on the rower some years ago) here.
• About 4 or so Hyrox, including Madrid back in November and Manchester in January.
• 10kg strict weighted muscle up.

Consistently weight around 80kgs give or take a couple at around 171/172cm (5'7.5 or something).

Physique picture if people are interested in what I do generally sit around at (typically less groomed though...)

https://preview.redd.it/5tobmj6cbibh1.png?width=563&format=png&auto=webp&s=d5083f17796b3d221f87b4ece4f812f2bcd669b5

I suppose this post is just to share what someone who has a job, a relationship, a dog and a house renovation can do if semi-committed. Happy to answer any questions but I don't know if I have anything particularly exciting to share.

I started originally as a runner so always had Garmin but Garmin falls short in anything not endurance related, gym workouts for example do damn all for training load etc. I tend to do 3 x 5k runs per week, 3 full body strength and usually a hike or long walk on a Sunday. I have an Apple Watch which is okay but it’s the battery life isn’t great.

Anyone do this?

Scheduling conflicts means I’m limited in the week with days

Hey everyone!

I work a busy healthcare job and am currently struggling with burnout - I don’t think 5/6 workouts a week is feasible for me and I feel so fatigued after my morning workouts.

I really enjoy the hybrid style of training. I aim to workout at home before work as I have access to barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, bench and stationary bike etc. I also try to keep my workouts to a maximum of 45 minutes.

I’m currently looking to move into a 4 day hybrid split but am stuck on how best to structure it so that it is effective for both strength and cardiovascular endurance. I was thinking:

1 - Fully body strength + threshold interval conditioning
2 - Upper body strength
3 - Lower body strength
4 - Zone 2 steady state conditioning

Does this sound like a good plan? Also, is two strength sessions better and then I could move the threshold interval conditioning onto a separate day? Also, if I was to add threshold interval conditioning onto the back of a strength session, how long should this session be? I just don’t want my sessions running over 60 mins. Thank you for any advice!

Hey, trying to get into this hybrid athlete way of living and this is how my routine currently looks. Will appreciate all feedback!

Monday : Upper Body A

1. Horizontal Push — Barbell Bench Press — 3×10-12 u/8-9
2. Vertical Pull — Medium Width Pronated or Neutral Grip Pullups (weighted if necessary) — 3×10-12 u/8-9
3. Chest Iso — Machine Flye — 3×12-20 u/8-9
4. Tricep Iso — Dumbbell Triceps Overhead Extension — 3×12-20 u/8-9
5. Horizontal Pull — One Arm Dumbbell Row — 3×12-20 u/8-9
6. Bicep Iso — Dumbbell Bicep Curl — 3×10-12 u/8-9
7. Delt Iso — Dumbbell Lateral Raise — 3×15-20 u/9-10

Tueday: 90 Minutes of Padel

Wednesday: Lower Body

1. Leg Push Compound — Barbell Back Squat — 3×10-12 u/8-9
2. Hip Compound — Barbell Hip Thrust — 3×10-12 u/8-9
3. Quad Iso — Leg Extension — 3×10-15 u/8-9
4. Ham Iso — Lying Leg Curl — 3×10-15 u/8-9
5. Calves — Standing Calf Raise — 6×10-15 u/8-9
6. Abs — Cable Crunch — 4×12-20 u/8-9

Thursday: Upper Body B

1. Horizontal Push — Incline Dumbbell Bench Press — 3×10-12 u/8-9
2. Vertical Pull — Close Grip Lat Pulldown — 3×10-12 u/8-9
3. Chest Iso — Cable Crossover — 3×15-20 u/8-9
4. Tricep Iso — Tricep Pushdown — 3×12-20 u/8-9
5. Horizontal Pull — Cable Row — 3×12-20 u/8-9
6. Bicep Iso — Cable Curl — 3×10-12 u/8-9
7. Delt Compound — Upright Cable Row — 3×12-15 u/8-9

Friday: Cardio Intervals

1-2-3 ladder" followed by sprint finishers:

Phase 1 — The Ladder (×4 rounds)
Each round is a ladder that climbs in both time and speed:

• 1 min run → short break
• 2 min run (speed up in minute 2) → short break
• 3 min run (speed up every minute) → short break

Do the ladder 4 times, then take a longer break to catch your breath.

Phase 2 — Sprint Finishers (×4 rounds)

• 45 sec high-intensity run, rest between rounds.

Saturday: Rest

Saturday: Rest

So I'm following a very loose conjugate inspired program, basically doing two max effort days (upper and lower) and two volume/athletic days (instead of dynamic effort). Goals are to increase my general athleticism, strength in the deadlift, front squat, and bench as well as just general strength and a bit of hypertrophy. I know people on this sub generally focus on combining distance running and lifting but if there are any people who train for more of a athletic/speed/jump and heavy lifting focus, a review of my program would be helpful:

SUNDAY - ATHLETIC/VOLUME LOWER

• 40-50 yard sprints: 3-5 total sprints, autoregulate. Rest 4-5 minutes between efforts.
• Approach jumps: 12-15 minutes of max effort jumps with rest between efforts as needed. Quality over quantity.
• Hang/block power cleans: 8-10 x 1. Focus on technique and speed and slowly add small amounts of weight over time.
• Front squats: 2x5-8 double progression (RPE 7).
• Tempo RDL’s: 2x6-10 double progression (RPE 7).

MONDAY - MAX EFFORT UPPER

• Main upper lift (bench press variation): Rotate every 3 weeks.
  • Week 1: near maximal set of 5.
  • Week 2: near maximal triple.
  • Week 3: near maximal single.
  • Backoff sets: 4-5x3 @ 80% of estimated 1RM.
• Weighted chin-ups: 3x5-8 double progression.
• Overhead press: 3x5-8 double progression.
• Meadows rows: 3x5-8 double progression each side.
• Arm & shoulder accessory work: Barbell bicep curls, tricep extensions, lateral and rear delt raises/flys. 3x6-10 double progression for biceps and triceps. 40-50 rep giant set for lateral raises.

THURSDAY - MAX EFFORT LOWER

• Jump variation: Primer, not fatiguing. A few stimulating reps. Quality over quantity.
• Main lower lift (deadlift variation): Rotate every 3 weeks. Must be a variation that is harder/forces a lighter load, not overloaded.
  • Week 1: near maximal set of 5.
  • Week 2: near maximal triple.
  • Week 3: near maximal single.
  • Backoff sets: 2-3x3 @ 80% of estimated 1RM.
• Front squats: 6x2 to 6x3 Hepburn progression.

FRIDAY - VOLUME UPPER

• Comp bench press: 3x6-10 double progression.
• Pull-ups: 3x6-10 double progression.
• Dips: 3x6-10 double progression.
• Kroc rows: 2x8-12 double progression each arm.
• Arm & shoulder accessory work: Barbell bicep curls, tricep extensions, lateral and rear delt raises/flys. 3x6-10 double progression for biceps and triceps. 40-50 rep giant set for lateral raises.

Notes

• The max effort near-maximal lifts should be closer to RPE 8.5-9.
• The RPE double progressions for front squat and RDL’s on Sunday mean once all 10 reps are completed with 3 reps in reserve, add a small amount of weight.

My main reason for following the conjugatish layout is that I find it incredibly fun and easy to add athletic work to. Any suggestions/advice would be helpful!

I'm trying to balance getting stronger while improving my running without overdoing it. Striving to gym 3-4 times/week (ULUL) and run 2-3 times/week.

Beyond the obvious (body weight, lifts, PRs, running pace), what do you actually track?

So, I’m becoming a blood donor.

Currently, I don’t train like a madwoman, but I have a consistent schedule of a few strength and a few cardio sessions a week, a mix of running and cycling. I would rate my endurance as decent.

My question is: when losing a noticeable blood volume, obviously your endurance takes a hit. Your strength, I imagine, takes a lesser hit. How large of a hit is it? How quickly do you recover? How do you adjust your training?

Would love to hear personal experiences.

I’m after some tips for how I can optimise my training whilst working a mix of a day and night shifts. I will often finish work at 6:00am after a night shift, have a few days off, then be back at 6:00am for a day shift. I tend to give myself 4 hours of sleep after my last night shift, then have an early night so my body and brain can go back to day mode. However, I am aware of the negative impacts of reduced sleep and having an irregular sleep pattern. Is anyone else in a similar situation and be happy to share what you do? I currently do resistance training 4x a week and run 3x a week. However, I am fairly new to running (started in December), and I think it is since starting running that I have been more concerned about having optimal recovery due to the increased demand I am putting on my body.

What were your stats?

Hello,
I am a seasoned lifter who has recent gotten into running. Due to my schedule I am limited to 3 days per week to exercise in which I lift and run, I do a 3 days full body split. My main goal right now is to improve my running as well as lose some fat while at least maintaining muscle. Is there any particular reason to chose to run first and lift later in the day or vice versa? Or is it really just personal preference. TIA

Hello everyone,

So till now I was lifting 4 days a week (Upper Lower) and having a running Light session on either upper days or non workout days (2-3). However recently I have incorporated Yoga in my routine and want to shift to new split which is 3days (Upper lower and full body). I have tried incorporating all movement patterns in this. Would love to hear from you guys about its feasibility and correctness.

Day 1 – Upper

Barbell Bench Press

Pull-Up (or Lat Pulldown)

Overhead Press

Barbell Row

Face Pull

Farmer's Carry

Day 2 – Lower (Strength + Stability)

Back Squat

Romanian Deadlift

Bulgarian Split Squat

Single-Leg

Dumbell Step-Up

Standing Calf Raise

Pallof Press

Day 3 – Full Body

Conventional Deadlift

Front Squat(Light)

Leg curl

Incline Dumbbell Press

Seated Cable Row /T-Bar Row)

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Hammer Curl

Cable Triceps Pushdown

Hanging Leg Raise

I've been weightlifting for the last 2 1/2 years and built a pretty solid physique. Currently I'm 27M 5'10 185 lbs and around 15-16% body fat. I'm kinda getting burnt out of weightlifting and looking for something new. I have a few friends who are getting into marathons/triathlons. Id like to start running and maybe do a marathon next year but I kind of find it hard to believe that I won't lose a bunch of muscle mass running that much. Most of the influencers I've seen who do run marathons etc seem to be juiced or lifting 10+ years before getting into hybrid training. What are you guys experiences for those who have transitioned from body building to hybrid training? I'm a big fan of Jeff Nippard. Are there any good recommendations of influencers for hybrid training that are natural and explain the science behind it?

TLDR

Transitioning from body building scared of losing muscle mass. Looking for other people's experiences who have transitioned. Also any good recommendations of influencers for hybrid training that are natural and explain the science behind it?

I see a lot of routine and program creation questions in the community. Would anyone be interested in collaborating on a foundational training system that can answer all of these questions and act as a good starting point for anyone looking to build their own hybrid training plan?

I understand that it is hard to have a single "The Routine", because hybrid training means...whatever you want. Whatever your goals are changes the whole routine.

HOWEVER I think we could create a foundational system with the basics: How to manage running + lifting, how to incorporate calisthenics & rucking if desired, when cycling & swimming can act as low impact alternatives.

I think it could be simple...or as complicated as we decide it should be.

It can also act as a foundational resource for nutrition, fueling, and periodization.

Thoughts? Do others feel the need for this sort of community resource? Or are recommended purchases (TB books etc) enough?

Hi everyone!

I'm a complete beginner in the gym and I'm feeling overwhelmed by the amount of conflicting advice online.

My main goals are:

Train for a marathon (running is my priority)

Lose weight/body fat

Build muscle and get stronger

The problem is that every trainer, YouTube video, AI recommends something different, and I honestly don't know what to follow anymore.

I'm especially confused about how I should structure my strength training:

Should I do Push/Pull Workouts?

Muscle-specific days like chest, back, shoulders, legs, etc.?

Or full-body workouts?

Since running is my main goal, I don't want my gym routine to negatively affect my running performance or recovery.

Another thing that's driving me crazy is muscle soreness (DOMS). 😭 After every strength workout, especially leg day, I'm sore for 2–3 days. Sitting down, standing up, and walking downstairs become a struggle. Is this normal for beginners? Does it get better? How do you recover faster without skipping workouts?

I'd really appreciate advice from people who have trained for endurance events while lifting. If you were starting from scratch, what weekly routine would you recommend?

These are my 3 goals

I want to get stronger, I'm 143lbs at 5'7 and want to reach 150lbs in a short term bulk. My ultimate goal is 155-165 (depending on how I feel while playing soccer) while lean. I want to be stronger and lose fat.

I want to get better at soccer. Basketball is a side sport I also play but I have varying amounts of cardio per week. Sometimes the runs are active and we play for hours or I can only get a kick-about for 30 min and sometimes I'm by myself just kicking around.

I want to get faster in my sports, this would require sprint training ofc.

I feel like it's hard to juggle all three. If there are any footballers how many lift days should I do? I have 3 but should I do 2? Haven't added a sprint day yet but is it 1x a week or 2?