What is a hybrid athlete?

By now, you’ve likely heard of the concept of the “hybrid athlete”. If you’re reading this, you almost definitely have. Hybrid training has become increasingly popular as athletes look for a more balanced and holistic approach to their fitness but it’s still not entirely understood by many.

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What is a Hybrid Athlete?

A hybrid athlete is an athlete that takes a multi-disciplinary approach to their training with the goal of achieving high performance across both strength and endurance. They often compete in endurance events like marathons, triathlons, etc. while simultaneously strength training to maintain their performance baseline. The hybrid athlete is a jack of all trades, master of none, that has a love for pushing themselves and doing hard things.

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Why become a hybrid athlete?

There are some real benefits to training as a hybrid athlete, not to mention it’s just fundamentally more fun to mix up your training across multiple modalities vs. focusing on a single one.

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Mindset & personal growth

 Embracing the “do hard things” lifestyle and mastering multiple disciplines can be a source of immense personal pride and satisfaction. Overcoming challenges across different domains fosters resilience, mental fortitude, confidence, and a sense of accomplishment. 

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Physical Versatility 

Hybrid athletes develop a wide range of skills and abilities. This versatility allows them to participate and excel in multiple sports or physical activities, making them well-rounded and adaptable. There are also immense cross-training benefits. Plus, it feels great to outlift the lifters while also outrunning the runners.

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Holistic Health Benefits 

Hybrid training provides health benefits from improved cardiovascular health and increased muscle mass to better joint health and metabolic function. Everyone knows exercise is good for you, but taking a hybrid approach helps you build muscle, lose fat, and overall helps you build an optimal physical baseline.

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Enhanced Athletic Longevity

Two of the strongest correlates to longevity are V02 max and grip strength. The varied training approach of a hybrid athlete improves both and has the balanced athletic regiment that helps to improve both healthspan and lifespan.

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Social Opportunities

There is a tightly-knit community surrounding hybrid athletics (shoutout to the HYBRD community). Beyond that, engaging in varied activities allows for a wider social circle in general since there are opportunities to connect with people in a greater number of athletic settings like running clubs or weightlifting groups.

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Conclusion

Training as a hybrid athlete is rooted in physical performance but it’s much more than that. Being a hybrid athlete involves embracing a lifestyle that values versatility, continual learning, embracing adversity, and holistic well-being. 

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The beauty of hybrid athletics is that it looks different for everyone. Being a hybrid athlete isn’t defined by instagram-worthy abs or completing iron-distance triathlons. It’s about working hard to get stronger and go for longer, pushing yourself to embrace new challenges, and embracing the do hard things mentality.

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