Hybrid Athlete Checklist: How to Combine Strength and Endurance the Right Way

Lifting and cardio.
Strength and endurance.
Weights and running.

Mainstream fitness calls it hybrid athlete training.

The science calls it concurrent training, defined as ‘the practice of combining both strength and endurance training into a single exercise program, either in the same session or on different days’

We call it concurrent training too, and it’s what we’ve been doing at GGA for well over a decade.

We think everyone should be training this way.
But there are right and wrong ways to do it...and unfortunately there's a lot of bad information floating around.

Let’s dive into what the science (and our experience) says if you’re looking to get into this style of training.

Here are 2 questions to ask, and a checklist, when choosing a hybrid training program:

athletics or aesthetics..what are you training for?

You may think these are the same thing, but they're not.

You can look good, but not be athletic (think certain bodybuilders)
You can also be really athletic, but that doesn't mean you'll be ripped.

Choosing the right program starts with defining what's most important to you.

You can look good and be athletic, but one still has to be the priority.
Because performance and physique don't always go hand in hand.

Bodybuilders have to sacrifice performance to look the way they do.
Just as athletes have to sacrifice their peak physique to get more out of their performance.

The subcategory for this, which is important for different programs, is deciding between strength and hypertrophy.

Most programs will bias one or the other.

Strength is usually more performance based, and involves percentages of 1RM.
Hypertrophy is usually more physique based, with the main goal to achieve a desired stimulus to the muscle.

Not a matter of right or wrong, better or worse..but still important to define.

is the program monkey see/monkey do?

Avoid these programs at all costs.

This is basically when someone (usually with an attractive physique and/or big following) shares their program to the masses.

The thought process is simple:
do what I do = get the results I have

This will get you average results at best.
At worst it will leave you overtrained or injured.

It's easy to underestimate how big of a fitness base these people already have under their belt.
Most have been training for decades, and you following their program for 6 weeks (or even a couple years) won't lead to the same results.

make sure they follow science based concurrent training principles (the checklist)

• training goals: clearly define your strength and endurance goals, and which one you want to improve the most. This can change (and probably should change) across different training cycles.
• order: train the higher priority first. If you want to improve strength, do this prior to endurance work. If endurance is the priority, make sure you're performing this when fresh. If you're on the fence, do strength first.
• recovery: 6-24 hours recovery between strength and endurance sessions is where the literature points to minimize the interference effect. If schedule allows, you can split sessions up AM/PM or perform them on separate days (more important for advanced athletes or those with specific training goals). If you just want to look and perform better you don't have to worry about stacking these together in a single session (which is much more time effective)
• training volume/intensity: for strength, focus on moderate to heavy loads to improve 1 rep max without impairing endurance work. For endurance, focus on moderate to high intensity aerobic work (ex: vo2 max training) while balancing fatigue.
• exercise selection: prioritize multi-joint exercises (think squats, pullups, deadlifts, etc) for strength sessions. Include sport specific exercises if training for endurance (if you want to get better at running...you need to run)
• monitor fatigue and track performance: you need to keep a pulse on both strength and endurance domains as you increase volume and/or intensity. If you are moving backwards in either, adjust your recovery (rest more and/or do less volume)
• age and experience: concurrent training can lead to significant improvements in both strength and endurance in younger or untrained individuals. This is the ideal way to train younger athletes. Older/more experienced individuals need to be more cautious of the interference effect (not a huge deal for the everyday Garage Gym Athlete, more for those chasing very specific performance goals)
• periodization: make sure your program has alternating periods of of high volume and high intensity to ensure continuous progress (and to prevent your program from becoming stale)
• consider taking breaks: use deload weeks, switch up training focus over a month/training cycle, and don't just redline all the time.
• strengthen your core: this is very easy to avoid but extremely important across performance (and injury prevention) in both running and lifting. When short on time, this tends to be what most people skip out on.

That's not an exhaustive list, but it should give you enough to reference when choosing a hybrid or concurrent training program.

If you want to avoid mistake #2 (monkey see monkey do) that most influencers are putting out there, and you want an actual science backed program that delivers results, try out our programming free for 7 days.

We don't care if you call it hybrid, concurrent, or strength and conditioning.
Just go get it done.