r/HybridAthlete

I’m not talking legs on Monday, run on Tuesday, upper body on Wednesday and doing these certain specific exercises in this certain order etc etc. I mean if you could time your workouts literally whenever you wanted during the day and night, when would it be? So the gym is always open whenever you want, the machines/equipment you want is always free, it’s always the perfect temperature for a run/bike/whatever, you’re not constrained by family or work commitments, you can do what you want, when you want and the only limiting factor is yourself (so no ‘run a marathon, have breakfast, bike a stage of the Tour de France, home for mid morning snack, glorious sex with Taylor Swift, break for lunch.’ There has to be some relation to reality).

For me, it would be something along the lines of:

8am wake up

8:30am breakfast

9:30am workout (gym or run depending on my schedule/plan)

11am back home to chill

12pm lunch

1pm go for a bike/walk. If walk, it’ll be a chill one with a podcast in a local nature reserve or in the mountains/hills or it would vary in intensity when biking

3/4pm get home to chill

5-7pm martial arts practice 2/3 times a week followed by a stretching session- time it with the more chill walk in the afternoon rather than a hard bike

7-8pm make dinner and chill

9pm bed

Would have at least one day total free of workouts with the exception of a chill afternoon walk.

Would be interested to see how your day/week would look

Hi!

I'm building a running base (currently jogging my easy runs at 8 min/km pace, so still very much a beginner!) and would like to follow a specific plan for strength training.

Disclaimer: Now, I know this sub advises you to read certain books and build your own strength training program from there. I'm currently in a situation in my life where I'm busy and a bit stressed, so I would very much like to externalize the work and time spent in designing my own program. Time for designing my own training might come later, but right now, I want to get in and out of the gym as easy and frictionless as possible and that's why I want to pay someone else to do the planning for me.

So, what I need is strength training at a gym twice a week. I'm comfortable with a barbell and compound lifts, not a lifting beginner. Preferably no olympic lifting though. I would love to have the workouts be 60 mins max, and if some prehab work is included, great. I do not want to pay for a running program since that's already taken care of.

The Lyss Method's Lifestyle plan would fit my needs perfectly, but the price is absurd to me ($89 a month) and there's no option to exclude the running and thus get the strength program cheaper.

Any help for me? Or will you shun me from this subreddit?

I’m currently prepping for my first Hyrox (training since Feb 27) and looking for perspective from others who’ve trained seriously for hybrid events.

Background: I completed 416 consecutive days of daily exercise last year, so I’m very comfortable with consistency and pushing through normal dips in motivation. This feels different.

Over the past 2 weeks or so, I’ve been dealing with what I’d describe as “training blues”:

-Low motivation going into sessions

-Workouts feel more like a grind than usual

-No real post-workout endorphin lift

-Mentally flat, even though I’m still completing everything

Current structure: 5 training days/week

- 2 Hyrox-style classes (F45)

- 1–2 runs/week

- 2 functional strength sessions/week

- 1–2 rest days

I’m not skipping workouts, and performance hasn’t fallen, but everything feels harder than it should.

I’m trying to figure out what signal this actually is:

- Accumulated fatigue / early overreaching?

- Underfueling relative to training load?

- External stress (family + stepping into a new leadership role)?

- Or just a normal phase in a Hyrox build?

For context: I am tracking calories and typically eating between ~1400–1800/day, so I’m open to the possibility that I’m underfueling for this level of output.

For those with experience in Hyrox or hybrid training:

Have you hit something similar mid-cycle? What ended up being the root cause?

Did you adjust training, nutrition, or recovery—and what actually made the biggest difference?

Trying to stay intentional here vs just grinding through it blindly.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been struggling with a bit of a mental tug-of-war lately and I’d love to hear some outside perspectives.

I consider myself a hybrid athlete, and my primary focus is on powerlifting and running (half marathons and full marathons).

I follow a structured program, and like most of us, I love seeing the data-driven progress in my numbers and paces.

However, I’m also someone who genuinely loves being active in nature beyond just the "required" miles.

Here’s the dilemma:

As the weather gets better, opportunities for "spontaneous fitness" are popping up everywhere.

Maybe friends invite me for a long hike or a long road bike ride on a day I’m supposed to do a recovery run. Or perhaps it’s a perfect afternoon for kayaking or a long swim in the lake, even though I know the extra fatigue might mess with my bench press or a heavy squat session the next day.

Logically, I know these "detours" are sub-optimal, and you can’t recover perfectly for a PR attempt or a specific tempo session.

But at the same time... I’m a recreational athlete.

I want this hybrid journey to be a supplement to a high-quality, active lifestyle, not a cage that makes me a slave to a spreadsheet.

I don't want to look back at a beautiful season and realize I missed out on great experiences because I was too worried about "ruining" a workout.

I'm curious how you guys navigate this.

How do you decide when to stick to the rigid plan and when to let spontaneity take over? How do you keep your training grounded in a healthy way so that you're staying disciplined without losing the joy of why we started being active in the first place?

I’m about 82–83kg at the moment and currently cutting (maintenance is around 2700, eating about 2168), but I’ve set myself a long-term goal of hitting the 1000lb club (squat, bench and deadlift total in one day) while also getting my 5K down to sub 20 minutes. I’m running a 5-day powerbuilding split (push, pull, legs, upper, full body with legs), and I’ve only just started running again — first 5K in about a year was around 30 minutes. My strength is still going up even in the deficit (bench is currently 5x5 at 80kg), but I’m trying to figure out how to balance getting stronger while also improving my running a lot. Anyone who’s done hybrid training, how would you set things up week to week so I can push both without burning out or one taking over the other?

I’ll be going to maintenance shortly for about four weeks and then going into a slight surplus.

My current 1rm are 100kg bench 147.5kg squat and 157.5kg deadlift.

Ive been strength training the past 3 years but ive always been active primarily in running/swimming. My weekly schedule consists of:

Monday- full body gym + 30 min hyrox cardio inspired finisher + 1km pool swim

Tuesday-4km swim

Wed- same as Monday

Thursday 15-17km run + 1 km swim

Friday- same as Monday and Wednesday

Sat- 17-20km run

Sun- 4km swim

Stats: 22f 169cm 52kg. Steps 20k +

Also some yoga and Pilates classes through out the week

I feel as though I’m not progressing in my lifts as much as I could be but I’m addicted to this training lifestyle. I prefer cardio/endurance based sports in terms of enjoyment but would like to gain muscle from a body composition point of view.. thoughts appreciated!

Hey everyone, looking for some advice on my running.

I currently train 6 days a week: 3 gym sessions + 3 runs (1 interval, 1 easy, 1 long run), with 1 rest day (usually Saturday). I’ve been consistent for about 12 weeks and plan to keep going long term.

My concern is about my easy runs. I run very slow (around 9:50-10:00 min/km), and it feels easy. I can hold a conversation and don’t feel too fatigued. But my heart rate still goes up to around 150-165 bpm, which seems high for an “easy” effort.

Because of that, I’m not sure if I’m actually running easy enough or if I should just trust how I feel instead of the hear rate

* Should I slow down even more, or is this normal?

* How can I improve my easy run pace over time?

Appreciate any advice!

I’ve been looking into compression boots lately and wanted to get some real-world feedback.

From what I’ve read, they’re supposed to improve circulation and help flush out waste products after tough sessions, which sounds great in theory. Some research shows they can reduce soreness and improve perceived recovery, but the evidence on actual performance benefits seems mixed at best.

That’s where I’m a bit stuck. I’m considering getting a pair, but I’d be going for a premium option rather than generic ones from sites like Amazon, AliExpress, or Alibaba, so it’s a pretty big investment.

My main goal would be using them after weightlifting and heavy workouts to recover faster and stay consistent with training.

For those who’ve used them consistently, do they actually make a noticeable difference, or is it more of a “feels good but not essential” kind of thing? Would really appreciate honest experiences before I commit.

So last month, since acquiring my first tracker, I’ve shifted my runs from fairly challenging, to HR focused. I’ve been targeting mid 120’s for my workouts.

Recently, I ran my first half since training like this, about 7 weeks after my prior one. I dealt with high temperature and humidity in both (albeit the first one was cooler), and my performance was a full 9 minutes worse. Pretty disappointing.

This calls my training into question. It’s possible that the conditions were just awful, but I’ve also been training in the 120’s almost exclusively. If I get over 132, I back off. If I get below 120, I pick it up. But my RHR is around 53, and at age 40, maybe I’m underestimating my Z2?

How hard should I be training, in terms of HR, to maximize my aerobic benefits? I’m disappointed in my performance, and have a long way to go, in order to try and target a 5 hour marathon.

I want to do cardio (running, swimming, cycling) and a strength (lifting) workout on the same day. Is it scientifically better to first do cardio and then lifting or vice versa?

Any experiences on that?

I’ve been training across multiple sports for a while (gym, running, cycling, sometimes swimming and mobility work), and I keep running into the same problem:

Every sport has its own app, its own plan, and its own logic.

What ends up happening is:

I follow a running plan from one app

strength training from another

and cycling / cardio sessions separately

mobility and recovery gets added “on top” when I remember it

The result is that my weekly load often feels unbalanced. I either:

overdo it without realizing it;

or end up skipping sessions because the week becomes unrealistic

What I’m missing is not another training app, but something that:

understands all my sports together

adapts the weekly plan based on total load

avoids conflicts between workouts (e.g. heavy leg day + intervals + long run) and still respects my goals (like preparing for a race or event)

I’m curious if others here are dealing with the same thing:

- Do you combine multiple sports in your training?

- How do you currently manage overlapping training plans?

- Do you just manually adjust everything, or is there a tool that actually works for this?

I’ve tried looking online but they all just focus on weights and running

I’ve been going down a rabbit hole as of lately to identify the top hybrid training apps (web or App Store)

Evidently, there is a shortage of pure, hybrid-focused training apps. Instead, you’ll come across options such as TrainingPeaks, Strava / Runna, etc. which merely implicitly sprinkle in some elements of hybrid training in the form of supplementary strength work (which is often extremely flawed and limited).

My big question for the community: if a genuine, complete hybrid training app ever were built, what are the main features you would look for / desire?

I ask this from the perspective of:

1. Programming (broad physical goals vs more event specific)

2. data input (how much data you are willing to feed the system for accurate and individualized program generation)

3. General Aesthetic / interface features

4. The importance of a “performance dashboard”that displays your progress across different physical attributes

5. Daily workout display

6. (Anything else????)

Any insights would be immensely appreciated.

https://preview.redd.it/hrolfq54dsvg1.png?width=1126&format=png&auto=webp&s=7a673a1ee09866e68e3f96c1c08568c3247af541

Looking for input on my training so far to try and get this goal crossed off my list. I've done both separately but combining them together seems to create major issues for my shoulder/back. I stayed away from low bar squatting to try and focus on my running, but that left me with an incredibly poor squat after my race. I have until October 11th when I'll try to on Friday powerlift 1200 and then run a sub 24 ultra marathon on an incredibly easy course. For this training block into my 50 mile Mohican race I want to get my powerlifting above 1200, but this might be too aggressive. Should I no matter what go back to focusing on running after this race, or should I wait to see what my powerlifting/running results are with this race. Also any overall input would be appreciated.

Hi, looking for some advice from you guys regarding strength programming. My main focus is running/cycling, which I am training 4-5 times per week. I have been doing some gym work 1-2 sessions/week for the last 3 months, very unstructured with about 2 working sets per exercise and session, going for 0-2 reps in reserve every working set. I have been a bit cautious with leg volume since I've been upping my endurance volume simultaneously. Now I want to take the strength part of my training a bit more seriously.

Current status:

180 cm / 77 kg

Recent hard (not max) sets: Deadlift 135 kg x 5 / Zercher squat 70 kg x 8 / Bench 60 kg x 10 / Overhead press 40 kg x 8 / 10 chin-ups (BW)

Have always struggled with squats compared to DL for some reason, much prefer the feeling of Zerchers compared to back squats so will be continuing with that.

My strength goals are:

1. Reach an "intermediate" level of strength which I have arbitrarily defined as (1RMs):

160 kg DL

120 kg squat

95 kg bench

80 kg row

60 kg overhead press

15 chin-ups

2. Improve my running, cycling as well as prepare me for skiing, surfing, hiking, climbing and kayaking which are occasional activites for me.

I want a program that I can do twice a week and that can be finished within 60-70 minutes of gym time. I don't want to feel super fatigued from the lifting every single week. I am not looking to pack on a lot of weight, but of course wouldn't mind some body recomp. I have no interest in calorie counting. My work is not physically demanding and won't be interfering with training except for night shifts and general stress.

Been doing a little bit of reading about programs like 531, Tactical Barbell and Stronger by Science, but there are just so many programs out there, most of them not really aimed at 2x/week. I also think I probably have some noob gains left in me still. I'd prefer a program that includes the above mentioned exercises. A full body routine seems most logical with the low frequency. Got my running/cycling figured out, so not looking for a comprehensive program for all three activites.

Thanks for reading! Do you guys have some tips for me?

I’ve recently added Pilates into my week. I gym (strength train full body) 3 x a week, run 2 x a week (15-17km each run) and swim 2 x a week (4km each swim) . Additionally I do 2-3 mat Pilates classes.. which I’ve been scheduling on the same day as my run or swim days. So far it’s been okay but my recovery from lifting has been slower and I’m not sure wether it’s interfering with my potential to lift heavier due to fatigue and not recovering properly due to the Pilates .. or it could be the running? Either way, any thoughts or experiences would be appreciated!! Thank you

Interested in hearing all suggestions, but would really love to find something that includes it all.

My background is mostly powerlifting, a little CrossFit/weightlifting/gymnastics, & some beginner BJJ. I don’t compete in anything anymore, just do this for fun/health/lifestyle, so I’d love to find something like an inexpensive app I can pay for vs a 1:1 coach, something more pricey, or an X-week long program.

I’ve found some programs but I haven’t come across exactly what I’m looking for, so unsure if it exists.

Hey all,

lately I’ve been trying to become a more well-rounded athlete — mostly resistance training and cycling, with some conditioning and mobility mixed in.

At some point I realized something a bit uncomfortable: I actually had no idea how fit I was. Not in a motivational sense - I mean objectively. I had numbers everywhere. 5K times, lifts, FTP, random benchmarks scattered across multiple apps. But none of them answered a simple question:

Is this good for my age or am I just guessing?

Most fitness apps either don’t give you any real benchmarks, or they push you into social feeds that don’t actually tell you how you’re doing — and often leave you more discouraged than motivated.

As a doctor, that felt off. In medicine, we interpret everything against population data and try to stay as objective as possible. A lab value means nothing without context.

My fitness felt like the opposite - lots of data, no reference point. So I started building something.

It’s called Arete. The idea is simple: you input your best results and get scored 0–10 across six performance domains (strength, power, endurance, speed, mobility, coordination), all benchmarked against population data for your age and sex.

What surprised me was how different the picture looks when you actually normalize things. Some areas I thought were “fine” really weren’t, and others were stronger than I expected.

I’m still early with it and mostly trying to figure out if this way of looking at fitness makes sense — especially for people who already think in terms of mixed-domain fitness.

You can try it absolutely for free and if you like it, you can either get a full one-time report or continue tracking with Pro subscription.

P.S. iOS app is coming soon — planning to add integrations and automatic data import so you don’t have to input everything manually.

Would really appreciate honest feedback and will be happy to answer any of your questions.

https://www.getarete.eu/

Thanks, Marek 👋