Unlock Results with the Power of the Hybrid Gym Model

An expert in hybrid gym, athlete and trainer Jake Dearden reveals an innovative approach designed to boost everyone’s performance.

Whether you’re training for a HYROX competition or simply want to take your fitness to the next level, hybrid training can help you push yourself and build a versatile and functional skill set, all while achieving the perfect balance between cardio and strength training.

“Hybrid gym gives me a sense of satisfaction because it allows me to be both strong and fit,” explains Jake Dearden, HYROX champion, specialist, and coach. “Often, we focus on one rather than the other, but there’s no point in being very strong if you can’t climb a flight of stairs without getting out of breath.”

What is HYROX ?

Not familiar with HYROX? The principle is simple. As part of a race, you run one kilometer, complete a full workout, and then start running again. Eight kilometers, eight workouts.

The brainchild of Christian Toetzke, a veteran cyclist, marathon runner, and triathlete, Moritz Fuerste, a three-time Olympic medalist, and Michael Trautmann, a marketing guru, HYROX was launched in Germany in 2017.

Since then, it has skyrocketed, with 40 races in 2023 alone, attracting 90,000 participants and 50,000 spectators in London, Sydney, and Taipei.

Dearden was keen to emphasize one point: hybrid training to prepare for HYROX is not based on aesthetics, but on athletic performance. You benefit from metrics that accurately measure your fitness and progress compared to past races.

Hybrid Gym : What is hybrid training?

Hybrid training simply involves training with different types of exercises.
For example, some of us may cycle, others may run, and still others may use weights and dumbbells.

Hybrid training, such as that required for HYROX, challenges your body by pushing it through functional movements that engage it fully, while adding a good dose of cardio in the running sections.

Hybrid training gives me a sense of satisfaction because it allows me to be both strong and fit.

Shorter than a half marathon, cardio training will definitely help boost your metabolism, while resistance training (with weights) is designed to improve balance and strength.

This means that almost all your muscles will be working and your lungs will be burning at the end of the exercise.

But don’t worry, you don’t have to be the best athlete in the world to participate in a race. You can go at your own pace with competitors at your level.

Hybrid Gym : Does hybrid training help build muscle?

It is often believed that cardio kills muscle gain: if you move too much instead of focusing solely on weights, your body will use your new muscle mass as fuel, preventing you from becoming a real muscleman.
However, while there is some truth to this claim, a quick glance at any HYROX competitor shows that you can definitely build muscle by combining resistance training and cardio.

But what does science say? It turns out that hybrid training is not only beneficial for your performance, but also for your overall fitness and cardiovascular health, while reducing your risk of injury.

First, a study published in AHA Journals in June 2022 examined the impact of different types of training on cardiovascular fitness by systematically reviewing 81 randomized controlled trials. The study looked at data from 4,331 people, 59% of whom were women.

It found that “combining different forms of training was the most effective form and hybrid training was the second most effective for improving cardiometabolic health outcomes in these populations.” This means that hybrid training was more effective than HIIT, regular jogging, and pure strength training for protecting your heart and lungs.

Another study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, looked at whether professional athletes could train smarter and harder to avoid injuries.

The article explores the “training-injury prevention paradox” model and concludes that gradually increasing training over time, while mixing training protocols (as in hybrid training), leads to better overall fitness, greater strength, and a reduced risk of injury.

Still not convinced? A recent study published in the Kurume Medical Journal focused on the arms, with three different groups training three times a week for six weeks. The researchers concluded that hybrid training “increases forearm strength and muscle mass without negatively affecting hand function in healthy male subjects.”

“It’s entirely possible to build muscle by following hybrid training protocols,” adds Dearden. With one caveat: you need to make sure you have a slight calorie surplus.

“In fact, our oxygen reserves only last 90 minutes, and once they’re depleted, your body will look elsewhere for energy. This can break down muscle faster than fat,” explains the Englishman. “As long as we still have carbohydrates in our system and our workouts aren’t too long, we can definitely build strength.”

What does a hybrid training program look like?

As mentioned above, HYROX has experienced significant growth, largely due to the fact that it repeats exercises, alternating 1 km runs with eight blocks of fitness exercises.

Let’s be more specific: the first block is a 1 km sprint measured by the ski erg, a machine you’ve probably already used at your gym. This is followed by a 50m sleg push, then 50m sleg pull, 80m burpee jumps, 1km rowing, a 200m farmer’s carry, 100m lunges and, finally, 75 or 100 wall ball repetitions.

Naturally, you’ll want to train on these basic movements, and since they make up half of the event, running should take up a good percentage of your training.

“You absolutely must start by familiarizing yourself with the HYROX exercises,” explains Dearden. “This will only improve your efficiency.”

If you don’t have access to the equipment needed for HYROX training but still want to work on your skills in this discipline, Dearden says that squats, deadlifts, and single-leg lunges are excellent options.

Prenez confiance en vous avec les mouvements HYROX. Cela ne peut qu’améliorer votre efficacité.

“Focus on performing a wide variety of movements, lots of swaps, lots of deadlifts,” he suggests. As mentioned above, HYROX’s popularity is due to the fact that it involves repetitive exercises.

Experts recommend giving yourself at least 12 weeks to prepare for your first event, dividing your training more or less equally between moderate-intensity cardio, such as a good 10K run, more intensive cardio, such as a treadmill sprint session or a ski erg session, and weight training, focusing on compound movements such as bench presses, deadlifts, and squats, which develop muscles throughout the body.

For beginners, Dearden suggests keeping it simple by dividing sessions into two parts, one devoted to strength training and the other to running. You can also spread the different blocks over several days.

Hybrid gym, What not to do ?

What you shouldn’t do is combine your existing strength training program with a separate running program. As Dearden explains, if you do that, you’ll just be doing two different workouts side by side—workouts that aren’t necessarily complementary in the true spirit of hybrid training. It’s better to combine them, tailoring each session to your overall goals.

“I do two days of strength work, two days of running work, focusing on speed and endurance. Then I do a big conditioning session to build my mobility despite the muscle fatigue I feel in my legs. I’m just trying to keep getting stronger.”

Ultimately, the key to success, as Dearden knows, is to focus on your weaknesses. Don’t like running? It’s time to improve your cardio. Not a fan of burpees? Nobody is, but give them a try anyway. You’ll quickly learn to love these different aspects of the discipline.