What is A Hybrid Athlete?

It’s not about going longer, or the latest gel or hydration mix (though you know I love those, too). It’s something that’s made me a stronger, faster, and honestly, healthier athlete. I’m talking about Hybrid training. And before you roll your eyes and think, “Isn’t that just CrossFit?”— it’s not. In fact, it’ll make you better.

What is Hybrid Training?

Hybrid athletes combine high-intensity strength exercises with fast, relatively short runs. The sport of Hyrox is the ultimate expression of this, and if I’m the first to tell you about it, I won’t be the last. It’s blowing up in the endurance world.

As an athlete over 40 (okay, almost 50—yikes), adding Hybrid training 2–3 times per week has put me in the best shape of my life. Better than when I was riding 25 hours a week or training full-time for ski racing. There’s something magic about pairing running with short bursts of strength work.

I'm not going to say this is about body composition (we aren't doing this for the looks, right?), but being an all around athlete makes you feel better. I've never seen a single sport or style of training have such an immediate change on lean body mass (i.e. more lean strength).

What is a Hyrox Race?

A Hyrox event goes like this: run 1km, do an exercise (2–4 minutes), run another 1km. Repeat 8 times. You’ll cover 8km of running and 8 exercises—things like SkiErg, rowing, sled pushes, burpees, lunges, kettlebell carries, and wall balls. It’s high-intensity, but nothing you can’t handle. You go at your own pace.

You don’t have to sign up for a Hyrox to start training like a hybrid athlete. Here’s a simple workout to try:

• Run 500m

• SkiErg 500m

• Run 500m

• Row 500m

• Run 500m

• Wall Balls (8kg to 20kg) 50 times.

As an endurance athlete at heart, I focus on my weaknesses here so I cut back on the running. For example, run 500m as fast as you can, then do 3 to 4 of the exercises I outlined (If you Google “Hyrox Workouts” you’ll find tons of videos). Then do the run again and repeat the exercises. Take a 2 minute breather between sets. Don’t overthink it, just do it. If you can stick with it 2x a week for a month, you’ll see a big difference—I know I did.

And no, this won’t hurt your endurance training. It’ll make you better. My cycling is stronger, my running is way better, and I feel better overall—less back pain, less fatigue, just more energy. Now if you are trying to win the Tour de France this summer, maybe don't start this now. But the for the rest of us, I say, start now. Don't wait until the off season.

How to Fuel Hybrid Training

It is very similar to endurance fueling, you want to make sure you have enough carbs at the start, keep hydrating, and the biggest difference is how important protein is post-workout. I learned that lesson the hard way.

Hydrate Pre-workout

Take a pre-workout drink about an hour before for the hydration, glycogen top-up, and energy boost. Carbs & Caffeine (& Ketones)

One caffeinated gel at the start, another gel after 30 minutes. So far, I've seen SIS been the dominant gel used by Hyrox athletes. I also take a Ketone IQ Green Apple shot 30 minutes before.

Hydrate

Remember 750ml of hydration per hour, I like Mortal for this type of training, but I've seen that Amacx and Precision is also popular with Hybrid Athletes. I think the new Magna hydration (magnesium focused) is also going to be huge with Hybrid athletes.

Protein Post Workout

A clear whey protein shake with 30–40g of protein and 3g of creatine.

I've been drinking MyProtein's Tropical Dragonfruit Clear Protein, it taste delicious, and has 20g of fast-absorbing hydrolyzed whey protein isolate under 90 calories per serving.

Performance Boost

SwissRX Nitric Oxide is a game-changer for this high intensity, oxygen deficit type training. I notice a huge difference when I take it before a workout versus when I don't. And if you really want to push the limits, Maurten Bicarb + Beta Alanine will take you to the next level.

My biggest mistake when I started?

Not enough protein. The real gains kicked in when I got religious about post-workout protein. By gains I mean better recovery, and despite the calories, where more lean muscle mass (basically the more protein I added in the better the body composition that resulted).

My favorite move has been ditching the chocolate and vanilla and jumping on the new trend in protein: Clear Whey. It’s light, refreshing, and way easier to drink than your typical protein shake. You can mix it with water, but I still like to blend it up and use whole milk—it gives it a little extra richness without being too heavy. It’s been a game-changer for recovery and muscle gains, especially with how much I’m pushing my body with this style of training.

The Feed x Hyrox

I got my first taste of Hyrox in Las Vegas in January, and I couldn’t believe how many endurance athletes were there. It’s still catching on in the U.S., but it’s huge in Europe. The format is fun and social—you can race solo or with a partner (which is taking off). The events are in big stadiums, and the energy is insane. No judgment, no one really knows if you’re ahead or behind, you just go as hard as you want. It’s tough, but in that I can’t wait to do it again kind of way.

The Feed is all in. Every year, we dive into a new sport. First, it was gravel and adventure cycling, then triathlon, then trail and ultra running. This year, we’re making a big leap into Hyrox.

We’re bringing the best athletes in the sport onto our High Performance Team, including Hunter McIntyre (the guy without a shirt in The Feed ads), Lauren Weeks (3x world champ), and six-time CrossFit world champ Tia-Clair Toomey. And then there’s Joanna Wiertyzk, who might have the best underdog story in sports right now, more on this later.

Want to learn more: Join our upcoming webinar with 3x World Championship Hunter McIntyre to better understand the explosive growth of HYROX, why it's redefining endurance fitness.