What is a HYBRID ATHLETE?
My philosophy on training and human ability.
Hybrid Athlete Defined
A “hybrid athlete” is typically defined as an athlete that participates in multiple sports OR an athlete that is simultaneously good at both STRENGTH and ENDURANCE activity. In this case, we will lean toward the latter definition with elements of the first. I believe a hybrid athlete in its most ideal form is a physical specimen that synergizes both of those above definitions.
To truly define this concept accurately though we first need to define something called a “specialist”.
*I wrote a short summary of these concepts in a twitter thread a while ago here:
Specialists
In most settings, fitness enthusiasts tend to focus on a single modality of physical training and its nuances. They are oriented around a particular model of training such as powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, bodybuilding, distance running, rock climbing, Zumba, yoga, CrossFit (more on this in the future), cycling, “functional training”, etc. All of these training methods both have something to offer AND in most cases are their own sport. These individual practices and their participants are what are called “specialists”. These people SPECIALIZE in a particular singular setting of athletic expression and MAXIMIZE their abilities in that single area. This label extends further even to any sport athlete - basketball, soccer, hockey, baseball, football player as well as gymnasts, skateboarders, ping-ping pong, and martial artists. Training in these sports is designed under the premise of promoting successful PARTICIPATION in said sports.
This means two things, the training models each modality uses provide some kind of adaptation to improve your ability in *something* and also they are training modalities specifically designed to improve ONLY that one thing at potentially the cost of other qualities. This is a good thing if you are competing in a sport - I will happily let my soccer skills or cardio degrade if it means I will win a powerlifting meet - if that is my goal.
Contrast with “Specialists”
However, we *usually* are not competitive athletes past our school days and potentially our mid 20s. Those who remain “athletes” do so in the recreational sense. This in no way is to say it is less legitimate or intense, it is only to say that you are no longer constrained by the limitations of success in a particular sport/set of rules on a certain schedule anymore. You are free to express your physical ability with no expectations beyond your own.
For those of you who currently are actively competing athletes, (i.e. school teams, local teams, aspiring pro’s/amateur’s, etc.) you have almost no idea just how freeing this is once you end your last season/match/fight/competition/etc. Without external constraint, you can become your own physical character. Unbound by the needs of a particular setting, your skills and abilities can now take on an entirely unique form in directions that were once ignored by necessity.
To be able to blend training styles, skills, and hobbies to become a new kind of athlete that you could not before is only truly appreciated by those who formerly had to specialize in something. Without need for specialization, your weaknesses in physical prowess can now be allowed to grow as you have the “slack” to give. A career as a cross country runner can now be evolved with some more muscle tissue and strength. You could spend some time learning a new sport skill. After some time spent on that you could expand further and spend a year becoming a better sprinter, or join a rec soccer league.
An athlete is one who possesses both the hardware (muscle, conditioning, etc.) and the software (skills, decision-making, etc.) required to excel in a physical task.
A SPECIALIST athlete is one whose hardware and software capabilities are maximized in one area by training solely for that setting; thus by definition almost always requiring a loss of other abilities unneeded by their specialized skill.
A HYBRID athlete is one who blends their own mix of qualities into their training to create their own desired outcome of adaptations using multiple concurrent training modalities.
You don’t specialize in one domain. You instead, take from different sports and training methods that which is useful to *you* at that point in time and apply it as needed with the goal being a unique physical blend of adaptations across the athletic spectrum. Addressing your weaknesses and desires for improvement. You train all the qualities of human physical task achievement and the synergy of those traits outshine your potential in a singular specialized domain. This includes more than just general strength and general endurance, it involves skill training, mental development, speed and power development, and exercises for durability and longevity as well. A HYBRID athlete does not want to feel completely out of place in any situation of physical demand.
Hybrid > Specialist (Unless Very Gifted)
There are situations where truly being a specialist has a great ROI. If you have the potential to be a tremendous athlete in a particular sport be it college, in order to get a scholarship at a worthy school - i.e. top 20. Or you have the chance to make it as a pro in a career that pays well. In those situations where you are top 1%+ gifted it makes sense to do it and pour all your resources and time into maximizing your ability in one event/sport. However, this is, by definition, NOT 99% of you.
In most cases, SYNERGY is your pathway to elite success. You can become 90th percentile (or close to it) with focused and well directed work. However, if you are not gifted (top 1% natural talent) there is too many people that will beat you with talent and the hard working & talented will pave you. What do we do for the unfortunate majority if we want top level outcomes?
Do not define yourself by a single metric and expand your criteria/methods of improving physical ability. Avoid becoming a powerlifter, or a marathon runner, your saving grace method of training is to become a hybrid athlete and get GOOD at both of these things (and more) and let your overall physical abilities surpass specialists in every area they are by definition underdeveloped.
Faster and fitter than a strongman, faster and stronger than a jogger, stronger and fitter than a sprinter. In any athletic feat besides a specialist's single event you can beat them. You can easily do this by reaching the 85%+ percentile in various physical qualities (not hard and doable by average people) like strength, speed, skills and endurance and then through combination of these qualities you have athletic solutions for most physical competitions or tasks by way of having various physical tools to out perform a specialist with. A guy stronger than you can’t keep up with your pace. (But you’re still strong) A guy faster than you can’t handle your strength. (But you’re still fast) A rounded athlete isn’t as skilled or smart as you (But you’re still athletic)
Examples of Expression
When I was a kid, my fictional heroes were Batman and Samurai Jack (for all my Cartoon Network fans out there). Both of them have a similar story, from a young age they travel the globe acquiring every skill imaginable to become the ultimate warrior. They are strong, fast, conditioned, durable, and skilled in all areas. While this might not be a trait we would 100% acquire, the sentiment holds some interesting considerations:
There is essentially no situation they are not equipped to handle to some extent. Their blend of abilities in strength, endurance, and skill/coordination are both synergistic AND make them flexible in terms of athletic problem solving.
They DID spend time where they focused on a particular area for a period of time to develop it and then maintained those abilities thereafter while focusing on another trait.
Real World Athletic Examples
George St Pierre; Dominated UFC welterweight division through flexible application of broad and various skillsets coupled with very diverse set of physical qualities. Stronger than most of division while maintaining a 5 round worthy gas tank. Very few weaknesses while still not being #1 at any single realm but is #1 because he has a super varied ability stack. Known for using a variety of training styles mixed together intelligently (which was very novel at the time) including Olympic weightlifting, gymnastics, swimming, mental/cognitive training, plyometric and obstacle course training, and study of various external subjects.
Alex Viada; Member of Complete Human Performance team, competitive athlete in myriad of sports including triathlon with a 4:15 mile time, 700lb squat and 465lb bench. (EXTREMELY IMPRESSIVE) Viada has found ways of managing fatigue and stimulus from various training disciplines to not just balance strength and endurance but EXCELL in both.
Wrapping up & Takeaways For You
The mold that this “hybrid athlete” concept breaks for you is not getting set in spending your life ONLY focused on your "big 3" powerlifting lifts, mile time, total muscle mass or a sporting hobby, like many do. It is all too common for people to get so hyped on a specific modality of training that they worship it and denigrate or ignore other physical capacities that your body is MEANT to be able to perform to optimize total function. Not only do those who take singular fitness goals to the extreme tend to develop imbalances in the body that leads to injury and wearing out rather than lifelong vitality and youth, but they also limit their full function and human potential by ignoring other elements of their health and performance that will eventually become limiting elements to their lofty specialist goals eventually. Powerlifters/meatheads always don't do enough cardio, most strongmen need to lose weight for their heart health and jogging addicts often wreck their knees without caring for them with resistance training)
By becoming more holistically focused on your fitness, by training for both strength and its derivatives, endurance and its derivatives, and skill based & mental applications of your physical talents you find better health, overall athletic performance, longevity of that performance, and mental well being (which comes with less attachment to a single metric of success or failure). This can be applied in a variety of ways; broad concurrent training of each quality at the same time, OR periods where you *temporarily* specialize in a certain modality or fitness quality while just maintaining the others. [beginners will lean toward the former, more advanced athletes might benefit from the latter - will be posting plenty helpful info on how to do this in the future]
Hybrid athlete style physical training will eventually become the future standard of fitness meta thought as people become sick of powerlifting and "granola endurance hobbies"-exclusive methods. For now, take my advice and get ahead of the game by taking charge of your overall fitness and reap the rewards of a holistic training mindset over a specified one. You wont wanna go back.
Thanks bro. This is insightful