• Primary goals: Strength and Endurance
• Secondary goal: Mobility
Looking for a performance goal to give your fitness program focus and structure? Fitness racing — competitions that encompass movements you often encounter in the gym — is an accessible, safe, and exciting option.
And these hybrid fitness races are having a moment in the spotlight. Events like LT Games, HYROX, and DEKA combine bouts of running with functional movements that require strength and technical skill.
“Hybrid racing is appealing because it covers all the bases when it comes to fitness,” says HYROX Elite 15 Athlete and coach Rich Ryan. “Plus, racing gives you a carrot. It keeps you focused on something besides just showing up in the gym.”
How to design a program that ticks so many boxes? The first step, says Ryan, is to build your endurance. He advises progressing to the point where you can comfortably do 90 minutes of cardio, like running (or biking or skiing or rowing — even fast walking), at a deliberate pace. Don’t rush this process.
After that, Ryan suggests, dedicate one or, ideally, two days a week to longer workouts (75 to 90 minutes each). “They can be running workouts or a mix of running, rowing, biking, or using the SkiErg.”
The point is to keep your heart rate up for a long duration and get used to working continuously for extended periods. Keep the effort low to moderate, and do these long workouts after a rest day so you can go into them fresh.
Additionally, complete two or three full-body strength sessions, including event-specific movements. Fit in 10 minutes of mobility work before or after each strength workout.
| Sample Hybrid-Athlete Schedule | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| 90 minutes moderate cardio | Full-body strength
Mobility |
30 to 40 minutes easy cardio | Rest | 75 minutes cardio | Full-body strength
Mobility |
Rest |
Try These Workouts:
- For three workouts to help you train like a hybrid athlete, visit “Train Like a Hybrid Athlete.”
- Find a collection of targeted mobility routines at “Mobility for Healthy Aging.”
Find Your Fitness Routine
Find five more training templates that can help match your routine to your goals, whether you’re embarking on a new exercise journey or building onto your existing practice, at “How to Make a Fitness Plan Based on Your Goals,” from which this article was excerpted.
Comments (0)