Hybrid Training: Can You Build Muscle and Run Fast?

Hybrid training means chasing strength, muscle and endurance at the same time, rather than specialising in one. It's popular with Hyrox athletes, people training for a marathon who also love lifting, and anyone who wants to look and perform well.

The good news: research on concurrent training shows you can improve both. The trade-off is that you may progress a little slower at each than a specialist would.

• Beginners and intermediates can build muscle and improve their running at the same time
• Advanced lifters may see slower muscle gain with high running volume
• Elite-level performance in both at once is very hard; pick a priority for each training block

• Monday: lower-body strength (heavy)
• Tuesday: intervals or tempo run
• Wednesday: upper-body strength plus easy run
• Thursday: rest or mobility
• Friday: full-body strength (moderate)
• Saturday: long easy run
• Sunday: rest

Keep most running easy (around 80% of your time), and do your hardest lifting away from your hardest runs where possible.

Hybrid athletes need more food than most people realise. Aim for around 1.6 to 2.2 g of protein per kg of body weight a day, plenty of carbohydrate around runs and sessions, and 7 to 9 hours of sleep. Under-eating is the fastest way to stall on both fronts.