2 of the biggest goals of any athlete are longevity in sport and balance.
Whereas the biggest obstacle is burnout.
So, the biggest favor you can do for yourself is periodization.
Training with Longevity in Mind
Periodization is a fancy term for shifting your training throughout your season to focus on different aspects of athleticism at different times.
Just like a football team wouldn’t do near max lifts at 6 sets x 2 reps year round, hybrid athletes shouldn’t work the same race moves year round.🤯
If you’re training for Deka, Hyrox, Deadly Dozen, or other similar races there’s a LOT of repetition.
The same moves done at race intensity all year long can rack up a huge toll on the body.
It’s not sustainable & will lead to burnout.
Periodization enters the chat
Hybrid athletes can learn a lot from the way other sports train.
Most major sports have an off season, pre-season, in-season, and post season, and each of these have very specific goals & intentions to build athleticism in a sustainable way.
All year long.
Year after year.
Applying Periodization to Hybrid Racing
Depending on your key races and goals, you may have a 12 month season (1 key race), 6 month (2 key races like Hyrox in summer & Deka in fall/winter).
Or you may shift between these if you have multiple times you need to peak throughout the year.
Off season
- General training (not race specific yet)
- Lifting Goal: muscular endurance, stability
- Conditioning Goal: base building, aerobic 80%
- Some low intensity, low CNS plyos
- High training volume, lower intensity
Pre-Season
- Transitions from general to race specific
- Lifting Goal: hypertrophy → strength
- Conditioning Goal: Both aerobic (80%) & anaerobic (20%)
- High & low intensity plyos
- Moderate training volume, moderate intensity
In-Season
- Race specific
- Lifting Goal: strength → power
- Conditioning Goal: Race specific (still 70% aerobic, 30% anaerobic)
- High & low intensity plyos + sprint training
- Lower volume, high intensity
Post Season
- General training
- Lifting Goal: Maintenance
- Conditioning Goal: Maintenance
- Take a break!! Focus on recovery, go on vaca, or learn a new skill/sport.
With some planning and intention, you can build a sustainable schedule that will make sure you’re building the athletic qualities you need while allowing for progression and growth.
Or if you’re tired of the guesswork & random workouts, get a coach who understands how to program for the big picture!
(Insert plug for Hybrid Strength!💁🏼♀️)
My online strength & conditioning program is periodized to the hybrid calendar so you can train all year and perform when it matters most!
Learn about Hybrid Strength here! https://www.katiegarrisonfitness.com/hybrid-strength
(The structure above is an example of linear periodization. Endurance sports like XC, marathons, triathlons, etc. may use reverse linear periodization where they begin with strength in the off season then build into endurance for in season.)
Knee Update...
I’m 21 weeks post ACL reconstruction!
- Honestly not much to report, I’m still working through my sticking point, progress is slow but still happening.
- My mini plyos are feeling more confident and I’ve started averaging more steps the last couple weeks without feeling super sore the next day.
- Still waiting for running clearance🤞🏼 (hopefully that sticky spot will clear soon)
- I’ve been giving myself a lot more grace and patience this week, realizing how far I’ve come in 5 months and appreciating all the work I’ve done to get here.
The ERG Workshop was a BLAST yesterday! It was so fun to share technique tips and drills with all the athletes who came!
Let me know what kind of workshop I should host next!
Or as always if you have any questions on hybrid training, I’d love to answer them in a future Fit Tips email! Dm me on insta or reply here!
