Hybrid Training (Concurrent Training)
Why Hybrid?
“Tactical professionals” or “tactical athletes” is often used to refer to members of the military and first responder populations. While each person’s specific occupational demands and mission set vary greatly, it can be agreed that we all should be fairly strong, capable of operating in a stressful environment, and be able to perform at a high level for a potentially long period of time. We also want to live long, healthy lives and not be hindered by job-related injuries and illnesses down the road.
This is where hybrid training comes in. Also known as concurrent, or sometimes conjugate, training it aims to improve a person’s strength AND their cardiovascular fitness. Both of these qualities are vital to our performance as tactical professionals. Even if your job seems mostly sedentary, greater aerobic fitness has been shown to improve mental performance, especially under stress. There are many other benefits of increasing your strength and fitness, including decreased mortality rate, but we’ll dive deeper into those in a different post.
Why should we work on both strength and conditioning at the same time? Unlike athletes, we have NO OFF SEASON. We must always be ready to perform our jobs at the highest level. We don’t want to be huffing and puffing on the fireground or when chasing a suspect because we are “in a strength block” and it isn’t the time of year where we work on our aerobic fitness. Or vice versa.
Previous Thinking: You Won’t Get as Strong
Much of the research into hybrid training began in the 1980’s. Most of these studies found that there was something called an interference effect; that when training both strength and endurance there was a limit in how much strength could be gained compared to resistance training alone. A 2012 meta-analysis by Wilson et. al seemed to confirm this hypothesis (1). Other studies have looked in-depth at the physiologic processes involved in concurrent training, but failed to look at the actual effect, or outcomes of these processes (2).
Current Thinking: It’s Actually Not That Big a Deal
However, research isn’t always as cut and dry as we think (again, a topic for another time). A 2018 study found some middle ground when looking at HIIT training as the aerobic component of hybrid training, finding this method did not result in any deficits in muscle strength gains (3). Then, more recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses in 2021 and 2022 analyzed the data based on many different variables, including training age, timing of endurance training, effects on strength vs power, etc. This comprehensive study found that for untrained individuals there is no effect on muscle strength and hypertrophy by performing hybrid training compared to resistance training alone. There is also no effect in trained individuals as long as sessions are programmed to allow for sufficient recovery. Of note, there is a slight decrease in maximal power gains in hybrid vs resistance-only training (4,5), However, improvements can still be made in this domain, and things like max jump height (a measure of power) aren’t going to be as vital to a tactical professional’s performance as their muscle strength and VO2 max.
The Nitty Gritty: HOW Do We Program Hybrid Training?
This is an art, not a science, and it is going to vary person to person. However, here are some general guidelines to follow:
If you are used to working out 4+ days/week, aim for 2-3 days of resistance training and 2-3 days of cardiovascular training. Adjust these ratios depending on which area you most want to improve in.
Consolidate the stimuli. AKA, remember that you use your muscles for both endurance and resistance training.
So if you have a heavy leg day, choose a low-intensity run or even a low-impact modality like biking for your aerobic workout the next day. You will not get as much benefit from your sprint/speed workout if you do it the day of or day following a heavy squat workout.
If possible, separate your aerobic and resistance training sessions by at least 3 hours. If this isn’t possible, doing them back-to-back is better than not doing one at all.
In this situation, do your heavy lifting first if it is going to be a low-intensity aerobic day, or your sprint work first with a lower-intensity lift following.
Most importantly, know that hybrid training isn’t just taking Nike’s half-marathon training program and adding a powerlifting program from your favorite influencer, like our Coach Luke. For most people, that is going to be far too much volume and have negative effects on their strength, endurance, and likely put them at higher risk of injury.
Follow the general guidelines above and listen to your body, and you will come to find the aspects of your strength and conditioning that you best respond to.
Bottom Line:
Hybrid training is highly beneficial for tactical professionals and most people will see significant improvements in both their strength and overall fitness by following this method. Always be ready!
Please reach out with questions, comments, or if you want your own personalized hybrid training program today.
References
Wilson JM, Marin PJ, Rhea MR, Wilson SM, Loenneke JP, Anderson JC. Concurrent training: a meta-analysis examining interference of aerobic and resistance exercises. J Strength Cond Res. 2012 Aug;26(8):2293-307. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31823a3e2d. PMID: 22002517.
Murlasits Z, Kneffel Z, Thalib L. The physiological effects of concurrent strength and endurance training sequence: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sports Sci. 2018 Jun;36(11):1212-1219. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2017.1364405. Epub 2017 Aug 7. PMID: 28783467.
Sabag A, Najafi A, Michael S, Esgin T, Halaki M, Hackett D. The compatibility of concurrent high intensity interval training and resistance training for muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sports Sci. 2018 Nov;36(21):2472-2483. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2018.1464636. Epub 2018 Apr 16. PMID: 29658408.
Petré H, Hemmingsson E, Rosdahl H, Psilander N. Development of Maximal Dynamic Strength During Concurrent Resistance and Endurance Training in Untrained, Moderately Trained, and Trained Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2021 May;51(5):991-1010. doi: 10.1007/s40279-021-01426-9. Epub 2021 Mar 22. PMID: 33751469; PMCID: PMC8053170.
Schumann M, Feuerbacher JF, Sünkeler M, Freitag N, Rønnestad BR, Doma K, Lundberg TR. Compatibility of Concurrent Aerobic and Strength Training for Skeletal Muscle Size and Function: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2022 Mar;52(3):601-612. doi: 10.1007/s40279-021-01587-7. Epub 2021 Nov 10. PMID: 34757594; PMCID: PMC8891239.
