Fitness social media is (and I suspect always will be) awash with debate about different training methods, modalities and approaches. Sometimes in the form of constructive, friendly encounters that help everyone involved closer to a better understanding of things. Oftentimes… whatever the opposite of that is.
When it comes to social media debates, I try to stay out of them.
That being said, I do love words. And when we have words, I love it when we use them correctly.
So, based off a couple of things I’ve been sent recently, I wanted to take a bit of time to break some things down.
What are Hybrid and Mixed Modal Training?
The term ‘mixed modal’, or mixed modality, has existed for many, many years – its mainstream popularity obviously stemming from CrossFit.
Hybrid Training, whilst only hitting the mainstream relatively recently, was a term coined by the great Alex Viada, in his 2015 book ‘The Hybrid Athlete’.
And here is where I’m going to come across as splitting hairs a little bit, but I think it’s important.
Yes, we have the word hybrid – hybridise, hybridisation etc. But when we are talking about the genre ‘Hybrid Training’ – and this is why capitalisation is so important – we’re talking about something very particular, and something very definable. And it’s a definition that lots of people I see online seem to just willingly ignore in order to make their points or jokes.
Side note: what’s often really sad is that a lot of people making those points and taking those potshots are actually people who, if you roll back the clock 10-15 years, were having the same jokes made at their expense for the thing they do. Cough, cough.
This to me is just the narcissism of small differences, what Freud defined as ‘communities with high similarities who engage in conflict, disputes, and mockery over minor differences. Exaggerating trivial distinctions to assert unique identities and superiority.’
Hybrid Training – capital H, capital T – very specifically means the concurrent training of two different endeavours that don’t complement each other and might even interfere. The classic example nowadays being long-distance running (or any running) and bodybuilding or strength training.
Mixed modal means combining different modalities of training into a single training session – usually running, lifting and gymnastics.
As, you might say, Hyrox does.
Is Hyrox Hybrid Training?
Yes, it’s got the ‘Hy’ in its name, but the ‘hybrid’ that goes into Hyrox (apocryphally alongside the word ‘rockstar’) would be small ‘h’ – it’s a hybridisation of multiple modalities into one event – not capital ‘H’ Hybrid Training.
In many ways, actually, training for Hyrox is the opposite of Hybrid Training, as you’re training for one very specific thing, as opposed to multiple separate, contrasting and competing elements.
Even if you do break up your training into seemingly contrary, standalone elements (ie, running sessions and strength sessions), you’re still technically training for one goal.
So, Hyrox – hybrid, not Hybrid. You with me?
Is Hybrid Training Better Than Mixed Modal Training?
Now, many people dunk on mixed modal training. I think even Viada himself has said that mixed modal training is a very inefficient way to get better at any of the individual modalities that you’re training in those sessions.
For instance, if you want to get good at running, mixed modal sessions that include running alongside resistance training won’t get you there optimally; and if you want to get good at lifting, same story.
And I agree.
But, I don’t know, man – and this really is just my personal opinion here – it is very enjoyable.
It’s not an accident that CrossFit became the revolutionary, monolithic, genre-defining movement that it did. Whatever your (poorly fleshed out) thoughts are on it.
I’m not trying to be the best runner. I’m not trying to be the strongest man. I’m trying to just have as much fun as possible while getting marginally better at – maybe even just maintaining my ability to do – both. And I think, ultimately, that’s more important, at least to me, than ‘optimising’ any of those pursuits.
That being said, I recognise that this is a preference, and I completely understand if you’re into optimisation. I will be your biggest cheerleader if you choose that route.
If I have any specific goal in mind, I might bias one way or the other – ie, having standalone lifting or running sessions. Or even, sometimes, if I just feel like it.
But this sort of training has allowed me to run ultra-distances, climb mountains, compete in strongman, and on occasion have a very, very mid physique for the last 20 years.
I’d say nowadays I probably train a maximum of three to four hours per week. Am I going to win any trail races? Nope. Medals for strength? Nada.
But I can run marathon-plus distance off the cuff, uphill, and lift nearly four-times my own bodyweight, so it might not be optimal, but with enough time and willing it can get you there.
And that’s the secret sauce, if there is one, consistently doing a variety of hard things and making them progressively harder, objectively. There are more optimal ways to do that, but folks – sustainable beats optimal when optimal isn’t sustainable.
So, mixed modal does not equal Hybrid Training. Both semantically and in terms of results.
But for me, at least, it’s very fun.
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With almost 18 years in the health and fitness space as a personal trainer, nutritionist, breath coach and writer, Andrew has spent nearly half of his life exploring how to help people improve their bodies and minds.
As our fitness editor he prides himself on keeping Men’s Health at the forefront of reliable, relatable and credible fitness information, whether that’s through writing and testing thousands of workouts each year, taking deep dives into the science behind muscle building and fat loss or exploring the psychology of performance and recovery.
Whilst constantly updating his knowledge base with seminars and courses, Andrew is a lover of the practical as much as the theory and regularly puts his training to the test tackling everything from Crossfit and strongman competitions, to ultra marathons, to multiple 24 hour workout stints and (extremely unofficial) world record attempts.
You can find Andrew on Instagram at @theandrew.tracey, or simply hold up a sign for ‘free pizza’ and wait for him to appear.