A hybrid athlete is an individual who excels in multiple sports or athletic disciplines, combining skills and abilities from different areas. These athletes are versatile and well-rounded, possessing diverse physical attributes and competencies that enable them to perform at a high level across various sports.
For a few years, there have been created Hybrid Sports. Modalities that, by themselves, combine and demand multiple physical abilities. Hyrox, Crossfit, etc., are sports that require different skills, such as strength, speed, agility, endurance, coordination, and flexibility.
This type of athlete may engage in activities like triathlons, decathlons, or adventure races, where they compete in various events, such as running, swimming, cycling, jumping, throwing, and more.
It’s important to note that the term “hybrid athlete” it´s relatively new and can have different interpretations and may vary depending on the context in which it is used. In addition, the concept of a hybrid athlete continues to evolve as sports science, training methodologies, and athletic competitions progress.
Hybrid athletes often undergo specialized training programs that target different aspects of fitness and skill development, focusing on improving their overall athleticism rather than specializing in a single sport. Their versatility and adaptability make them valuable assets in team sports, where they can contribute in multiple positions or roles.
Advantages of Hybrid Training
There are several benefits of being a hybrid athlete. Knowing in advance that fitness brings advantages for physical and psychological health, I think the main advantage is the constant range of choices you have at your disposal and the consequent motivation to thrive and succeed in several areas.
Athletes who make a career out of one sport must be highly disciplined to achieve excellent results. The same applies to a hybrid athlete but with the advantage of defining his sporting calendar based on the sport he is most motivated to practice. Mentally it can be “easier”. For example, I commonly do a Hyrox season at the world elite level, participate in national Crossfit competitions as a team, and even do an Ironman to close the season.
In my case, there is the particularity that all the varied training I can do, be it endurance, strength, or technique, will be reflected in my skills and capabilities at the professional level as a special police officer and also as a police commander when I’m leading my teams and understanding everyman capabilities.
Become a Hybrid Athlete
In a few words: Find your weaknesses and develop them consistently; Identify your strengths, expand and refine them until you are unbeatable; until your opponents start worrying about keeping second place instead of trying to catch you in first;
Make a plan: competitive and training. Medium to long term. At the same time, create short-term, measurable and achievable goals.
Look for various modalities that challenge in a competitive-fun way and where you can fundamentally use your base skills base and “natural” physical abilities.
It is also important that there is a transfer (direct or indirect) between the sports you are practising. If you are an Hyrox athlete, Crossfit can be a very good way to develop your power, strength, intensity and ability to recover from hard intervals; Preparing for a Triathlon during the summer (Hyrox off-season) can be a very good way to develop your aerobic engine to the upcoming season. One of the most valuable effects of this alternation – besides the obvious “keeping fit part” is that you can maintain a training routine and develop your mental toughness through disciplined training without getting bored or tired of being long-time over-focused on one goal. If you succeed, it can also make you stronger and more confident as an athlete. And that transfers to all in life.
Once you have found your reference sports, you should find a balance of training hours between them. If possible, you should find someone who can guide you with a designed training program. Training as a hybrid athlete may be (very) difficult with a busy personal agenda.
