THE HYBRID ATHLETE PRINCIPLES
The following three principles serve as a key foundation for development of the hybrid athlete. You will see these principles reflected in Nick’s training and the resources he and the BPN team provide.
Apply these ideas to maximize your effectiveness, both in and out of training or competition.
PRINCIPLE #1: MEASURE TRAINING VOLUME
To assess progress most accurately, you should consider training volume (which can be measured daily, weekly, or even monthly). Here’s how-to measure training volume as a hybrid athlete:
Strength Training - The total number of sets completed, reps performed, and/or weight-lifted in each session or for a specific exercise.
(Example: performing a barbell squat for 5 sets of 5 reps with 225lbs)
Running - The amount of total running mileage you complete in a week.
(Example: running 50 miles one week and increasing mileage by 10% to 55 miles the next week)
If you measure training volume properly, it helps to track progress and plan for progressive overload.
PRINCIPLE #2: PROGRAM FOR THE GOAL
The ratio of strength to endurance training that you perform should be a direct reflection of your current goals. As you narrow your focus on a goal, your total volume of training will reflect the abilities needed to perform on race or competition day.
Using running as an example, if your goal is to run a marathon in 16-weeks, you will start from a balanced training approach (consider an even 50/50 split of running and lifting). As you approach race day, towards the 'peak' of your marathon training cycle, that ratio may look more like an 80/20 or 90/10 split, in favor of running.
This is necessary if you hope to perform to your full potential. However, keep in mind, you should never stop training strength or endurance entirely.
PRINCIPLE #3: PRIORITIZE RECOVERY
You have probably experienced feelings of fatigue, exhaustion, and chronic stress. For many driven athletes, it is easy to overemphasize training stress through miles ran and weight lifted, while underemphasizing recovery. This common trap will stall progression and increase your risk of injury. And trust us when we say, it's not worth the risk.