Best books for Hybrid athletes
What Hybrid training books are available?
When I started writing 'The Science of Hybrid Training' I wanted to answer questions that I had from my experience of training, seeing what was developing in fitness communities such as Crossfit and functional fitness, and this 'interference effect, a black cloud of misunderstanding, that people wanted to throw at you when you questioned why they kept saying that 'cardio kills your gains'.
I thought there was a big disconnect between what the research was saying and what the training community was doing. However, upon my investigation, it was clear that the research and training community were more on the same page. There had been a lot of misinterpretation from both sides, so it felt great to read, write and provide some clarity.
Upon finishing writing the book I realised there is so much more to write about. The hybrid training space is still in its infancy and I think the literature in this area will continue to grow.
So what are the best book on hybrid training currently out there? What books (not including research papers, that's for another list) did I use to help synthesise my thoughts onto paper?
Here's a list of 5 books (including my own) which I recommend all hybrid athletes and coaches to read. I have distilled key points which I think highlight what they contribute to the hybrid literature.
The Science of Hybrid Training: Dr Phil Price
- First book to break down the history and the confusion around the term: 'the interference effect'
- Explains the mechanisms behind the interference effect
- Provides core principles to follow when designing a Hybrid training programme
- Provides practical knowledge which can be applied in your own training
The Hybrid Athlete: Alex Viada
- First to coin the term 'The hybrid athlete'.
- Provides detail around how to 'consolidate stressors', an essential programming process which focuses on developing the key adaptations for two sports, rather than just adding two separate training programs together
- Provides nutritional information with practical guidelines
Concurrent aerobic and strength training: Prof Moritz Schumann & Prof Bent Ronnestad
- It is an extensive summary of the concurrent training research
- Many of the top researchers in the area have contributed
- Tackles in-depth topics, including hormonal and immunological responses to concurrent training
- It is mainly research focused. I find that to get the most out of this book you need to read it through a practical lens for the best interpretation
- It also highlights where current research in this area is lacking
The Role of Training Intensity During Concurrent Training and Detraining: Dr Antonia Sousa and Colleagues
- Dr Sousa is a top researcher in the area
- Provides a review of the literature and a chapter on practical recommendations
- It reads more like an extended essay.
Essentialism: The disciplined pursuit of less: Greg McKeown
- This selection may appear contradictory to hybrid training, but in reality, it is essential (pun intended).
- It is all about removing anything that won't contribute towards your goals. Just like consolidating stressors
- This book makes you reflect on what is necessary to be a successful hybrid athlete. More isn't always better.
Is there anymore to add to this list? Let me know in the comments.
Keep embracing creativity
Dr Phil Price
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Thank you for the kind words
I personally didn't want to provide a shoe-fit style program in the book as I just wanted to present ideas that people can use in their own way. However, I do follow the principles written in the book when hybrid programming. I feel this way I can create a more athlete-specific hybrid program. I do, however, use the weekly intensity/volume structure that Omnia Performance use, as a guide. In terms of tools, most tools are better for single sport use so I tend to track progress in Excel. Sounds a bit old school, but it allows me to input data from whatever testing method I feel appropriate and run stats on them. Hope this helps
I am currently reading your book, and I love the work! I find that it lacks proper planning tools in the market. Programs like The Hybrid Engine are great but they are essentially shoe-fit programs, programming tools like TrainHeroic / Everfit definitely lack some features surrounding hybrid training.
What do you use for programming? How do you find them?