How Hybrid Training Has Changed the Fitness Landscape (For The Better)
The days of basing your entire personality around where you fall on the spectrum from meathead to cardio bro are over. We’re in the era of the hybrid athlete now, and no one embodies the times quite like Fergus Crawley. To those who know him, the 28-year-old is The Hybrid Athlete. For those that don’t, Crawley usually starts his introductions by explaining exactly what a hybrid athlete is. ‘It’s not just CrossFit,’ he explains, and it isn’t Hyrox either – and despite embittered cries from social media commentators, it definitely isn’t "just fitness, bro."
What Is a Hybrid Athlete?
The term actually has a very specific technical description, first laid out by Alex Viada in his 2015 book – aptly titled The Hybrid Athlete. He described hybrid training as: ‘The concurrent training of disciplines that do not inherently support one another and whose disparate components are not essential to success at any one sport’. In layman’s terms that means training disciplines that are in conflict with one another. ‘Tiddlywinks and rock climbing don't get in the way of one another. Thus, not hybrid,’ says Crawley. ‘Powerlifting and Olympic lifting don't inherently get in the way of one another, so they’re multidiscipline, but not by definition hybrid. Ironman triathlon and powerlifting? Very different outputs and adaptations required at opposing ends of the spectrum. Ergo, hybrid.’
Crawley’s training definitely takes him to both ends of the spectrum – often there and back again so quickly that it’d be whiplash-inducing for mere mortals. As he explains, what he actually does changes depending on the exact nature of the challenge he has on the horizon, but generally speaking his days are made up of a hearty combination of heavy lifting and hard running. The one general rule that doesn’t change, though – the secret sauce that makes it all work – is each week begins with the most intense sessions of both running and lifting before tapering off throughout the week, where Crawley finishes with longer, steadier runs and lighter, high-rep efforts in the gym.
He explains he fell in love with hybrid methodology after suffering an identity crisis from going all-in on singular pursuits. ‘When I couldn't play rugby anymore after a series of concussions, that identity was ripped away,' he says. 'My identity then became that of a powerlifter. I wouldn't play golf on a Saturday with my friends because I had heavy squats on a Monday.'
Feeling unsatisfied by his fitness identity, Crawley looked to do something new, and hopefully more meaningful. With the aim of raising funds for Movember, he grew a moustache, and after digging up the rather sombre stat that half a million men die by suicide every year, set out to squat half-a-million kilos in 24 hours, documenting his training on social media along the way.
Hybrid Challenges
In the years since, he’s gone on to crush a slew of challenges at the farthest ends of the fitness spectrum, including completing The Brutal Extreme Triathlon, which consists of a 7.6km swim, 275km bike ride and an 85km run. His love, as well as knowledge, of the training methodology has also grown into a fully-fledged coaching company, Omnia Performance, which Crawley heads up with Jonny Pain, a man who – alongside the aforementioned Viada – helped carve out the definition of the hybrid athlete.
Crawley says that curiosity is what helped him to find his way as a hybrid athlete, and it’s what keeps him going, but first he had to let go of the fear of being defined by a single identity or methodology. Even the definition of a "hybrid athlete" shouldn’t be held too tightly or overly prescriptive, he says: ‘The real crux of it for me is that the term hybrid athlete helps lower the bar for people to try things that they thought they couldn't previously do because of preconceived ideas about the level of ability that you need to be to try something or what you'll be giving up in doing so.’ Recreational training, he says, no matter how seriously you take it, is really just adult PE. Feeding our curiosity, that’s where the true value is.
Hybrid Training Nutrition
Want to know how a record-setting hybrid athlete fuels themselves? Consistency is king for Crawley’s nutritional regime.
Breakfast
500g of 0% Greek yoghurt with 30g of oats, some agave syrup and some frozen berries. ‘I've been having that breakfast for about 13 years,’ he says.
Morning and Afternoon Snacks:
For snacks Crawley says portability and ease are key – a protein bar or a squeezy yoghurt pouch are his go-tos. Bananas and Rice Krispies squares come into play during long training sessions.
Lunch
Crawley keeps this one flexible. A protein source, carb source and a vegetable source. ‘There are no foods I demonise,' he says. 'Other than liquorice – that's disgusting.’
Dinner
‘I’m slamming lots of chicken sausages at the moment. Heck. Very good.’ He’ll pair this protein hit with rice or bagels, manipulating portion sizes dependent on his goals.
Supplements
Creatine, electrolytes, vitamin D and omega-3s are Crawley’s foundational stack, adding in whey protein for convenience and caffeine for performance, but cutting it out early on in the day to aid sleep.
Fergus Crawley's Hybrid Feats
1200lb powerlifting total + Iron distance triathlon (on same day)
500lb deadlift + 5km run (both in under 20 minutes)
Ran 4 miles every 4 hours for 96 hours
Ran 250km in 50 hours (non-stop)
600/60: 600kg powerlifting total + 60km ultra run (on same day)
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