6 Week Beginner Hybrid Training Program Free PDF

Hybrid training has become incredibly popular recently. This is why I’ve written this beginner hybrid training program with free PDF. My specific goal is to make this style of training more accessible for less experienced athletes. This program is appropriate for anyone looking to work on their cardiovascular conditioning and strength. Keep reading for all the details.

If you’ve read any of my other workout programs, then you’ll know that I write a lot of fitness plans for hybrid athletes. These athletes are looking to build lean muscle, strength, and their cardiovascular fitness. However, I’ve noticed that most of these programs are aimed at intermediate or advanced athletes.

This prompted me to create a beginner program for athletes new to this style of training. As you’ll see, the hybrid approach requires careful consideration to overall training volume, and training intensity, to avoid over training. Check out the hybrid athlete program overview below.

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6 Week Beginner Hybrid Training Program Free PDF

• 4 Training sessions per week, with optional 5th
• Can be done in most home gyms, and commercial gyms
• Requires safe form with primary lifts
• Fitness Goals: to build aerobic capacity, strength, and muscle mass
• Heavily dependent on heart rate zone training

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Before we get to the specifics of each week of the program, I want to cover some basic do’s and don’ts for a hybrid athlete training program. This will help you manage your fatigue, and overall recovery.

Hybrid Training Tips

Because we are effectively combining resistance training with aerobic conditioning, we need to make sure that we do so smartly, with a clear understanding of our primary goal. If you’ve read any of my other articles on hybrid training research, then you’ll know that these two different training methodologies can interfere with each other.

You will also know that there are some easy ways to minimize this interference effect, between strength and endurance training. The most important method is to separate conditioning sessions from lifting sessions, when possible. Most research indicates that 4 hours between lifting and cardiovascular training is sufficient, with some researchers reporting a 24 hour separation as ideal.

If you can’t separate lifting from cardio, then it’s always better to do the lifting first, and finish with the cardio. I would encourage you to separate these training styles as much as you can, or at a minimum, avoid training heavy legs in the gym, and for cardio simultaneously. Next we’ll talk about heart rate training zones for conditioning.

Heart Rate Training Zones

Most serious endurance athletes use heart rate training zones to focus their fitness program. I prefer the 5 zone model. In this model Zone 1 is very easy movement like walking or light house work. Zone 2 is a slightly higher heart rate, where you can hold a conversation, or breath through your nose.

Zone 3 is where conversation becomes challenging to speak in full sentences. Zone 4 occurs right before your maximum effort pace. Zone 5 is all out effort for longer than a few minutes.

The descriptions above are how I describe heart rate zone training to newer athletes. Alternatively, you can think of Zone 2 and below as aerobic training, and Zone 3 and above as anaerobic training. Both methods are important but, Zone 2 is more important for new hybrid athletes to increase their fitness level.

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Hybrid Athletes and Base Training

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that most of you reading this have spent some time lifting weights in the gym. You might have dabbled with powerlifting, or bodybuilding, and you will have built some functional strength and muscle mass.

This type of training is very useful, but it doesn’t require much aerobic capacity to get through a session. It’s quite common for strength athletes to barely be able to run a mile, because they neglect this style of training so much.

To correct this deficiency, you need to work on building up your aerobic capacity with Zone 2 training. When you work in Zone 2, you train your body to produce energy aerobically. Without getting super nerdy, this means the mitochondria in your cells use fat to produce energy for movement.

When you go above Zone 2, your body uses sugars in the form of glycogen to produce more energy than you can in Zone 2. That’s why it’s called anaerobic (without oxygen) training. These higher power outputs are much less efficient, and can’t be maintained for very long.

It’s also worth noting that your body still relies on your aerobic energy system to produce energy during hard anaerobic training. This is why it’s vitally important to build this capacity, with a lot of Zone 2 training.

Now that we’ve covered hybrid training, and the importance of building your aerobic base for best results, let’s review the specifics of the program, as a whole. You can find the free PDF below.

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6 Week Beginner Hybrid Training Program Free PDF Download Here

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6 Week Beginner Hybrid Training Program Free PDF

Before we cover each weeks worth of training sessions, I want to get a few house keeping items out of the way. First, I don’t specify what type of cardio you should do. I only give you a duration and intensity, using heart rate zones.

I highly recommend choosing cycling, Assault Bike, or any other non impactful method as a hybrid training beginner. Research shows that cycling has less interference with muscle growth, and is easier to recover from. It’s especially useful for athletes over 200 pounds, as the impact from running can be hard on the body for long runs.

I don’t want to discourage you from running, if you want to use that for your cardio. If you’re a field sport athlete, or tactical athlete, then it makes a lot of sense to run with this hybrid training program. Just know that it can make your recovery a little more challenging.

I also recommend using something like a Fitbit, Oura Ring, or my favorite, a Garmin smart watch. These items will give you your heart rate zones, and allow you to see your heart rate any time you like. If that isn’t in the budget, then you can also use this free calculator to estimate your heart rate zones. So far I’ve found that my Garmin is the best way to track my heart rate training, and overall recovery metrics.

If you like awesome hybrid programs, and want to try my most popular program, then check this out.

6 Week Beginner Hybrid Training Program Free PDF: Program Scheduling

I want emphasize that you can move this program around to fit your schedule. You can do it in only four days per week, if you don’t mind multiple sessions per day. I think most people will find that they will probably do one or two days of double sessions, to avoid a less efficient blend of training styles.

Normally this would look like an easy AM cardio session with an afternoon lift. You’ll find that most of the cardio can be done in around and hour, with the lifts taking about 45 minutes. If you plan on doing them in a single session make sure to lift first, and then do your cardio. Now let’s get on to the first week of this free workout plan.

6 Week Beginner Hybrid Program: Week 1

Like many of my other functional fitness, and hybrid programs, the first week is designed to ease you into this style of training. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. You should expect the first week to be difficult. You’ll be fairly sore if you haven’t been training hard in the weight room.

It’s important that you read through each week of this program before you start. I will cover some important training points on each week, including tips for better performance. Here’s Week 1 of the 6 week program.

You can see Session 1 is an upper body training day, paired with a 30 min Zone 2 low intensity session. In this program I’ve avoided prescribing percentages for the lifts. Instead, I’ve used the reps in reserve method. This is designed to allow you to intuitively control the weight you’re using.

For the first couple of weeks you shouldn’t be near max effort on the lifts. It’s ok if you go a little too heavy at first, as it will take some time to determine what weight equates to your reps in reserve. You’ll also spend some time finding the right weight on the accessory work as well.

For this Zone 2 work, you should pick your method of cardio: cycling, Assault Bike, running, and stick with it throughout the program. I’ve added a programming note to nasal breath for 30 sec every five minutes. If you can’t get enough oxygen, while breathing through your nose, you’re going too hard! Now, let’s talk about Week 2.

6 Week Beginner Hybrid Program: Week 2

Like any good program, Week 2 is harder. I would recommend making sure that you have at least a day or two of rest before starting this week. If you did all the workouts of Week 1 as two a days, then you might have as much as 3 days of rest. Remember, recovery will be very important in this program. Here’s Week 2.

If we take a look at Session 6, we can see that it’s a lower body training day. I have you starting with box squats for a specific reason. They are a great training tool to limit muscle tissue soreness. You can also go about 10% heavier than you would normally go, with a regular back squat. Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself with a heavier weight than you think you’re capable of.

The deadlift should be done with moderately heavy weights, and very strict form. If you’re barely getting through these sets, then you should back off the weight. I also recommend being judicious with the weight on the reverse lunges.

You can perform these with a barbell or two dumbbells for load. If you have strong legs then the barbell will be your best method, as your grip might limit the load you can use otherwise.

Lastly, the plank should be done in large sets that approach failure. You should use a stop watch and pause it when you take a break. There is no rush here to push the planks super hard. Just accumulate the time required. Next we’ll talk about Week 3.

6 Week Beginner Hybrid Program: Week 3

Week 3 marks the mid point in this program. We will continue to add volume to the same exercises you’ve been doing. If you notice, we do so by adding more reps, at the smaller set sizes. This means you need to be lifting a little heavier, while still leaving the required amount of reps in reserve. Here’s Week 3.

We can see that Session 11 is primarily a shoulder and back day. If you don’t have a lat pull down, you can substitute pull ups. I would have you do the same number of sets, leaving 2 reps in reserve.

For the upright row, it’s important to focus the effort on your shoulders, doing your best to limit the amount of work your biceps experience. Think of your delts raising the weight rather than your arms pulling the weight upward.

On the inverted barbell row, you will set at standard barbell at roughly bench press height, and pull your body to the bar. It’s very similar to a ring row, and requires you to maintain a straight body position throughout.

The cardiovascular training should be done at least 4 hours apart from the gym work. Continue to use the same cardio method that you used perviously. The first 30 min should be done in standard Zone 2 fashion. You’ll then take a quick break, and begin your Zone 5. This Zone 5 is 10 min at max effort. Now, let’s talk about Week 4.

6 Week Beginner Hybrid Program: Week 4

By now you should be seeing noticeable strength gains, as well as your conditioning. I mentioned above that lifting doesn’t require much aerobic conditioning, which is true. However, you’ll find that the better your aerobic capacity is, the easier it is to recover from hard resistance training sessions. You’ll also find that everyday activities become easier as well. Let’s take a look at Week 4 below.

If we look at Session 16, we can see that it’s primarily a power day. I’ve programmed this for a very specific reason. If you read my previous articles on hybrid training research, you’ll remember that most hybrid style programs inhibit your ability to produce power.

I’ve added this full body session because it will help with your cardiovascular training efficiency, and more importantly, it will help combat this power loss.

The banded kettlebell swing should be done with a moderately heavy kettlebell. You will then run a band through the handle and stand on it while you swing. The band provides progressively more resistance as you swing harder. This allows you to put maximum power into the movement.

I expect you to perform the weighted squat jump with max effort as well. I only want you to use a total load that is fairly light. It’s ok to go to parallel in your squat. This exercise is more about jumping hard on each rep, not full range of motion. Now, let’s cover Week 5.

6 Week Beginner Hybrid Program: Week 5

In this week we start to see some heavy sets for the strength work. Most of the final sets have you leaving only 1 rep in reserve. Moreover, the final sets are fairly small, which means you need to pick a heavy weight to really challenge your capabilities. Here’s Week 5 of the 6 Week Beginner Hybrid Training Program Free PDF.

By now you’ve noticed that I’ve added in an optional training day at the bottom of each week of programming. This started out as an easy walk or cycle. Towards the end of this program I’m using it to add in some anaerobic threshold training.

At this point in the training cycle you’ve worked primarily on your aerobic base, which has big long term dividends. Towards the end the 6 weeks you’ll notice that I add in more Zone 4 training, which is also called threshold training. This is equivalent to a pace you could hold for about 45 minutes.

This has the benefit of teaching your body to produce energy efficiently with your anaerobic system. It also fully taxes your aerobic energy system simultaneously, killing two birds with one stone. Now, let’s cover the final week of this training program.

6 Week Beginner Hybrid Program: Week 6

This week is very hard. For most of the primary lifts, you’ll be performing 6 sets. This will be challenging, and I recommend taking a little extra rest between sets. For most lifts you can get by with 2-3 minutes of rest between sets. For your most challenging sets you might take 4-5 minutes. Here’s the final week of the program.

It’s important to make sure that you pick a challenging weight for your final sets, as well as your rep max sets. Even though it might list the same reps in reserve as the previously week, you can adjust the weight upwards, provided you feel good. Make sure you’re using proper form.

Now that we’ve covered the particulars of this program, I recommend checking out my best premium hybrid training program to continue making progress.

Final Thoughts

In order to do well with this hybrid training plan, I would recommend checking out a few of these articles. First, check out this article on the basics of nutrition for hard training athletes. You can then try my nutrition calculator to get a good idea of how much you should be eating.

For recovery and overall performance enhancement, I would read this article on scientific based recovery practices. You might be surprised that things like ice baths can be very detrimental for building muscle size and strength.

I always advise you to focus on the basics, and be consistent. It’s much better to be consistently good than occasionally perfect, with new workout programs. As someone who reads a lot of fitness research, I can tell you over and again, the research shows that the more quality training time you have, the more you improve. You don’t need to do everything perfectly to see great gains.

If you have any comments or questions put them below, and I’ll get you an answer as soon as I can. Now get out there and get training. Don’t forget to join the email list below.

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