Science shows hybrid training is the secret to stellar stamina and peak fitness

Aside from the benefits, I switch up my workouts because I like doing something different every so often. Recently, I’ve been enjoying mixed workout sessions on my new Hydrow rowing machine. I’ll go from rowing to weight-training moves and back again in a 20- or 30-minute session. Hybrid training involves different types of workouts, like doing cardio and weightlifting in one gym session, or cardio one day of the week and strength training another day. Whether you prefer Pilates, weightlifting, biking, yoga, or calisthenics, you can choose your flavor of the day or blend your favorite workouts into one interesting session.

The benefits of hybrid training

Research highlights the many benefits of hybrid training for improving fitness and wellness. For example, we can look at a randomized controlled study of 163 frail older adults published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health, and Aging. In this study, the researchers designed an exercise program that combined strength and endurance training with Wu Qin Xi, an ancient Chinese qigong energy exercise that involves deep breathing and mimics the movements of tigers, deer, bears, monkeys, and birds.

The research

The researchers used machine learning to predict whether frailty can be reversed in older adults following the exercise intervention. They also used Fried’s frailty criterion to determine the degree of frailty and randomly assigned participants to three different groups:

• Strength exercise mixed with endurance exercise (SE) training group

• Hybrid exercise (WQXSE) group (incorporated all of the above)

The study authors measured participants’ body composition and frailty-related physical fitness factors before and after the 24-week intervention. These measurements included the following:

• Maximum walking speed test

The results

Here are the results:

• Compared to the other two groups, the WQXSE group, which powered through all the different types of training in one program, had the most improvements in walking speed, which could also indicate better balance and leg strength.

• Around 42% (68 adults) were no longer considered frail by the end of those six months of training, and they had actually reversed their frailty status while enhancing their fitness. Of those 68 adults, 19 (36.5%) were in the WQX group, 24 (44.4%) were in the WQXSE group, and 25 (43.9%) were in the SE group.

• Overall, the computer models were effective for predicting those improvements.

The takeaway

The biggest takeaway here is that no matter your age, research shows exercise can still help manage or even reverse frailty and boost your fitness in just six months. The biggest improvements came from the hybrid training, which combined different types of workouts. What’s also important is that all kinds of exercise yielded these benefits, from strength training to slower, gentler movements like Wu Qin Xi.