“I'm doing a hybrid.” “I'm training for HYROX.” “This is hybrid training.” If you spend time around a box or a running group, you've heard all three, often in the same conversation, and it's natural that they sound like the same thing said in different ways.
They're not. The word “hybrid” is being used for three different things: a way of training, an international competition and an Iberian competition with the same format. Once you get the difference, you'll also see what actually matters to you, and where to start.
The three things called “hybrid”
1. Hybrid training: a way of training
Hybrid training means training strength and endurance at the same time, in the same week and often in the same session. Running, rowing or the bike on one side; squats, pushing a sled or carrying weight on the other. The goal is to be strong and have the engine, instead of choosing one of the two.
It's not a sport with rules or a brand. It's a way of organising training, and it's been around much longer than the races that made it fashionable.
2. HYROX: a competition with a fixed format
HYROX was born in Germany in 2017 and is a race with the same format all over the world: 8 times 1 km of running, and after each kilometre a functional station. There are eight stations, always in the same order:
- SkiErg, 1,000 m
- Sled push, 50 m
- Sled pull (pulling the sled), 50 m
- Burpee broad jumps, 80 m
- Row, 1,000 m
- Farmers carry (carrying two weights), 200 m
- Sandbag lunges, 100 m
- Wall balls, 100 reps
Because the format doesn't change, a time set in one city can be compared with a time set in another, in another country. We explain each station in detail in the article on the HYROX stations, and the weights by category are in HYROX weights.
3. Hybrid Day: an Iberian competition with the same format
When someone in Portugal says “I'm doing a hybrid”, they're often talking about Hybrid Day, a competition held in Portugal and Spain. The format, according to the organisers themselves, is the same at every event, and it's the one you already know: 1 km of running before each exercise, 8 km in total, and the same eight stations with the same distances, from the SkiErg to the wall balls. You compete solo or in pairs.
It's an organisation independent from HYROX, with its own calendar. The next dates the organisers had published at the time of writing were Málaga, on 10 October 2026, and Vigo, on 12 and 13 December 2026.
And then there are local events, organised by boxes and clubs, that take the idea and adapt it to the space they have. That's what we did in September with the second edition of the Revolution Hybrid Games, at our sports hall in Buarcos.
The difference, in a table
| Hybrid training | HYROX | Hybrid Day | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Training style | International competition | Iberian competition |
| Format | Unlimited, depends on the plan | 8 x 1 km + 8 stations | 8 x 1 km + 8 stations |
| Where | At any box or gym | Races in several countries | Portugal and Spain |
| Do you need to compete? | No | It's a race | It's a race |
| Who it's for | Anyone | Anyone who wants to test themselves in an official format | Anyone who wants to test themselves close to home |
In short: hybrid training is what you do during the week; HYROX and Hybrid Day are two places where you can put it to the test. Between the two events, what changes is the organisation, the course and the calendar. The exercises, the order and the distances are the same, which means the preparation is the same too.
But don't strength and running cancel each other out?
It's the oldest question in this kind of training, and it has a name: the interference effect. In 1980, a study by Robert Hickson compared three groups over ten weeks: one doing only strength, one only endurance and one doing both. The mixed group gained strength at first and then plateaued, while the strength-only group kept progressing. For decades, the takeaway was “if you do cardio, you lose gains”.
The research that followed painted a more balanced picture. The most recent reviews suggest that, with sensible volumes, maximum strength and muscle gain are hardly affected by training both together. What tends to suffer most is explosive strength, pure power. And the effect depends a lot on how much you train, at what intensity, in what order and how much you rest.
For anyone training three to five times a week to get stronger, fitter and finish a race in one piece, it's practically a non-issue. It only matters for people chasing peak performance in a single quality, like a competitive weightlifter or an elite marathon runner.
What a week of hybrid training looks like
There's no right week, but there is a logic: alternate days led by strength with days led by engine, and have at least one day that combines both, as in a race. An example for someone training four times a week:
| Day | Focus | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Strength | Squat and deadlift, with low volume and good technique |
| Tuesday | Endurance | Interval running or rowing |
| Thursday | Mixed | Short runs alternating with stations: sled, wall balls, lunges |
| Saturday | Long workout | A race-style circuit, at a controlled pace |
It's a skeleton, not a recipe. What goes into each day depends on the level of the person training, and that's where a coach makes the difference: the right load and volume for today aren't the same as three months from now. If you want to see how we put together a complete plan for a race, it's in the HYROX training plan.
Do I have to compete to do hybrid training?
No. Most people who train this way never enter a race, and they don't need to. The format is good because it trains things you use outside the gym: carrying weight, climbing stairs without getting out of breath, holding up through a long effort without falling apart.
Having a race booked helps, but for the right reason: it gives you a date, and a date gives you consistency. If one day you want to give it a go, HYROX and Hybrid Day have doubles categories, which is the most relaxed way to do your first one.
And where does CrossFit come in?
CrossFit is hybrid training too, and it was one of the schools that did most to popularise it. The difference is variety: CrossFit changes the workout every day and includes gymnastics and weightlifting, with more technical movements. HYROX always trains for the same format, with simpler exercises and more running. We put the two side by side in HYROX vs CrossFit, and if you're interested in both, there's an article on how to combine CrossFit and HYROX in the same week.
How we train this at Revolution
At Revolution, in Buarcos, hybrid training isn't a separate class: it's part of our two main classes. HYROX classes run every weekday, with SkiErg, rowing, sleds and wall balls, and work exactly the eight race stations. CrossFit classes bring the strength and technique that make those stations easier.
Some members train just to stay fit, some are preparing for their first doubles race, and some are already on their third. Everyone trains together, each with their own load.
Try it first, decide later
Reading about the sled won't tell you whether you like the sled. A class will.
Your first class at Revolution is free and requires no experience at all: just tell us it's your first time, and the workout is adjusted to you. Check the timetable, choose the HYROX or CrossFit class that suits you best and book through contacts. If you'd like to know first how much it costs to train with us, the plans are on prices, with no small print.
