Hybrid Based Workouts

Hybrid based workouts- Full body movements for building muscle
and burning fat
By Jade Teta ND, CSCS And Keoni Teta ND, LAc, CSCS
Take a look around any gym in America and what do you see? It is pretty much the same
story, personal training clients being guided through workouts modeled after
bodybuilders or the latest exercise fad. It is time exercise and those of us who deliver it
learnedsome new tricks. We’re not saying these things aren’t beneficial, but the same old
line of, “lift heavy to put on more muscle and do your cardio for weight loss” is only part
of the story and leaves a little bit to be desired. The reason this way of thinking is less
than desirable, is it can quickly get you in a rut when your results are less than expected. I
think we would agree that if webreak it down, most people involved in fitness are after
improved body composition. There is another way to deliver the lean muscular look your
clients want, and it is an alternative to the status quo. You can accomplish muscle gain
and fat loss in one workout while saving time and a special type of exercise can help;
hybrids. If you are unaware of hybrid movements or have not yet incorporatedthem into
your workouts, then we will show you how, but first we need to cover some basics.
Weight Loss and Bulking Up
Before we began this discussion, it would be useful to straighten out some common
terminology that often gets misused. Take weight loss for instance. Isn’t it really fat loss
we are after? No, they are not the same thing. It is easy to lose weight, just starve yourself
andyour mission is usually accomplished. However, looking like a waif, skin flapping in
the wind model is not what most would desire. Some call this look “skinny fat” or in
medical lingo, sarcopenic obesity. It describes a body that is within a normal weight, but
has a muscle to fat ratio resembling the overweight or even obese. In the world of fitness
training, this is most often seen whenunwitting weight loss seekers shun food and
weights and then run like Forest Gump. All cardio and no food will make muscle melt the
same as fat and although these people may look thin to the untrained eye, their less than
toned body lets you know something is missing; muscle.
One more issue to point out is “bulking up”. This is a fear more common among female
clients, but men increasingly share theconcern. We think trainers have skirted this issue
for far too long. If building increased muscle under a layer of fat can not be described as
bulking up, than what can? The issue is not whether it happens, but rather why? It is not
what most people perceive. In other words, women are not going to build big huge
muscles like men unless they are using anabolic hormones, and even men will tellyou
putting on muscle is no easy task. Bulking up, as it is referred to by most, happens only
when muscle is gained while fat is maintained. This is like putting two sweaters on
underneath your jacket; of course you are going to appear bigger. Bulking up is
impossible when adding muscle and losing fat. Improving the muscle to fat ratio is the
very definition of lean, and is a goal shared byboth male and female alike.
What are hybrid movements?

So, is it possible to do both? Can you lose fat, build muscle and get that lean muscular
look all without looking bulky? Yes, and the most effective solution is full body
workouts that use hybrid based movements. These are exercises that combine multiple
movement patterns into one congruent action. Probably the best and oldest of thehybrid
movements can be seen in the Olympic power movements. Power-cleans, push-presses,
and the snatch are all examples. However, while these Olympic movements are usually
far beyond the skill of your stereotypical trainee, hybrid movements can be tailored to the
fitness level of the individual. If your client knows how to do a squat and can also do a
shoulder press, than they can morph the...