For the first 10 years or so of my lifting career, I did bodybuilding-style, body-part split sort of routines.

For example, I’d hit chest, shoulders and tris on Mondays … back, bis and legs on Tuesdays … rest Weds … repeat the cycle on Thurs and Fri … take the weekend off … and then start all over again on Monday.

This worked great for gaining size and strength, but there wasn’t a lot of functional carry-over to athletic activities … or to real life, for that matter 🙂

(Which was too bad, because the lifting I was doing probably could have helped me a lot more to be a better football player had I known better!)

Then, about 11 years ago, I got my first personal training certification.

At that point in time, the big trend in the fitness industry was “functional training” – pretty much every exercise we did was balancing on a ball or standing on one leg.

The theme was total-body fitness, core strength, balance, etc.

And so I totally changed my methods and opinions, and trained this way for a good five years. Very different from what I had been doing previously. But I thought it was the “right” thing to do!

More recently – the last five years or so – I have kind of come “full circle”, and have moved towards a blended approach.

Deadlifting, squatting, pressing – these are hard moves to beat for building raw strength and size. And so they still form the foundation of most of my training routines.

Kettlebells, bodyweight training, incorporating other implements like suspension trainers, sandbags, etc – this stuff is also GREAT for total body conditioning, improving core strength, and building overall athleticism.

So this stuff is worked into the mix too.

It’s like the best of both worlds!

When I put together my Complete Hybrid Barbell training system, I kept everything I just wrote in mind. This blended training methodology is what it’s all about.

Here is a sample workout from the system, to give you a feel:

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Barbell / Kettlebell Hybrid Training 2.0 – Workout B

1 – Three sets, eight reps (squats) and ONE less rep than your max (pull ups), as much rest as needed between sets, of:

– Barbell back squat
– Pull up / chin up

2 – Three sets, eight reps, rest about 30 seconds between sets, of:

– Step ups (each side)
– Inchworm walks

3 – Three sets each, twelve (one arm rows) to fifteen (X body mountain climbers) reps each, resting AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE of:

– One arm KB row
– X body mountain climber

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At the end of the day, I am always hesitant to call a training method “wrong” or “bad” … there is a place and time for most any exercise and workout routine.

However, the “hybrid” method I outlined in today’s article is MY favorite way to train to get strong, lean, AND athletic, all at the same time. And that’s what I kept in mind when I put together my Complete Hybrid Barbell Training program.

=> Get the Complete FVT Hybrid Barbell Training package here (on sale now)

That’s it for now – train hard, and talk soon –

– Forest Vance, MS, RKC II, PCC
ForestVance.com