5 Best Hybrid Exercises for Boosting Your Fitness Level

April 12, 2020

by Cathe Friedrich

The more muscles you work at the same time, the more calories you burn and the greater the anabolic effects. Working multiple muscles together also builds greater functionality, so your muscles work more efficiently together. Some of the most effective functional exercises are those that work more than one muscle simultaneously. Think about squats and deadlifts and how many muscles they work. However, there’s another way to work multiple muscle groups at the same time. You can do it by including hybrid exercises in your strength-training routine.

What Are Hybrid Exercises?

Hybrid exercises are those that string together more than one exercise into a single, uninterrupted movement. Doing hybrid movements has some of the same benefits as performing compound exercises. These advanced movements burn more calories than isolation exercises and boost the heart rate more than isolation movements. So, these exercises offer greater cardiovascular and weight loss benefits. Plus, hybrid exercises are time expedient. You can do a sequence of hybrid movements to boost your heart rate, build strength or power, and work your muscles in multiple planes in a short period of time.

You can create your own hybrid exercises by fusing two exercises into one movement, but there are some effective hybrid exercises you might already be familiar with.

Thrusters

Thrusters are an exercise that works the upper and lower body at the same time, and if you do it explosively, this movement will boost your heart rate quickly. No wonder! The movement combines squats with an overhead press. It’s so effective that you can get benefits from a single set of explosive thrusters. Here’s how to do one:

You can use a barbell or a dumbbell in each hand. It’s easiest to start with dumbbells.

Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing each other and the dumbbells at shoulder level.
Descend into a squat as you press the dumbbells overhead until your arms are extended.
Bring the weights back down as you rise up from the squat.

If you choose a lighter weight and make thrusters more explosive, you’ll build power, but if you increase the weight, you can turn it into an intense weight training move that builds strength.

Renegade Row Push-Up

Renegade rows combined with a push-up is the ultimate dynamic workout for your upper body. Rows and push-ups are a movement that works your chest, triceps, shoulders, and back and when you link them together, you work more muscle groups. To do this hybrid exercise, you can use dumbbells or kettlebells. Here’s how to do it:

Grab the dumbbells and place them on a mat about shoulder-width apart. Place one hand on each dumbbell and grasp it so your palms are facing each other.
While holding the weights, get into a plank position so the weights are resting on the floor as you grip them.
From this position, lower your body into a push-up.
At the top of the push-up, row the weight up toward your chest and bring it back down.
Repeat the push-up again in the same way.
At the top of the push-up, row the other weight up toward your chest and back down.
Keep repeating.

If the exercise is too difficult, do it on your knees until you build up enough strength to do it on your toes. If you have problems with balance, widen the distance between your two legs so you have a more stable base of support.

Deadlift Combined with Shrug

Few exercises work as many muscles at the same time as deadlifts. So, it’s already a fantastic compound exercise, but when you add a shrug to the movement, it works your shoulders more than a deadlift alone. So, this is an effective hybrid variation for strengthening your shoulders and building shoulder definition. Shoulder shrugs also strengthen the trapezius muscle that helps stabilize your neck and upper back. Here’s how to do one:

Place a barbell in front of you.
Plant your feet hip-width apart and grab the bar on either side of your knees.
Use your heels to push against the floor as you rise to a standing position while holding the bar.
At the top of the movement, shrug your shoulders.
For more shoulder emphasis, hold the shrug for a few seconds.
Keep repeating.

Biceps Curl – Step Up

Biceps curls alone do little to work your lower body or boost your heart rate, but when you combine curls with a step up, you accomplish both of these goals. Your glutes, hamstrings, hip abductors, and quads will all get in on the action. Plus, this hybrid exercise can improve balance and coordination. Here’s how to do one:

Place a box or bench in front of you.
Place a dumbbell in each hand with a palm-up grip.
With one leg, step up on to the box and raise your other leg up (as if taking another step).
At the top of the step, curl your arms up bringing the weights towards your shoulders.
Return to the starting position and switch legs.
Keep repeating.

Squat-Curl-Overhead Press

You work a lot of muscles when you combine three exercises together, and a good example of an exercise that does this is the squat-curl-overhead press. With this movement, you work almost every muscle in your body, including your quads, hamstrings, glutes, biceps, shoulders, biceps, and triceps. Here’s how to do one:

Stand with your feet about hip-width apart.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your hands facing one another.
Descend into a squat as you extend your arms toward the floor.
As you rise from the squat, bring your arms up toward your shoulders into a curl.
Without pausing, push the dumbbells overhead into an overhead press.
Bend your elbows and bring the weights back to shoulder level and then to your sides.
Keep repeating.

There you have it! Five hybrid exercises that will work more muscle groups and boost your heart rate and calorie burn more than isolation movements. Enjoy adding these exercises to your routine.

References:

Paoli et al. (2017). Resistance Training with Single vs. Multi-joint Exercises at Equal Total Load Volume: Effects on Body Composition, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, and Muscle Strength. Front. Physiol., 22 December 2017 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2017.01105.

Asian J Sports Med. 2015 Jun; 6(2): e24057. Published online 2015 Jun 22. doi: 10.5812/asjsm.24057.

Related Cathe Friedrich Workout DVDs:

STS Strength 90 Day Workout Program
All of Cathe’s Strength & Toning Workout DVDs
Total Body Workouts
Upper Body Workouts

Categories: Blog, Fitness Articles, Fitness Tips

Tags: boost your heart, boost your heart rate, heart rate, hybrid exercises, Renegade Row Push-Up, thrusters, work more muscle groups