I was a little skeptical about the claims of the new program Lean Hybrid Muscle by Elliott Hulse, and Mike Westerdal….
They say you are able to burn fat and build muscle at the same time but being in the the fitness industry for over 7 years i had to get my hands on an advanced copy…
So i contacted Elliott and he shot me over a test copy of the book and some of the workouts he has been testing in the lean hybrid muscle training style…
First thing I noticed was how very well put together the entire manual is, it is very easy to understand and implement immedietly. The are chapters on everything from in the gym hybrid lifts to things you can do outside with no equipment…
Secondly, there is a nutrition section that shows you what kind of foods you should be eating to get the maximum resilts from the program…
I also liked how they put everything in a step by step fashion, meaning everything was laid out weeks 1-4 do this weeks 4-8 do this and me having a hard time staying focused it was awesome to mnot have to think about anything and just go lift…
Here some highlights on how lean hybrid muscle is put together…
-Combination of powerlifting,strongman,bodyweight, and bodybuilding in easy follow hybrid workouts that can be done anywhere in the gym or outside…
-Very easy to follow step by step system with everything laid out even including a nutrition secion on eating for optimum muscle building…
-Huge variety of exercise selection so you are not limited to only the gym or only strongman this program can literly be used by anybody regardless of there training situation…
So all in all i was very impressed with the Lean Hybrid Muscle building program and it brings a new perspective on an awesome way of training to build muscle and burn fat at the same time…
You know, going to the gym and working out isn’t the only way to get strong. There’s actually a huge difference between being gym strong versus real-life strong. It’s completely possible to be in good shape and strong—and I mean really strong—without ever having stepped inside a gym.
How is this possible? Are these guys just genetic freaks? Let me tell you that it is possible and no, you do not have to be a genetic anomaly to be in great shape and what I like to call “real-life strong.”
My own dad is a great example of a guy who is really strong but yet he’s never worked out a day in his life. He did however, do a lot of manual labor. He was always working on things outside in the yard, building stuff, working with wood or any number of other things. On the flip side is me—I have been working out since I was in high school in Connecticut.
I really started to get serious about training when I finally started growing and getting stronger. By the time I hit my senior year and was playing football I was able to bench 275 pounds and was really proud of myself.
It all got put into perspective though one day when my dad needed my help to get rid of some large rocks sticking out of the grass. The area where we lived in Connecticut was kind of mountainous with these huge rocks just about everywhere. Around our yard, they seemed to even multiply so every now and then we’d have to dig them up and haul them away in a wheelbarrow.
One year, my dad wanted to get rid of some especially big rocks on the property so we got to work digging.
Once the dirt was removed I went in to move the boulders. Knowing how strong I had been getting I figured I could take care of the bulk of it by myself. I was shocked though to find out that I could hardly even budge them. But my dad—the guy who had never worked out a day in his life—was able to move them all by himself.
I was shocked. I could not believe that this “old man,” who I knew I could beat on any machine in the weight room, was still “stronger” than me when it came to real life. I started to refer to it as “old man strength.”
Today, I’m older, a bit wiser and I realize that my dad hadn’t developed “old man strength” but he had actually developed “hybrid strength” without even trying. Those activities that he did around the house just about every day gave him a physical edge that is very difficult to duplicate in a gym.
Most ordinary training routines isolate individual muscles, which is not how our bodies are really designed to work. The kinds of things my dad did though recruited multiple muscle groups simultaneously and even more important—would have required both strength and endurance, just like a hybrid workout.
And what he did in the process of doing these activities was to develop hybrid type III muscles, which is really the “optimal” muscle fiber because not only does it produce strength, but it’s also able to sustain that strength for extended periods. Ordinary type I or type II fibers just can’t do that—they basically sit at opposite ends of the spectrum.
Typical gym workouts focus on developing the type I, type IIa and type IIb fibers—not developing hybrid muscle. And because my dad was developing type III muscle fibers, he had a lot more real life strength than I did. Sure I could have beat the snot out of him at the gym, but in the real world, there was no competition—I was licked.
Of course my dad isn’t the only example of someone who either by accident or by design, was engaging in hybrid muscle training and in the process, developing hybrid type III muscle.
The movie Rocky IV provides another great example of the superiority of real world strength versus gym strength. In the movie, Rocky trains in the mountains focusing on building his real world strength—in reality doing hybrid workouts and developing hybrid type III muscle.
Conversely, the Russian guy trains in this futuristic high-tech gym using scientifically-designed treadmills and exercise equipment. Yeah, the guy looked pretty muscular but when it came time to fight, his gym-engineered muscles were no match for the real-world strength of Rocky.
So you see, although science has tried to come up with all sorts of interesting ways for guys to get bigger, stronger and leaner, when it comes down to actual results, basic functionality and real-world strength still triumph every time.
Max Effort Cardio? Discovering The Essence of Hard Core Fat Loss
If you’re anything like me… you HATE doing cardio! I can’t even stand the word, “cardio”. It conjures up childhood memories of watching my mom follow along with a Jane Fonda VHS while wearing tights and those knee-high bushy pink socks. — *shiver*
But I DO like the idea of burning off thick layers of beer belly fat and nastiness, without my butt going numb on a bicycle seat or bouncing around on colorful plastic blocks. In fact, the only thing I really enjoy doing in the gym is lifting heavy barbells and throwing around odd objects. So, as a part of my Lean Hybrid Muscle experiment I decided to utilize what I call “Max Effort Cardio”.
Max Effort Cardio is where I illicit a cardiovascular response via mulitjoint barbell exercises or strongman training. So, instead of the typical max effort singles and triples, I use a slightly lighter weight and perform back to back sets of 5’s… and here is the secret to this whole concept, with very MINIMAL rest intervals.
I know, I know… you’re probably saying, “Elliott, that doesn’t make any sense! Everything that I have been taught about weight training says that I should rest 2-3 minutes between max effort attempts — you must be going mad!”
Yes, I HAVE gone mad a long time ago… but all respected scientists do so eventually
Just bare with me for a moment!
If you consider that my Max Effort Cardio system forces your muscles to adapt by increasing Mitochondrial Density, you already understand that this means an increase capacity for fat burning ALL DAY LONG. In fact, it has been noted that weight training in a similar fashion to what I have described also keeps your metabolism burning at an accelerated rate for several hours after completing your training session.
This is in stark contrast to the immediate drop in metabolic rate when engaged in low intensity cardio, such as jogging or pedaling on a stationary bike.
Below is a workout for you to try… but you have to make me a promise. After you try the workout post a comment on this blog post about how you felt and if you think that this type of training can help ANYONE get bigger muscles and burn fat at the same time!
Try this:
Set a barbell with either 95 lbs or 135 lbs (more if you are a monster)
Perform 5-10 sets of 5 Thrusters (see the video below) with less than 30 seconds between sets.
If this doesn’t get your heart beating faster than a jack-rabbit’s in heat, then you’re probably dead.
Many of you know that I compete as an amatuer powerlifter. One thing I’ve noticed over the past few years is that there are a lot of guys that believe the bigger you get and the more bodyweight you carry the stronger you will get. This was pretty much undisputed in the past.
All you had to do was look up all the world records in the squat, bench and deadlift and you’d find that the super heavyweights weighing 300 lbs and more dominated all the record boards regardless of age.
I’m not sure exactly when it started happening, but the tides are turning. When you look up the powerlifting rankings you’ll see that today the top numbers at many of the biggest powerlifting events each year are not always held by the heaviest guys.
In fact on forums across the Internet people are arguing that the strongest guys in the world today are representing the 198, 220, 242 and 275 lbs classes.
And I’m not talking about short fat guys that weigh less than their taller counterparts. These are lean powerlifters that look like they compete in bodybuilding.
Matt Kroczaleski pictured above competes in the 220 lb class giving the
heavyweights a run for their money and I don’t see no stinkin body fat!
The world famous strength coach and owner of Westside Barbell Louie Simmons is an advocate of having his powerlifters push a weighted wheelbarrow and do sled drags. You can read about it in many of his articles.
What does this have to do with Lean Hybrid Muscle, Mike? Well, there’s a new breed of powerlifters that are taking over and they do cardio! Can you believe that, powerlifters doing cardio? Well they’re doing hybrid cardio or resistance cardio.
Not only are they improving their fitness level, but they are increasing their overall or “absolute strength” which seems to be carrying over to their max strength powerlifting results.
It’s true, times are a changing in the powerlifting world. Pretty soon the word powerlifter may just bring to mind a lean hybrid muscle machine instead of the stereotypical big fat bald guy with a goatee. Hybrid cardio or type III muscle training has a lot to do with it in my opinion.
Sometimes I train with an elite powerlifter named Mike Schwanke over at Tampa Barbell. Here’s another example of a lighter guy giving the heavyweights a run for their money. He squats over 1K and has deadlifted 800 lbs. Check out this video of his training footage prior to a meet earlier this year.
Even though he’s a powerlifter he implements cardio and hybrid conditioning so that he can reduce his bodyfat while building strength.
Yes – You Can Be Strong, Lean & In Shape At The Same Time
This is important so listen up. Hybrid cardio is not a “style” of training but rather, it is a component of training-and it doesn’t require and special training or fancy equipment.
If you are interested in developing balance among fitness, strength and size, then you should be taking a good look at this blog and the developments. For example, a guy can lift and lift and lift until he’s as big as an ox with bulging muscles of steel but be short of breath from a climb up a flight of stairs.
Or, if you are into competitive sports, adding the Hybrid Muscle Training component to your training mix can really give you a competitive edge. Guys also use hybrid conditioning to improve weak spots, to be more adaptable, improve their overall fitness levels and to boost and speed up their bodies’ capacity to recover.
The sled pull, tire flip, farmer’s walk, wheelbarrow push and plate lifting are some of the more common hybrid exercises around. In doing any of these exercises you start out with a goal of doing it for maybe ten minutes or so, with a long-term goal of working up to about 30 minutes.
It’s important to remember this part: Once you reach 30 minutes, don’t keep striving to be able to do longer stretches of time. Rather, enhance your capacity by increasing the weight, not the amount of time you’re doing the exercises. This is where you’ll really see improvements in your performance.
One of the great things about Hybrid cardio as it relates to muscle building is that it involves compound exercises that require you to use multiple muscle groups and multiple skills (balance, coordination, etc.) at the same time. By doing compound exercises you’re not only improving your all around fitness level but you’re also significantly lowering your risk of injuring yourself.
Lots of bodybuilders get totally caught up in building size, focusing on doing the same exercises over and over again. By keeping the focus just on the muscles that you see in the mirror (the “beach muscles”) and not training the core, they are setting themselves up for injury.
Powerlifters are equally guilty on totally concentrating on their maximum strength without paying much attention to their hearts or work capacity as we discussed earlier. If you can squat 700 pounds you should be able to squat 225 for 15 reps without getting totally winded.
Many powerlifters myself included could use the fat burning benefits of incorporating some hybrid cardio training which as a bonus will develop the type III muscle fiber. Maybe there’d be a little more gas in the tank by the time the deadlift rolls around on meet day.
I’ve heard the excuses, doing this will make you weaker. Well I’m calling Bullshit on that one! How many of you have seen the DVD “242 Raw” featuring Jeremy Hoornstra? For those of you who don’t know him he’s one of the top raw bench pressers in the world having hit a 675 bench in competition right before my eyes!
It was amazing. Well in Jeremy’s DVD him and his buddies push his SUV up a hill for their early morning workout. So don’t tell me this kind of conditioning will make you lose max strength, because if anything it will make you overall stronger.
That’s another great thing about hybrid cardio/muscle building exercises, you can do them with whatever you have handy. If you don’t happen to have a sled hanging around the house, no worries just push a vehicle around.
And if you aren’t able to do that, then maybe you can flip a tire or attach some rope to a piece of plywood, put a bunch of bricks on it and start dragging it around. With lean hybrid muscle building workouts, you’re not tied to a specific routine or exercise.
It’s not a requirement that you do specific exercises or follow a particular routine-it’s more important that you do “strongman” type exercises in addition to your current routine that are really going to challenge you.
Even if you live in the heart of the city you can incorporate hybrid muscle exercises into your training routine. The farmer’s walk can be done anywhere. Just grab a couple of heavy dumbbells and start walking. As you improve, use heavier dumbbells.
If the weather is lousy then you can do it at the gym. At the gym you can also carry around plates instead of dumbbells, if you’d like. Kettle bells are great for doing these exercises too. You can use them to do snatches, the farmer’s walk or any number of other compound exercises.
You can even do these hybrid training exercises if you don’t have anything more than your own bodyweight. Jump squats are just one example of a bodyweight exercise that you can do. The point is this kind of training allows for a great deal of creativity, flexibility and adaptability. Watch the Strong Man competitions on the television if you want some great ideas for coming up with your own routines.
To wrap up, by including Hybrid muscle training exercises into the training routine, dangerous imbalances-and the injuries that often accompany them-can be avoided. Adding some of these exercises into the mix can also help keep boredom at bay and can also keep you from getting burned out on training.
You’ll also be giving yourself a serious competitive edge and as an added bonus, because the body is in all-around better physical condition, you’ll also find that you recover more rapidly and will probably have more energy too.
Thanks for letting me get this off my chest. I’m learning so much just from reading everyone’s comments. So if you learned anything or enjoyed this post, than please leave a comment below. It’s only fair that I get to pick your brain too!
The Science Of Rapid Muscle Growth Constructing the type 3 muscle fiber
Lean Hybrid Muscle building routines include some of the most grueling workouts that most people have ever experienced. Its a good day when none of the guys that train at Strength Camp puke after a training session.
Well, if you’re like most AVERAGE fitness folks you are probably asking yourself… “Why the heck would someone pay this psycho… only to engage in this form of fitness brutality?”
There are many strength and conditioning coaches that train their athletes and clients to the point of “revisiting their lunch” simply to punish them or to prove a point. But when members at Strength Camp engage in our hybrid muscle training sessions there is a SCIENCE behind the sadism.
You see, most people go to the gym on Monday and do their weight training followed by cardio on Tuesday. But at Strength Camp we combine both weight training AND cardio in the same session… in fact, many times both elements are expressed in a single exercises.
Here’s an example…
Instead of the average training routine that would include dead lifts and biceps curls for 3 sets of 10, our “hybrid” routine may consist of heavy sandbag loading for as many reps as possible in a 60 second span.
Here are the benefits of training The Hybrid Way:
1. When you force a fast twitch (type 2b) muscle fiber that is accustomed to explosive movements such as heavy sand bag loading to maintain its function via high repetitions within a short span of time, repeated for several sets… you train it to behave more like a slow-twitch (type 1) fiber.
2. Type 1 fibers have a higher mitochondrial density than type 2 thus they are more fuel efficient. Simply put, they burn fat for energy better than the type 2 fibers.
3. Type 2 fibers are usually more explosive and have a thicker diameter… they are bigger fibers. When they begin adopting the behavior of type 1 fibers by gradually increasing their mitochondrial density they ultimately become even BIGGER in size as well a better at burning fat for energy.
4. We call these newly formed, mitochondrial infused type 2 fibers… Type 3 Muscle Fibers.
5. Type 3 Muscle Fibers are BIGGER, STRONGER, and more fuel efficient (burn more fat) than the speedy yet sluggish Type 2 fibers. Type 3 fibers are also more explosive and have greater athletic capacity than the slow and steady Type 1 fibers.
Here is a challenge that I invite you to try this week.
Instead of your normal back and biceps training routine followed by cardio… create a 100 pound sand bag and load it onto a 54″ platform (or about the height of your chest) for as many reps as possible in 60 seconds. Repeat for 5-10 sets with no more than a 2 minute rest in between.
Step 2 – come back to this website and post comments below about how soaking wet and soar you were after this workout!
This type of training is the World’s Fastest Way To Burn Fat & Build Muscle — ever!
How is this possible? Are these guys just genetic freaks? Let me tell you that it is possible and no, you do not have to be a genetic anomaly to be in great shape and what I like to call “real-life strong.”
Most ordinary training routines isolate individual muscles, which is not how our bodies are really designed to work. The kinds of things my dad did though recruited multiple muscle groups simultaneously and even more important—would have required both strength and endurance, just like a 
If you’re anything like me… you HATE doing cardio! I can’t even stand the word, “cardio”. It conjures up childhood memories of watching my mom follow along with a Jane Fonda VHS while wearing tights and those knee-high bushy pink socks. — *shiver*
If the weather is lousy then you can do it at the gym. At the gym you can also carry around plates instead of dumbbells, if you’d like. Kettle bells are great for doing these exercises too. You can use them to do snatches, the farmer’s walk or any number of other compound exercises.
Lean Hybrid Muscle building routines include some of the most grueling workouts that most people have ever experienced. Its a good day when none of the guys that train at Strength Camp puke after a training session.