Fitness Friday: Hybrid Conditioning for the Hunt
Jul 10, 2025
By MTN OPS TEAM
Presented by MTN OPS x MeatEater
To thrive in the mountains, you can’t just be strong — and you can’t just have endurance. You need both. That’s where hybrid conditioning comes in.
Hybrid conditioning is the strategic blend of high-intensity strength work and low-intensity endurance training in a single workout. It challenges your ability to exert max effort under load, then recover and keep moving, just like you’ll need to do when chasing game through elevation, packing out weight, or grinding through long days in the field.
This week’s Fitness Friday workout from MTN OPS Ambassador Rich Froning, in collaboration with MeatEater, is built to simulate exactly that. It front-loads the intensity with intervals designed to build fatigue and elevate your heart rate, then shifts into a steady grind to build resilience and aerobic capacity.
THE WORKOUT
This is a hybrid conditioning session made up of two parts: a high-intensity interval series followed by a long, steady grind.
Part 1: Front-Loaded Intervals
This is a 3-round session designed to spike your heart rate, test your grit, and prep your body for sustained output.
3 Rounds:
- 800-meter run
- 100-foot bodyweight lunges
- 10 burpee box get-overs (48” for men / 42” for women)
- 100-foot bodyweight lunges
Rest:
Take 2 minutes of rest between each round.
Wear a weighted vest (20 lbs for men / 14 lbs for women) during this section.
Then, after your final rest:
Part 2: Long, Slow Grind
- 30-minute Zone 2 run
- Remove the weighted vest
- Maintain a conversational pace – focus on breathing, recovery, and building time on your feet
Why It Works
Rich Froning explains the strategy behind this structure:
“We like to mix in some high-intensity at the front end, then push that long, slow effort toward the back — build some capacity, build time on your feet.”
This hybrid format helps you develop:
- Anaerobic power
- Aerobic endurance
- Mental toughness under fatigue
It trains you to perform when your body is taxed — the exact kind of readiness that matters most in the backcountry.
Watch the Breakdown
Check out how Rich Froning tackled this session and get inspired to take it on yourself.
Try It. Track It. Tag Us.
Tackle the workout. Adapt it to your gear and terrain. Then share how it went because building mountain-ready fitness isn’t just a challenge. It’s a mindset.
