Fitness Roadtest: Hybrid Performance Gym

Posted on 16 March, 2016

Finding the perfect gym is a little bit like dating (bear with me here)…

You shop around, find something you’re attracted to, spend some time together, and discover whether or not you’re a good match.

Well, I think I’ve found the one.

Hybrid Performance isn’t just the gym I train at, it’s a place I like to spend my time, it’s a place where I work on making myself a better, stronger human and it’s the reason I am excited to get my butt up out of bed every morning for a 5.30 session.

I’d heard of Hybrid Performance long before it opened in February of this year. Founders and trainers Adam Manikis and Clint Hartley were personal trainers at Fitness First before they decided to open their own facility, and with 15 years of combined experience, had garnered reputations as professionals who had proven track records of getting their clients results.

The facility that they’ve opened is beautiful, but for me it’s really the principle and values that they’ve built on which sets Hybrid apart from many other gyms.

The name is representative of the ethos of the gym: “where strength meets movement – where performance meets aesthetic.” That’s exactly what you’ll find here: small group personal training sessions that have a strong focus on technique and activating the right muscles, so that you can develop strength and build a beautiful physique.

So how small is small? The classes are capped at eight clients, which means that everyone in attendance gets enough individual attention. I’ve been going for about three weeks now and I’ve been shocked at the level of attention I receive from the trainers. They’re always watching, correcting technique and scaling movements to meet your individual needs.

Hybrid works in three 12-week cycles: body composition, fat loss and strength (the current cycle), but strength work is always included either as a main component or for maintenance. The current strength cycle will continue through winter, after which point conditioning will take priority and finally fat loss will feature in the lead up to summer – so you’ll see your hard work shown off in time for bikini system.

I love surprises, but not when it comes to my workouts. What I’m really loving at the moment is the consistency over the week – think squats on Mondays, bench press Tuesdays, military press on Thursdays and deadlifts on Fridays. Continuously working on the same foundation movement means that I am seeing improvement every week, not just in how much I’m lifting but also in the efficiency and technique of my lifts.

When you sign up to Hybrid, it’s not just access to the semi-private personal training sessions that you get. There are a few different levels of membership, but the premium will grant you access to unlimited sessions and ongoing support with your nutrition and your mobility, which I’ve found incredibly useful. The nutrition advice has been simple and easy to incorporate into my daily life. Importantly, I feel like it’s complimenting my training – I feel leaner but still have enough energy to charge through workouts. At $99 a week, a Premium membership isn’t cheap but from personal experience I believe it’s worth every last cent. There’s also a trial membership which is just $39 for two weeks so you can figure out whether it’s for you.

It can take a long time to develop a culture at a new gym, but Hybrid have managed the seemingly impossible. The ‘tribe’ at Hybrid is warm and encouraging. Many of the clients have trained with Adam or Clint for a long time and the rapport that they have is something unique.

That community feeling takes centre stage at the Strongman classes held every Saturday morning. These are high intensity classes designed to burn fat and build muscle and they are seriously challenging and fun. They can involved anything from traditional lifts to pushing sleds, slamming battle ropes, flipping tires, chin ups, farmer’s carries and more. It’s open to the public for just $20 a session so why not make a morning of it: intake the girls (or the boyfriend) and head to the Fyshwick markets after for some breakfast and to stock up on fresh produce!

I can’t put my finger on what it was about Clint and Adam, but within my first week of training I felt completely comfortable and at home – even at 5.30am with sleepy eyes and crazy hair, and even when completing movements I’d never attempted before.

Hybrid Performance is so good that I almost wish it was a secret, but I’m willing to spread the love. This is one gym that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend for anyone who wants to take their training to the next level and is after serious results. Make sure you tell them we sent you!

the essentials

What: Hybrid Performance Gym
Where: Quilpie Crescent, Fyshwick
Website: www.hybridperformancegym.com
Contact: 0408 502 778