Before everyone committed to just one martial art or one training style, but nowadays you no longer need to limit yourself and you are free to combine many different styles together.

The field of movement is wide and deep: there are so many ways to move and express yourself.

In the artistic field you have many different martial arts, dance and acrobatics. In the training field you have powerlifting, bodybuilding, calisthenics and strength & conditioning. And obviously a lot more.

The big question is how can you combine these different styles together so you can become a complete and well-rounded athlete?

We already touched this subject a little bit in the "How to start movement training" (RECOMMENDED) but here is more advice!

BEGINNER PHASE

In the beginning when you are just getting started, you have the luxury of exploring the world of movement and trying out many different things. 

Basically everything you do will work and produce results, because you have not yet built a strong foundation of fitness and physical attributes. 

In the beginning you should keep it simple but versatile. Explore and try out many different things. Maybe try calisthenics, a martial art or animal movement training. 

The goal in the beginning is to get in a relatively good shape (strong foundation) and to learn the proper training methods and correct execution of the exercises.

This beginner phase can last for many years. Don't rush this since mastering the basics will pave the way to your future and determine your long-term results.

There are many ways to structure your weekly schedule, but the most important thing is to just get the stuff done!

For example, in Movement 20XX program the strength and mobility exercises are done together as a "main workout" and movement training and skills are done in a separate workout as a "flow workout".

This is an excellent split (i.e. you can do 2 main workouts per week and 2 flow workouts per week, or more), but it's also possible to include movement or mobility training in the beginning or in the end of your workouts.

These "strength exercises" can be pull ups, back squats, gymnastic exercises or bicep curls (anything!). You will get excellent results with full body workouts as long as you hit all of the major muscle groups. 

Your main emphasis can be on a martial art or powerlifting or bodyweight training, but it's still important to flirt with other styles to fill the gaps and explore as much as possible.

Even if your focus is on something else, movement and mobility training are still excellent for athleticism, structural balance and keeping the joints safe.

ADVANCED PHASE

Once you have built a strong solid foundation, you are ready to start specializing more heavily in one area.

What you want to focus on will ultimately depend on your personal interests and on what you want to achieve. Everyone is different and no one thing is better than another.

Some people are more inclined towards bodybuilding and aesthetics, and that's perfectly fine. Some people on the other hand want to focus more on their ability to move and overall athleticism.

In the advanced phase you will laser focus on one thing for a longer period of time and once it's done, you again shift your focus. For advanced trainees this is the best way to make progress, because it has become hard to keep progressing with the generalist approach. 

You can narrowly focus on just one body part for a week or even a month to strengthen that body part to the next level. Or you can permanently start to focus on one training style (like calisthenics) to excel in that field.

While you focus on one area, everything else is on maintenance and gets a lot less emphasis but the training is still there. When you have built a strong foundation after years of training, you don't need to worry about "losing gains". 

Advanced way of training can sound tempting to try, but unless your training methods and execution are on a high level (which you learn in the beginning phase), it won't produce good results.

Many people grossly overestimate their level of fitness and would get much better results if they focused more on mastering the basics and doing big compound exercises and movement training.