HYROX calls themselves the “sport of fitness” with a narrative that often focuses on training hard, racing hard and racing often.
Unlike many other single discipline sports, HYROX sits in a relatively dangerous zone of sport. High volume running- tick. High volume of repeated movements- tick. Training under fatigue- tick. Whilst it’s a sport we all love, there is no question that the combination is pretty stressful on our joints, hormones and nervous system.
This alone could be just about manageable but unlike many other sports, there seems to be more of a public reward for racing often, podium wins and rankings.
I know what that feels like as someone who prefers fewer but more intentional races a year but have recently fallen out of the elite 15 and need to race again just to re qualify. The implicit nudges to continue to race, push hard without seasonal breaks leave us paying the cost later- sciatica, achilles issues and for many of us a total burn-out from the sport all together.
Longevity in HYROX
I have written and spoken a lot about the concept of longevity but very rarely when discussing HYROX. Whilst undoubtedly we all want the crazy rookie season or the ten minute pb, we very talk about our three year goals, our five year goals. Longevity in the sport, the ability to train, race and improve season after season, year after year is by far one of the most important metrics we should track.
Elite HYROX athletes come from a multitude of disciplines. I come from an endurance background like many others but some come from CrossFit, gymnastics or recreational lifting. Many of us have had years working towards durability. However, what we the majority of us see on social media is the message that every workout should be hard and that soreness equates to progress. This is not the case for any of us.
HYROX Training Tips
Whilst we all train differently, here are some of the tools and thinking I have developed over the last two decades on how to train for longevity, not for a one off peak performance.
- The majority of the hard work is unsexy and boring. Of course, it’s more fun to do a metcon but half our time is spent on mobility work, lifting that feels too light and submaximal aerobic running. These are the workouts you don’t see many people post on instagram.
- Resting is part of training: Often rest days feel underserved but allowing the body to recover is hands down the most important thing. It’s much easier to feel like a hero and train than it is to take your foot off the gas.
- Make running a skill: The majority of Hyrox is a running race but many of us forget it’s technical and it shows. Collapsing hips post sled push, reduced cadence when tired, overstriding. Running drills, conditioning focusing on form and easy runs are non negotiables.
- A,B,C races: Not every race can be the most important. Me and my coach George break down the season into A,B,C races. A’s are the races we care the most about.
- Take an off season: Hyrox is one of the only sports without a clear off season so it’s up to us to integrate our own. Last season, I took mine straight after the World Championships. I rested for two weeks and spent six weeks with a slow build up. I took a smaller break after the Melbourne elite 15, acknowledging my body needed it.
- Track the right signals: I spent years tracking output as my main metric- am I getting faster? Am I getting stronger? I now think about it a little differently. Am I sleeping enough? How is my HRV? How is my mood?
My final piece of advice and maybe the most important one is to separate intensity from your identity. It’s one of the hardest things to believe because so many of us subconsciously see exhaustion and drama as a sign of success. There is nothing remarkable about being overly tired. There is nothing remarkable about a singular race.
