How to train for Hyrox, according to a Hyrox record holder
Hyrox is one of the fastest-growing sporting events in the country. Here, athlete, coach and record holder, Jake Dearden, shares out how to train for your next Hyrox event.
If you haven’t heard of Hyrox yet, strap in. Set up in Germany in 2017, it’s the latest endurance-based sporting event to test everything from your quad strength to your mental stamina. And the man who knows all about it? Athlete and coach, Jake Dearden.
In fact, he knows so much about it that he’s even testing his limits in November this year by competing in 11 Hyrox events back-to-back across one weekend. Having set the bar high by finishing the course in record time, Jake shares how best to get Hyrox-ready, the mistakes to avoid and just how brutal the course is.
So, what exactly is Hyrox?
Lunge, burpee and run your way to the HYROX finish line, if you dare
© Brian Ching See Wing/Red Bull Content Pool
“It’s a full-body functional fitness event that takes place across the country. What’s great about it is that anyone – given the right amount of training – can compete, so it’s really inclusive. The event itself is a series of running and full-body strength exercises, starting off with a 1km run then on to a 1km skierg, 50-metre sled push and 50-metre sled pull, 80-metre burpee broad jumps, a 1km row, 200 metres of farmer's carries, 100 metres of walking lunges with a sandbag and then 75 or 100 wall balls. Between each station, you do a 1km run, so you’re running a total of 8km across the course. The event can be done either on your own, in pairs, or as a relay with up to four people, but the main thing is that you’re doing it for time. It's quite tough and normally lasts anywhere between an hour and two hours.”
You’re competing in Hyrox in November, right?
“Yeah, I’m doing Hyrox in London on November 24 and 25 and raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support. I’ve already done four Hyrox and last year I got the record in Glasgow for the 16-24 age group, which was 57 minutes and 9 seconds. This year, I’m doing 11 events across the weekend – seven on the Saturday and then four on the Sunday. This means I'll be starting one course every two hours, so I’m aiming to have at least 45 minutes to recover and refuel. I’ll be taking my physio with me, put it that way!”
Why is a tailored training plan so important for Hyrox?
Athlete, coach and record holder Jake Dearden performing in Cape Town
© Craig Kolesky/Red Bull Content Pool
“It’ll not only improve your fitness and strength, but it will cover all your muscle groups, prepping you for endurance on the day. Some of the movements are quite hard and to get a good time, you really need to be efficient. So first and foremost, practising the movements and making sure that a training programme is tailored towards what you can expect on the day, as well as working on your weaknesses, is definitely going to take minutes off your time. Plan your sessions so you’re getting the balance right between the strength elements like being able to push the sled or complete the walking lunges, combined with the interval running. Obviously having a realistic plan that is tailored around your lifestyle is important; some people, for instance, find it hard to get all of the running in as well as the functional fitness, so it's very important to be able to program effectively as well as allow time for rest.”
Why is rest such an important part of training for Hyrox?
“You need to make sure that you’re having adequate rest days so that you can recover and get a positive semi-stimulus from your training and that your body can repair so you can go again. Think about traditional gym training; you want to allow between 24 and 72 hours for your body to rest, so that’s why active recovery days are important. This could be going for a slower-pace run or even walk so you’re still moving your body but you’re not overdoing it. If you push and don’t give yourself enough recovery time, you can actually hinder your progress and run the risk of injury or battering yourself so much you end up losing strength.”
Can anyone compete at Hyrox?
Hyrox wall balls
© Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool
“100%. One of the reasons it’s such a success is that it’s really inclusive – it’s not just for super elite fitness people, it’s for everyone. If you’re looking to compete, realistically you probably need around six to 12 weeks to train, and then if you want to improve your time, you might look at extending this training cycle or changing it up for next time.”
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How do you train for a Hyrox event?
“Training is quite intense! You’ve got high-impact, weight-bearing exercises, including running, and then you've got heavy strength exercises like the sled push and farmer's carries, so you’re putting a lot of pressure and a lot of stress on your body. If I was programming for a client or for myself, I’d plan a weekly training plan of one session each day, with one rest day. An ideal week would include:
- One lower body strength session where you’re putting your legs through their full range of motion. This could include front or back squats, some unilateral work where you’re working on strengthening your legs equally and then some lateral work like side lunges to strengthen your adductors and abductors. I’d probably finish on some heavy sled work, so more than you will be pushing on the day and some box step-ups.
- Two Hyrox conditioning sessions where you’re doing some of the exact exercises like burpee broad jumps and sled pushes and pulls. The aim of this is to work on your metabolic conditioning and get your heart rate up, interspersed with rest periods – so high intensity interval training.
- Two to three runs, consisting of one long run – over the course of your training block, gradually build up to a long run. Ideally this should be for the amount of time you think it’s going to take you to complete the Hyrox course on the day (so around 90 minutes). Also do one speed-work running session, for instance on a track where you run eight x 1km with a two- to three-minute rest in between. Then for your third weekly run, try to include some running where you’re under fatigue. This could be hill running or combining running with some leg work, like heavy squats or lunges, so that your body gets used to working under stress and handling that lactic acid.
In terms of practising the course itself, I probably do this every two or three weeks just to get my body used to transitioning between exercises and start building up my strength ready for the event.”
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What does training look like in the week leading up to a Hyrox event?
Jake suggests training six days a week in the run-up to the event
© Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool
“Most Hyrox events are on the weekend, so the week before, use this as a deload week and strip everything back to around 80 per cent effort. You’re not realistically going to improve strength in the week before an event, so be smart and focus on technique and transitions on the Monday and the Tuesday – this is where you can really hone your movement and shave some time off your speeds. On the Wednesday, go for a gentle 5km run and then rest for two days before the event. The main goal is being able to arrive on the day and feel confident that you know the exercises and that you’ve trained hard.”
What are some of the mistakes that people make when they’re training for Hyrox?
“There are a few things. First up, getting really good at the one thing that they struggle with. So for a lot of people that might be the sled. They’ll put all their efforts into nailing this and they’ll not focus on doing burpee broad jumps because they think, ‘it’s just a burpee’. But these are incredibly hard and people underestimate the skill it takes to get the technique right. Secondly, avoiding what they don’t enjoy, so for lots of people that might be running. You have to remember that during the course, you’re running 8km, and while it’s split into 1km runs, improving your running will mean you complete the course in a faster time. And finally, not studying the Hyrox rules. Definitely make time to find out the techniques for all the exercises or you may find you face a penalty or you’ll be slowed down. For instance, walking lunges must be completed by standing up fully between lunges as opposed to keeping time under tension and not coming up fully.”
What are some of the challenges you’re facing for your Hyrox challenge?
Jake's course record (16-24 age group) stands at 57 minutes and 9 seconds
© Baptiste Fauchille/Red Bull Content Pool
“It’s going to be a lot because over the entire weekend, including going from station-to-station, I’m going to be running around 100km. Also making sure I get enough hydration and nutrition in between courses is going to be important; I’m going to aim to get in about 500 calories when I’ve finished each course, so I'm going to take lots of dried fruit and cereal bars. The sled and wall balls are going to be challenging, I think, but what’s going to get me through is the positive atmosphere. There’s music pumping and the crowd cheering you on with support – it’s such a great community, something you only get at Hyrox.”
Find out more about Hyrox at hyrox.com.
