My fellow Lifehacker writer Beth Skwarecki is a weightlifter. I’m a marathon runner. Together, we make one reasonably competent Hyrox athlete—and in a little over one week, we’re going to find out if that’s enough. Beth and I are competing together in a Hyrox doubles race on May 29. It’s something of a joint experiment to see just how little training you can get away with before showing up to one of these things. Hopefully, we will each bring our respective strengths to the competition, cover for the other’s weaknesses, and survive.
But before we’re put to the test, let’s take a look at what proper Hyrox prep looks like, and the bare minimum you can (probably) get away with if you want to show up to a competition without a ton of training.
What is Hyrox, exactly?
Beth goes into more depth elsewhere, but here’s a quick primer on Hyrox. In brief, it’s a running race combined with functional workout stations, repeated eight times. You run 1 km, hit a workout station, run another 1 km, hit another station, and so on. The stations include activities like sled pushes, rowing, burpee broad jumps, walking lunges, and wall balls. While each station may sound manageable on its own, they become far more difficult when your legs have already been tired out through multiple rounds.
You can compete in Hyroc solo, in doubles, or as a relay team. Naturally, your strategy will depend on which format you’re attempting. For doubles specifically, both athletes run together, but you can split the functional movements however you want. That’s where smart planning can make a real difference, and where Beth and I are currently scheming to the best of our ability.
What does Hyrox training actually look like?
You can sign up for a Hyrox-style class at your local gym and get a great hybrid workout without ever joining an official race. “A regular Hyrox class gives you a taste of the format and builds general fitness for the event,” says Elaine Cotter, head trainer and manager at an F45 gym in Brooklyn. “A dedicated training plan is more structured and performance-focused—including specific running workouts, both endurance and interval focused, strength progression, race simulations, pacing, and recovery. Taking some classes here and there means ‘I want to be ready.’ A dedicated training plan means ‘I want to race this well.'”
If you’re aiming to genuinely compete—that is, to push your time and finish strong—Cotter recommends starting at least 12 weeks out, and ideally, give yourself 16 weeks. That’s enough runway to build a running base, develop muscular endurance across all the stations, and reduce injury risk. But what if you don’t have 12 weeks? What if you have, say, one week?
Can you do Hyrox without training at all?
What’s the bare minimum of training a Hyrox athlete can hypothetically get away with? Well, in theory, “anyone with any running or strength training experience can complete a Hyrox,” Cotter says. “Does that mean you may have to walk some of it or really take your time to recover in certain parts? Probably—but that’s okay.”
Unlike Crossfit (to which it is constantly compared), Hyrox is fundamentally a running race. “The run is the limiting factor for most people, and it takes up the most time in the race,” Cotter says. “So at bare minimum, you should be able to confidently run an 8K [about five miles] without getting super winded. Even a 10K [6.2 miles]…will help simulate the general endurance needed.” Strength matters too, and you should be familiar enough with the movements to perform them safely. But at the end of the day, the run is where most people lose time and hit their wall.
That said, Hyrox is far from a road race. You’re doing things like heavy wall balls or sled pulls and then immediately going into a run. Running on such heavy legs is “the wildest feeling,” Cotter says, “and it happens the entire time during the race.” Practicing that sort of transition should be a priority leading up to race day.
Can you prepare for Hyrox with studio classes alone?
This one is relevant to Beth and me, since we’ve each taken about four or five Hyrox-specific classes in the lead-up to our race. Can our class attendance substitute for a dedicated 12-week training plan? Well, sort of—but only if you’re also running.
“F45 classes and Hyrox-focused training are awesome for building the strength, endurance, and engine needed for the race,” Cotter says, “but in a class setting, you aren’t necessarily getting the running required. If you are just taking classes with no running outside of that, I fear you will find the race quite challenging.”
What do you think so far?
Luckily, I was independently training for a half-marathon before we started this Hyrox journey, so I feel solid about my cardio. I know Beth has been prioritizing her runs the past few weeks, too. Anyone relying purely on studio classes without additional running should temper their expectations for race day.
How long should you taper before a Hyrox race?
I’m no stranger to taper madness. Especially if you know you’ve undertrained, the temptation is to keep cramming right up until race day. Unfortunately, that’s almost always a mistake. “The trap people fall into is thinking ‘I’m underprepared, so I need to cram fitness until the last second,'” Cotter says. “But realistically, in the final week or two you’re not building much new fitness—you’re mostly deciding whether you show up tired or fresh.”
Her recommendation for someone who started training late is to lean toward a shorter taper. The focus should be on maintaining confidence and rhythm, rather than gaining fitness. In the final days, aim for shorter sessions of 20–30 minutes with some intensity and running, but avoid anything that will leave your legs sore. “Showing up slightly undertrained but recovered is usually better than showing up technically fitter but cooked.”
Her taper guidelines by length:
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7 days: Ideal for most recreational athletes.
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4–5 days: Probably fine, if training volume wasn’t super high.
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2–3 days: Survivable, but she wouldn’t recommend going shorter than this.
The bottom line
If you’re starting from scratch and want to do Hyrox well, give yourself 12 to 16 weeks to train, and build up your running base first. If you’re doing a doubles race and already have some general fitness under your belt, you can probably survive on much less—provided you can handle an 8K and you know what you’re getting into with the workout stations. (For Beth and me, there’s reason to hope that our complementary weaknesses and strengths will be well-suited to the doubles format. Beth will likely handle more of the heavy strength pieces—sled push, sled pull, lunges—while I keep us moving on the runs.)
The final piece of advice is to have a plan for how you’ll split each station before you arrive. Reps of 10? Reps of 5? Splits of 150 meters? Figure it out ahead of time so you’re not negotiating mid-station with burning legs—and have the stronger runner finish each station so the person who struggles more on the run can get a little extra rest before the next one. (Plus, sitting down and strategizing is a great hack to distract yourself from the temptation to sabotage your taper.)
How will all this theory work out in practice? We’ll report back soon.
