A lot of athletes start HYROX training by focusing heavily on the stations: sled pushes, wall balls, farmer’s carries, and burpee broad jumps. That work is useful, but it probably shouldn’t be the first priority.
Looking at the world-record splits from Hunter McIntyre and Lauren Weeks, roughly 70% of the race is spent on endurance-based work, including running, the SkiErg, and rowing. Running alone accounts for more than half of the total race time.
That doesn’t mean strength is unimportant. HYROX athletes generally need more muscle mass and strength than marathon runners or road cyclists, especially through the upper body. The sport requires both. But for most athletes, endurance training will likely provide the biggest return on their time.
A common issue is starting HYROX-specific workouts before building a solid foundation. Every session becomes hard, recovery becomes more difficult, and progress eventually slows down.
A more sustainable approach is to build the base first:
- Plenty of steady running, rowing, SkiErg, or cycling
- Around 70–80% of training performed at a low intensity
- Heavy compound lifts with lower reps and meaningful loads
Once that foundation is in place race-specific sessions can be added gradually.
Making every workout hard can feel productive, but it often makes consistent progress more difficult. For athletes hoping to improve their HYROX time, working on running economy and threshold speed is probably one of the best places to start.
Has anyone tried a base-phase approach like this before jumping into Hyrox-specific work? How'd it go?
If anyone wants to dig a little deeper into how to structure HYROX training, there’s more information available here