Hyrox—the high-octane hybrid race series that combines running with functional fitness exercises—launched in 2017 and exploded post-Covid. Well over half a million people expected to lace up for one of 83 events globally this year alone.
“I think nearly everybody who participates in some form of exercise can finish this race, which is awesome because you see this really wide demographic of people participating,” says Chicago-based trainer and performance coach Jason Loebig. “I've seen someone in their teens race, and people in their 60s complete it. I think that accessibility is what's causing the sport to grow so fast.”
Still, making it to the finish with a respectable time is no stroll through the park. With eight run sections and just as many workout stations (ranging from sled pushes to farmer’s carries), the race is a gauntlet that tests strength and cardio and requires equal parts physical and mental endurance.
How do you train for something that’s unlike anything you’ve ever done before? Here’s what three top coaches—all Hyrox race winners, might I add—have to say about that, complete with insider tips and the advice they wish they’d been given before their first time.
Run, run, run
When you imagine a Hyrox race, your mind probably goes straight to the novel parts—the workout sections, like the sled stations and sandbag lunges. So, logically, you might expect these kinds of exercises to make up the bulk of your training. But more than anything, Hyrox is a running race. “On Instagram and everywhere else, you mostly just see the stations, because that's more fun to look at. But more than half of your time will be spent running,” says Bret Gornik, a personal trainer and Hyrox coach.
“If I could go back in time, the main thing I would tell myself is to run more, that it's primarily a running race,” says Loebig. “I would have done more interval-based running. I would have done longer
threshold runs that would match my race time.”
Loebig and Gornik—co-founders of Live Better, which hosts wellness retreats all over the world—are also a Hyrox-winning doubles team. Their best advice for building the aerobic capacity you’ll need to fly through the race?
Train for a half-marathon.
“I see it every time. I see somebody that looks like a bodybuilder come off the first station into the second run and they're already walking," says Gornik. “If you were like, ‘Oh, shit, I couldn't run a half marathon tomorrow,’ I'd be a little worried. You could still finish the race, like people who ‘run’ half marathons and walk for four miles. But if you’re shooting for a goal, I would be on a half-marathon running program.”
Read on for advice on race strategy, equipment, and the use of “compromised running.”
