HYROX
Alexander Rončević's HYROX training secrets - straight from his coach
From the pool to the podium, Alexander Rončević has redefined what it means to be a hybrid athlete. Here’s how the HYROX World Champion builds, tests and perfects his performance
Before he was dominating HYROX leaderboards, Alexander Rončević was just a kid staring at the bottom of a swimming pool. Hour after hour. Lap after lap. Early mornings, two-hour sessions before school, then back in the evening - the discipline came early, even if the sport didn’t directly prepare him for HYROX success. Yet it was those endless metres that built something deeper: focus endurance, and the kind of mental armour that would one day make him unstoppable.
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“Swimming short distances doesn’t provide much physical or physiological transfer to HYROX, but he developed qualities such as discipline, resilience, endurance, and competitiveness,” says Tiago Lousa, Rončević’s coach, speaking a few days after the Austrian athlete broke the HYROX world record in 53m 31s – the second-fastest time in HYROX history.
HYROX master coach Tiago Lousa with his athlete Alexander Rončević
© Filipa Ribeiro @filiparibeiro.lab
By 2017, Rončević swapped swim meets for sled pushes and wall balls. He started competing in HYROX with little more than curiosity and grit. “Initially, he didn’t even know how to perform a wall ball or push a sled,” Lousa explains. “However, he gained experience through competition and began learning and improving on his own.”
Alexander Rončević on his way to his first HYROX world championship title
© Baptiste Fauchille / Red Bull Content Pool
Fast forward to 2024, and Rončević would stand at the top of the HYROX leaderboard as World Champion and a newly-minted world record holder. His rise was no accident - it was methodical, precise and disciplined. “His competitiveness and desire to excel in everything he does are his driving forces,” Lousa says.
“He's focused but not obsessed and maintains a balanced life. Until six months ago, he worked as a first-grade teacher in the morning and a swimming coach in the evening, fitting his training in between.” How many other athletes at the very top of their game can say the same thing?
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From competitors to training partners
The pair first met in 2021 at the Elite World Championships in Leipzig. “It is a funny story to share - we competed against each other, and in the final moments of the race, Alex passed me and beat me by two wall balls. We finished second and third overall at the championships. It was an honour to share the podium with such a great athlete.”
Tiago Lousa and Alexander Rončević – a fierce coach and athlete duo
© Filipa Ribeiro @filiparibeiro.lab
He quickly recognised that Rončević’s potential was massive, though untamed and raw. “I quickly recognised that Alex had significant potential, both physically and mentally,” says Lousa, “but his technique, efficiency and especially his running needed considerable improvement. We immediately clicked and developed a mutual respect for each other’s character and personality.”
Their partnership grew slowly. “A few months later, I suggested that Alex enroll in my regular HYROX Elite plan. It wasn’t tailored or personalised; just a standard program. Over the next two years, Alex completed some sessions weekly, often selecting those he preferred or needed most. We also discussed plans, tactics and strategies leading up to important races, and we competed together in Doubles.”
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Building the perfect HYROX engine
From competitors to friends: Alexander Rončević running behind Tiago Lousa
© Filipa Ribeiro @filiparibeiro.lab
HYROX is a brutal cocktail of endurance, strength and mental toughness. Rončević’s weeks are meticulously structured to develop all three. “Alex is not primarily a runner, which means he has to maintain a high running volume even before races,” Lousa explains. “Currently, his running-specific workouts are designed by [Olympic and elite-level coach] Wilhelm Lilge. After the last World Championships - where it was the first time in eight years that Alex didn't stand on the podium - ‘Coach Willy’ and I agreed it was time to slightly re-organise Alex’s training.”
In the lead-up to major races, sessions combine threshold training at race pace, fast intervals under fatigue and sport-specific workouts designed to mimic competition conditions. “Additionally, we focus on specific HYROX workouts structured with precise timing and intensity. These workouts often follow an EMOM (every minute on the minute) style or a work/rest format, incorporating specific paces and tasks designed to align with our goals for an optimal race performance.”
Rončević hones his sled-push technique
© Mirja Geh/Red Bull Content Pool
He continues: “This requires us knowing exactly how many metres Alex can perform in burpee broad jumps or walking lunges in a minute while fatigued, or how many wallballs, or his optimal ski or row pace. To ensure that these paces are manageable, we will include short rest periods between efforts.”
Lousa emphasises that replicating race conditions is never simple. “It’s challenging for several reasons, including the absence of competitors, the lack of adrenaline and the need for tapering and rest,” while Rončević himself keeps things in perspective to narrow his focus. “Everything [else] you do in the race, you’ve already done in training.”
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The ultimate winner’s mindset for HYROX
Alexander Rončević powers through the sled pull station
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
At this level, mental strength separates the best from the rest. Lousa highlights Rončević’s combination of focus, humility, and fearlessness. “Focus, discipline, and self-confidence define Alex. He is very tough mentally; he can run from behind and still feel confident, or he can lead from the front and set the tone and pace without ever looking over his shoulder.”
He continues: “Alex is also a knowledgeable and humble athlete. While he's aware of his opponents, he doesn’t spend much time analysing their performances.”
Rončević can run from behind and still feel confident but aslo lead from the front without ever looking over his shoulder
One notable characteristic that distinguishes Rončević, Lousa explains, “is his willingness to ‘put himself in a position to lose in training.’ He isn’t afraid to show his weaknesses or to suffer in hard training sessions. His ego doesn’t overshadow his intelligence. This humility and openness to learning are among his greatest strengths.”
HYROX Elite 15 athlete Alexander Rončević is not afraid to set the pace
© alexander-roncevic-running-hyrox-training
As Lousa explains, Rončević’s ability to “to push himself, because he is prepared to deal with discomfort and work through it,” is another sign of incredible mental fortitude. Rončević’s mindset, Lousa continues, is centered on a simple piece of logic: “if he's feeling pain and struggling, then everyone else must be in a worse position and will eventually back down before he does.”
This makes Rončević’s race-day focus razor-sharp. “The race is 1 percent of the whole journey. You had months of hard training. You did something for yourself, for your body and for your mind,” he says. The reality of this is planning meticulously, visualising every station, every transition and every lap. “Before a race, I’m thinking about the course. Where are the stations? How does the venue look? You need to be able to adapt to different situations.”
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Recovery and longevity: How to find the right balance
Alexander Rončević knows how to recover from hard training sessions
© Filipa Ribeiro @filiparibeiro.lab
For all the precision in his training, Rončević’s recovery routine is refreshingly streamlined - but he never skips it. “If I have another race, I jump on a bike for 30 minutes, just to keep the blood circulating. That flushes out lactic acid and helps prevent stiffness,” he says.
The rest is built on the basics: sleep, hydration and real food. “Make sure you sleep well,” he advises. “As most people don’t even sleep properly...” And while recovery tech is optional, mobility isn’t. “That’s where most people have issues and also in their lower back and spine. Mobility makes life way easier and it makes you better as an athlete.”
Alexander Roncevic at the Elite 15 at the Hyrox Major in Amsterdam
© Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool
For Lousa, the takeaway for anyone chasing their own goals is clear: be coachable, embrace discomfort and keep learning. “The willingness to learn continually, the ability to recognise flaws, and the readiness to embrace challenges. Don´t let your ego stop you from being pushed, from learning. That is where the most growth comes from.”
Finding balance is crucial, says Lousa. “Be focused, fight for your goals, but not at all costs. Obsession is not a good thing. Alex understands that all his success comes from being happy and in a positive flow state, supported by his family and friends. He sees sports as a way to set a positive example and leave a lasting legacy.”
Fight for your goals, but not at all costs. Obsession is not a good thing
As HYROX grows, the next generation will be faster, stronger, hungrier, but Rončević and Lousa remain focused on what made him world champion: meticulous training, relentless curiosity, smart recovery and the mental edge to go one more. The next generation of HYROX will need some of that, too.