Fitness
Fitness Training
How to train for HYROX in just 3 days per week
Training for HYROX on a busy schedule? Three workouts per week can be enough to build the endurance, strength and race-specific fitness needed to compete. Here's how to make each session count.
Training for HYROX can feel daunting when you're juggling work, family and other commitments. If you only have just a couple days a week to train, you might wonder whether that's enough to prepare for race day.
The good news is that three well-structured sessions can be enough to build the strength, endurance and race-specific fitness needed to complete a HYROX event. To find out how, we spoke to HYROX Elite 15 athlete Ida Mathilde Steensgaard and coach Tiago Lousa about how to make every workout count.
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Is three days of training enough to finish a HYROX?
Three days a week will get you across the finish line
© Mark Roe/Red Bull Content Pool
Using the example of a standard HYROX singles race, each competitor will race on a course comprised of 1,000m on the SkiErg, a 50m sled push, a 50m sled pull, 80m of burpee broad jumps, a 1,000m Row, 200m of farmer carries, 100m of sandbag lunges and 100 wall balls, each interspersed with a total of eight individual 1km runs. Whether you’re new to the format or have multiple HYROX finisher patches pinned to your backpack, the format demands something different from everyone - including high levels of fitness, strength and mental fortitude.
As Lousa explains, succeeding on the course comes down to the individual goal: is it about finishing the race and getting to the Roxzone in a good place, or blitzing past the competition? “Provided the goal is to finish the race comfortably and perform well relative to your current fitness level, not necessarily to maximise your competitive potential,” he says. “If the objective is to complete the race, keep moving throughout, run all 8km without walking and get through the workouts without feeling overwhelmed, then three well-structured sessions per week can absolutely work.”
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How to structure your HYROX training - and know what to cut
With limited time, it's about training smarter
© Suguru Saito/Red Bull Content Pool
If you’re committing to training for three days a week, understanding the task ahead of you is the foundation of your training. “HYROX is essentially a 75-90 minute fitness test, so I would focus on developing the qualities that matter most on race day,” advises Lousa, who recommends splitting your training across three categories. Firstly, “a longer, steady session focused on building aerobic capacity - this could be running, cycling, or a combination of running and ergs,” then a second session later in the week, focused on “a strength-endurance session built around HYROX-relevant movement patterns like lunges, squats, presses, thrusters, carries and erg work.” Lastly, the third and final session should be “running-focused,” he says. As race day approaches, this becomes more HYROX-specific, combining running and workouts to develop pacing, transitions and the ability to perform under fatigue.”
Unfortunately, the inevitability with a condensed training block is that some elements of the race may have to take a back seat. Lousa explains: “The first things that tend to disappear are strength development, technique work, mobility, accessory training and easy aerobic volume,” he says. “For someone whose goal is simply to complete a HYROX race, that's usually acceptable.” However, he explains that for certain athletes looking to gain a competitive edge in HYROX, “those elements become increasingly important - the best way forward is actually taking a step back and building a stronger foundation.”
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Make your days off count
If you can run 10km comfortably, you're in a good position
© Stefan Voitl/Red Bull Content Pool
On the days in between, Lousa is a little more laid-back. “The biggest performance gains often come from doing the basics well,” he says. Namely, staying active, walking more and moving regularly. The lifestyle changes that move the needle, he says, come from the unglamorous stuff - quality sleep, good nutrition, proper recovery, keeping stress in check. “None of those are exciting,” he says, “but they all matter.”
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Common HYROX training mistakes
"HYROX is mainly about lower-body strength" says Steensgaard
© Philipp Carl Riedl/Red Bull Content Pool
For HYROX and obstacle course racing (OCR) athlete Ida Mathilde Steensgaard, who’s raced in the HYROX Elite 15 and will return to the World Championships competing in Elite 15 Doubles, balancing your sessions correctly is where races can be won and lost - a philosophy that applies just as acutely for her peers on the start line as it does for everyday athletes.
The Danish athlete explains that HYROX classes at your local gym or fitness centre, while useful, aren’t a magic pill for success on race day. “Don’t just do HYROX classes,” according to Steensgaard. “I think that’s a mistake - instead, go once a week and use the remaining two days of training for strength and running,” she says. An athlete knowing their strengths - and, therefore, their weaknesses - is the most valuable tool to making the most of a condensed training week. An example, she describes, would be “a strength‑based athlete using the additional two days to focus purely on running,” while those with a stronger cardio base would benefit from “one day of running and one day of strength combined with aerobic machine work.”
Similarly, Steensgard explains that it’s vital to “remember HYROX is a running competition, so if you feel comfortable running 10 kilometers, you're at a very good spot.” However, it’s also about quality, not just quantity. “You need to feel good running that distance without feeling like it's difficult.” These, she continues, prove that “HYROX is mainly about lower-body strength, so you need your legs to be able to handle the full competition.”
More inspiration for your HYROX journey
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Training smarter, not harder
Consistency beats perfection
© Stefan Voitl/Red Bull Content Pool
Giving yourself enough time is just as crucial as the time spent doing the work. Lousa recommends starting training a minimum of 15 to 16 weeks ahead of race day. The lower the training frequency, he argues, the more important consistency becomes, and three sessions a week demands more of it than most. Nail that and the rewards can be significant. “Many athletes training intelligently three times per week will outperform plenty of gym-goers who look incredibly fit in the post-race photos but lack the endurance, pacing and race-specific preparation HYROX demands,” he says. “Consistency beats perfection every time.”
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