Strength vs hypertrophy: what your training plan should look like

Hyrox started in Germany in 2017 and has grown faster than almost any other fitness event format in history. In 2024, over 200,000 athletes competed globally. If you train in a serious gym, you have certainly heard of it. If you are curious whether it is worth your time, this is the article to read.

What Hyrox actually is

Hyrox is a race. It takes place in an indoor arena and consists of eight kilometres of running, broken up by eight functional workout stations. You run one kilometre, complete a station, run another kilometre, complete the next station, and so on until you have done all eight.

The eight stations, in order, are: ski erg (1,000m), sled push (50m), sled pull (50m on a rope), burpee broad jumps (80m), rowing (1,000m), farmers carry (200m), sandbag lunges (100m), and wall balls (100 reps). The loads differ between open and pro divisions and between male and female categories.

Who it is for

The honest answer is: almost anyone who trains regularly. The race is not a test of elite fitness. It is a test of solid all-round conditioning, cardiovascular capacity, muscular endurance, grip strength, and the ability to keep moving under fatigue. The winning times in the open division are around 55 to 65 minutes. Average finishers complete in 80 to 100 minutes. There is no cut-off time.

We have sent members to Hyrox who had never run a race before, who started from a base of two gym sessions per week, and who finished comfortably. We have also sent serious athletes who have finished in the top 5% of their category. The race accommodates both.

How to train for it

The biggest mistake first-time Hyrox athletes make is treating it as a running race with some gym work attached. It is not. The stations are the race. Your ability to move efficiently through eight ski erg pulls, a 50m sled push, and 100 wall balls, while managing fatigue from the running, is what determines your finish time.

Effective Hyrox preparation includes race-specific station practice, running intervals calibrated to your target pace, and simulation sessions that replicate the full race format. Doing general conditioning without Hyrox-specific station work will underdeliver on race day.

Our Hyrox programme runs 12-week blocks with three sessions per week and full simulation sessions at weeks four, eight, and twelve. If you have a race booked, we can work backwards from the date and calibrate accordingly.

What to expect on race day

Race day is loud, crowded, and highly organised. There are waves of athletes every few minutes. The sled stations are usually the most congested. The ski erg and rowers are where most people find a rhythm and settle into their race.

The most common feedback from first-timers is that they started too fast on the running. Pace discipline is more important than raw fitness in determining your finish time. Know your target kilometre pace and hold it, especially on the first two kilometres when the energy of the event tempts you to go out hard.

If you want to book a race and build towards it, speak to Jamie at Bade Fitness. He has finished nine Hyrox events and designed our programme. He will tell you exactly what to do and when.