{"id":37341,"date":"2026-07-01T11:25:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T11:25:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/resawod.com\/blog\/what-is-hyrox-prepare-athletes\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T11:25:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T11:25:26","slug":"what-is-hyrox-prepare-athletes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/resawod.com\/en\/blog\/what-is-hyrox-prepare-athletes\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Hyrox and How to Prepare Your Athletes as a Coach"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Hyrox has gone from being a German curiosity to becoming the fastest-growing competitive fitness event in Europe. In 2023, there were over 100,000 participants worldwide. In 2025, Spanish races sold out within days. And in 2026, gyms positioning themselves as Hyrox preparation spaces have waiting lists.<\/p>\n

If you own a functional box or are a gym coach, you have probably already wondered exactly what Hyrox is, what preparing athletes for it involves, and how it fits with what you offer. This guide answers those questions in detail: what happens at a race, what the athlete needs to perform well, and how to structure preparation from your gym.<\/p>\n

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What is Hyrox: the event explained for a coach<\/h2>\n

Hyrox is a fitness competition consisting of\u00a08 kilometres of running split into 8 segments of 1 km<\/strong>, separated by\u00a08 functional work stations<\/strong>\u00a0that are always completed in the same order. The format is identical at every race worldwide, which allows times to be compared across cities and categories.<\/p>\n

Unlike CrossFit, where the WOD of the day can be anything, Hyrox holds no surprises: the athlete knows exactly what they are going to do, in what order and with what loads. That predictability is part of the appeal for participants and an important advantage for coaches designing the preparation.<\/p>\n

The race is designed to be\u00a0competitive but accessible<\/strong>. There are categories for all levels (Open, Pro, Elite), for men, women and teams (Doubles and Relay), and loads are scaled. Someone who has never competed can finish a Hyrox race. Someone who has spent two years preparing can aim for the podium.<\/p>\n

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The 8 stations: what they are and what they demand physically<\/h2>\n

This is the map of the terrain you need to know in order to design a preparation with purpose.<\/p>\n

1. SkiErg \u2014 1,000 metres<\/h3>\n

The Concept2 SkiErg simulates the cross-country skiing movement: simultaneous downward pull of both arms with a slight forward lean of the torso. It primarily works the latissimus dorsi, biceps, core and trapezius, with a high cardiorespiratory demand.<\/p>\n

What the athlete needs:<\/strong>\u00a0sustained arm power, coordination of the movement pattern and aerobic capacity. The most common mistake in competition is starting too fast and arriving at the next station already spent.<\/p>\n

2. Sled Push \u2014 50 metres (weight: 102 kg men \/ 72 kg women)<\/h3>\n

Sled push on a track. It demands leg strength, hip extension and lactate tolerance in the quadriceps. This is the station that intimidates beginners the most and the one that makes the biggest difference between prepared and unprepared athletes.<\/p>\n

What the athlete needs:<\/strong>\u00a0quadriceps and glute strength, an efficient push posture and resistance to local muscular fatigue. An athlete with a good aerobic base but without specific strength can grind to a halt at this station.<\/p>\n

3. Sled Pull \u2014 50 metres (same weight)<\/h3>\n

Backwards sled drag using ropes. More technical than the push: it requires keeping the torso upright, short steps and power through the posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, lower back).<\/p>\n

What the athlete needs:<\/strong>\u00a0coordination of the drag pattern and posterior chain strength. Athletes who have not practised the movement lose a great deal of time through poor technique.<\/p>\n

4. Burpee Broad Jump \u2014 80 metres<\/h3>\n

Burpees with a forward jump rather than a vertical jump. The total distance is 80 metres, which can mean between 25 and 40 repetitions depending on the athlete’s jump length. This is the station with the greatest impact on the cardiorespiratory system and the one that most affects the following running segment.<\/p>\n

What the athlete needs:<\/strong>\u00a0tolerance to repeated high-intensity effort, efficient burpee technique and a fast recovery capacity. This is where a great deal of time is lost or won depending on the pace chosen.<\/p>\n

5. Rowing \u2014 1,000 metres<\/h3>\n

Concept2 rowing ergometer. Coordinated pattern of legs, hips and arms. High cardiorespiratory demand with a sustained power component. Favours athletes with good rowing technique and an aerobic base.<\/p>\n

What the athlete needs:<\/strong>\u00a0solid rowing technique (many functional athletes row with poor technique and lose efficiency), aerobic power and pace management. A poor rowing split can cost two or three minutes off the final time.<\/p>\n

6. Farmers Carry \u2014 200 metres (24 kg each hand men \/ 16 kg women)<\/h3>\n

Loaded carry with dumbbells or kettlebells in both hands. Works grip, core stability, trapezius and general muscular endurance. It seems straightforward in training and can be a trap in competition due to accumulated fatigue.<\/p>\n

What the athlete needs:<\/strong>\u00a0sustained grip strength, a neutral spinal posture under load and a consistent pace. Athletes who set the load down on the ground lose valuable time.<\/p>\n

7. Sandbag Lunges \u2014 100 metres (20 kg men \/ 10 kg women)<\/h3>\n

Lunges with a sandbag across the shoulders. A long distance that demands quadriceps, glute and knee-stabiliser endurance. The accumulated fatigue from previous stations makes this harder than it appears when fresh.<\/p>\n

What the athlete needs:<\/strong>\u00a0leg strength under accumulated fatigue, an efficient lunge pattern and mental management over long distances under load. This is a station where a consistent pace beats an explosive one.<\/p>\n

8. Wall Balls \u2014 100 repetitions (9 kg men \/ 6 kg women)<\/h3>\n

Squat with a medicine ball and throw to a target at 3 metres. High cardiorespiratory demand, quadriceps, shoulders and coordination. The final station before crossing the finish line: athletes who arrive here exhausted suffer particularly.<\/p>\n

What the athlete needs:<\/strong>\u00a0efficient wall ball technique to avoid wasting energy, the capacity to maintain large sets under accumulated fatigue and pace management in the final repetitions.<\/p>\n

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What type of athlete comes out of a well-prepared box ready for Hyrox<\/h2>\n

There is a widespread perception that Hyrox is “for runners who go to the gym”. That is an oversimplification that leads to mediocre preparation.<\/p>\n

The athlete who performs well at Hyrox needs three well-developed capacities:<\/p>\n

Aerobic base endurance.<\/strong>\u00a0The 8 km of running are non-negotiable. An athlete with a great deal of strength but no aerobic base arrives at the stations already spent and the overall time collapses. The running is the thread that runs through the entire race.<\/p>\n

Specific functional strength.<\/strong>\u00a0Not one-rep-max squat strength: strength-endurance in the exact patterns of the eight stations. Pushing and pulling the sled, managing the sandbag, holding on through the wall balls with fatigue. This is the strength that needs to be built.<\/p>\n

Technical efficiency at each station.<\/strong>\u00a0A technically efficient athlete completes each station at a lower energy cost than one who has more strength but poorer technique. The SkiErg technique, the sled push pattern, the burpee broad jump rhythm: everything has room for improvement that translates into minutes off the final time.<\/p>\n

CrossFit athletes have a clear advantage in the third area: they already know most of the movements. Where they tend to fall short is in the first: the aerobic running base is not always well developed in a box that prioritises high-intensity work.<\/p>\n

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How to structure preparation from your gym<\/h2>\n

The time frame: 12 or 16 weeks<\/h3>\n

The most common Hyrox preparation is structured in blocks of\u00a012 to 16 weeks<\/strong>, with a specific race as the target date. That horizon allows you to build the aerobic base, develop specific station strength and refine technical efficiency before entering the taper phase.<\/p>\n

A well-designed 16-week cycle has three distinct phases:<\/p>\n

Phase 1 \u2014 Base (weeks 1\u20136):<\/strong>\u00a0Build aerobic running volume (3\u20134 weekly sessions of 30 to 60 minutes), general strength work and technical introduction to the 8 stations. The goal is not intensity: it is base and technique.<\/p>\n

Phase 2 \u2014 Development (weeks 7\u201312):<\/strong>\u00a0Increase intensity and station-specific work. Introduce partial race simulations (2 or 3 stations chained together with running segments in between). Develop resistance to accumulated fatigue.<\/p>\n

Phase 3 \u2014 Specificity and taper (weeks 13\u201316):<\/strong>\u00a0Reduce volume and increase quality. Full or near-full race simulations. Refine running and station paces. The final week before the race is a deload.<\/p>\n

To structure this type of periodised cycle with purpose, the complete framework from\u00a0personalised training planning<\/a>\u00a0is the reference point.<\/p>\n

How many weekly sessions does an athlete need<\/h3>\n

The minimum useful volume for Hyrox preparation is\u00a03 sessions per week<\/strong>, but optimal preparation requires 4 or 5. The typical breakdown:<\/p>\n