CROSS-TRAINING
Build Your HYROX Engine
Last month we gave you a brief introduction to HYROX , the new , challenging fitness sport billed as the World Series of Fitness Racing , with races and competition levels for all ages , that will give you a full body workout , but still play to your strengths as a runner . This month we introduce you to entry-level training , to get started with HYROX . – BY CAMERON CLEAVER , HYROX ATHLETE & BRAND AMBASSADOR
HYROX is the fitness race for everybody , with 50 % of the race consisting of running and the other 50 % functional workout stations . The sport is both accessible and inclusive , with a standardised format of racing and movement standards that aren ’ t technical , and are functional by their very nature . Training comprises of running and functional fitness , with equipment widely available at HYROX Affiliate Gyms , CrossFit Boxes and traditional gyms like Virgin Active , Planet Fitness and F45 .
Balancing the training regimen is important , as most competitors tend to have a strong bias in favour of either the running or the workout stations . If you ’ re reading this , you ’ re probably a strong runner , which means you have the mileage , endurance and cardio base already built , but have you ever run on compromised legs ? Imagine pushing a 150kg sled for 50 metres and then going straight into another 1km run , or having an elevated heart rate and being short of breath , and then into another 1km run . Probably a bit out of your current comfort zone .
From a Mesocycle point of view , my suggestion wouldn ’ t be jumping into extensive functional workouts , just as I wouldn ’ t suggest someone starts running five times a week in their first week of training for a half marathon . With a decent fitness base , either aerobic or anaerobic , ease into familiarising yourself with both the actual HYROX workout stations as well as ancillary functional movements that will help build your base for the racing , like core , glutes , hamstrings , quads and shoulders .
Time to Start Training
So , if you are a runner looking to enter and race an upcoming HYROX event , below is a four-week plan as an ‘ Engine Builder ,’ to get you strong in the functional movements and familiar with the workout stations . The length of a HYROX race can be likened to a half marathon from a time perspective , but with a high intensity throughout , so we start off by getting in at least three functional training sessions per week , coupled with two to three runs totalling 15km to 20km . This can be mixed up between slower , longer runs for endurance , or alternatively , interval or track sessions ( I ’ m thinking 400m or 1km ).
HYROX Engine Builder ( 4 Weeks )
Note : AMRAP = as many rounds as possible
Monday – Fast & Explosive
• Warm-up : 5min Treadmill
• Ski Erg 300m – 4 sets , with 1min rest ( 10min time cap )
• Burpee Broad Jumps x 10 ; Sandbag Lunges x 10 per leg ( 8min AMRAP )
• Row 300m – 4 sets , with 1min rest ( 10min time cap )
• Farmers Carry 40m ; Wallballs x 15 ( 8min AMRAP )
• Sled Push 20m ; Sled Pull 20m ( 8min AMRAP )
Tuesday – Road Running *
• Running options or as currently training
Wednesday – Slow & Heavy
• Warm-up : 5min Treadmill
• Ski Erg 1000m – 70 % max effort ( 6min time cap )
• Burpee Broad Jumps x 10 ; Sandbag Lunges x 10 per leg ( 10min AMRAP )
• Row 1000m – 70 % max effort ( 6min time cap )
• Farmers Carry 100m ; Wallballs x 20 ( 10min AMRAP )
• Sled Push 20m ; Sled Pull 20m ( 8min AMRAP )
Thursday – Interval Running *
• Running options or as currently training
Friday – Strength & Conditioning
• Mobility & Stretching
• Barbell Deadlift x 10 ; Burpee Over Bar x 10 ( Superset x 3 )
• Box Jumps x 10 ; Slam Balls x 10 ( Superset x 3 )
• Dumbell Thrusters x 10 ; Butterfly Sit-ups x 20 ( Superset x 3 )
• Barbell Back Squats x 10 ; Hand Release Push-ups x 20 ( Superset x 3 )
• Barbell Bench Press x 10 ; Plank 30sec ( Superset x 3 )
Saturday – Long Run *
• Running options or as currently training
From Running to HYROX Remember , with running comprising 50 % of the race stations , the sport of HYROX is accessible to runners with an addition of functional training , which will , in turn , aid your running in terms of speed , endurance and strength . This means that it is actually easier for runners to make the transition into HYROX , compared to nonrunners , and the sport is attracting a significant number of runners looking for new fitness and competition goals . HYROX is perfect for the runner that wants to try fitness racing , with the most accessibility , least barriers to entry , and strongest bias towards a strong runner .
The next four-week plan , which will appear in the next edition of Modern Athlete , will piece together the race workload , intensity , pacing , strategy and compromised running .
Images : Justin Craythorne & courtesy HYROX
HYROX Cape Town
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70 ISSUE 170 | www . modernathlete . co Singles . za – R1300pp
21 September 2024
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