Your first HYROX doesn’t usually go wrong because you’re not fit enough. It goes wrong because you make stupid little mistakes that become very big mistakes after 60 minutes of racing. Here are the big ones. 1. Going Out Like a Lunatic The music’s banging, everyone’s flying and suddenly your 5K pace feels “comfortable”. It isn’t. Start controlled. You can always speed up. You can’t un-fuck a blown engine. 2. Not Running Enough HYROX has 8 × 1km runs. Yet somehow people still spend 80% of their training practising sleds and wall balls. It’s a running race with some horrible P.E in between. Train accordingly. 3. Using the Runs to Recover This is one of the biggest mistakes. Destroy yourself on a station → jog the next kilometre trying to recover → repeat. Control the stations so you can actually RUN the runs. 4. Underestimating the Sleds That sled in your nice quiet gym might feel lovely. Race-day carpet may have other ideas. Get strong enough that the sled isn’t a near-death experience. 5. Ignoring Wall Balls Leaving wall balls until the final few weeks is brave. You’ve got 100 of them waiting for you at the end. Practise them. 6. Making Burpees Harder Than They Need to Be Nobody gets bonus points for beautiful burpees. Meet the movement standards, find a rhythm and keep moving. Efficient beats impressive. 7. Having Bag SkiErg Technique If your arms are doing everything, congratulations. You’ve turned 1,000m into significantly more work than necessary. Learn enough technique to stop wasting energy. 8. Obsessing Over Technique Yes, technique matters. No, you don't need a PhD in sled pushing. Once you can perform the movements efficiently and meet the standards, getting fitter will probably help you more than another 400 technique drills. 9. Wearing New Kit on Race Day New trainers. New shorts. New socks. New gels. What could possibly go wrong? Nothing new on race day. 10. Eating Like It’s Your Last Supper You don’t need to consume 4,000 calories because you're racing tomorrow.

One of the biggest mistakes I see in HYROX training? People are absolutely incapable of running slowly. The programme says: 45–60 minutes Zone 2 And somehow people read: “Run as fast as possible while technically still calling it Zone 2.” Your easy runs aren't there to prove how fit you are. They're there to make you fitter. Building your aerobic engine helps you: • Recover quicker between stations • Hold a stronger pace for longer • Handle more training without falling apart • Recover faster between harder sessions • Stop feeling like you're fighting for your life on run six And here's the bit people struggle with... Zone 2 might feel embarrassingly slow. 6:00/km? Fine. 7:00/km? Fine. Need the occasional walk break to keep the intensity down? Also fine. Nobody is standing at the side of the road judging your Strava pace. The simplest test? Could you comfortably have a conversation? Yes? Carry on. No? Slow down. Because turning every easy session into a moderately hard session doesn't make you hardcore. It just means you're too knackered to properly attack the sessions that are supposed to be hard. Good athletes don't just know how to work hard. They know when NOT to. So if the programme says easy... Leave your ego at home. Slow down. Build the engine. Then when it's time to go hard... Go hard. Don't train harder than the programme asks. Train better.

Everyone wants to know how to get stronger for HYROX. Most people think the answer is just lifting heavier weights. It isn't. Strength is built as much outside the gym as it is inside it. Recovery, nutrition, sleep and smart programming all play a part. Here are a few simple things that will genuinely move the needle. 1. Sleep More If you're sleeping 5-6 hours a night, stop worrying about supplements. Aim for 7-9 hours consistently. Recovery is where strength is built. 2. Eat Enough Protein If you want your muscles to recover and grow, give them something to work with. Aim for 1.6-2.2g of protein per kg of bodyweight every day. 3. Don't Fear Fat Healthy fats help support hormone production, which matters when you're trying to build strength. Think olive oil, nuts, eggs, avocado and oily fish. 4. Stay Hydrated Being dehydrated makes everything harder. Drink enough water every day and replace electrolytes if you're sweating heavily or training for long periods. 5. Lift Heavy (Twice a Week) You don't need six strength sessions. Two well-planned sessions built around squats, deadlifts, presses and rows will get you a long way. Focus on quality, not quantity. 6. Train for Power Too HYROX isn't just about being strong. You need to produce force quickly. Add things like box jumps, kettlebell swings or sled pushes to improve power. 7. Take Creatine Probably the best value supplement you can buy. 5g every day. No loading phase. No magic timing. Just consistency. 8. Learn to Breathe Sounds boring. It's not. Controlling your breathing between stations helps bring your heart rate down and keeps you thinking clearly under fatigue. 9. Improve Your Mobility You don't need to spend an hour stretching. Spend 10 minutes opening up your hips, ankles and shoulders so you can move better and lift properly. 10. Recover Properly Foam rolling won't turn you into Superman. But if it helps you feel less stiff and train better tomorrow, it's worth doing. Recovery should help you train more consistently.

Most people think progress should look like this: ✔️ Faster. ✔️ Stronger. ✔️ Leaner. Every. Single. Week. It doesn't. Some weeks, progress is simply not missing sessions. Some weeks, it's sleeping more instead of adding another workout. Some weeks, it's accepting that your body feels average and training anyway. The problem is, people mistake a lack of instant results for a lack of progress. They're not the same thing. If you keep chasing proof that your training is working every week, you'll end up changing your plan every week too. The best athletes aren't obsessed with seeing progress. They're obsessed with earning it. Week after week after week. Even when it doesn't look like anything is happening.

One of the biggest mistakes people make when training for HYROX is doing random workouts and hoping for the best. Too much intensity. Not enough running. Or just endless “HYROX simulations” that leave you wrecked but not fitter. So I’ve put together a simple weekly structure that actually covers the bases. Inside this plan you’ll get: • A Lower Body Strength Session (deadlifts, squats, plyometrics) • An Upper Body Session focused on back and shoulders • A HYROX Intervals Session to build race engine • A Threshold Run to raise your aerobic ceiling • A HYROX Circuit Session using the key race movements • A Long Zone 2 Run to build endurance properly Nothing fancy. Nothing complicated. Just a balanced week that actually moves you forward. Download it, try it for a week, and see how it feels. If you’ve been stuck doing random sessions, this will give you a much clearer structure. Download below 👇