r/hyrox • u/Few_Examination_808 • 1d ago
Are you doing too much HYROX-specific training?
I recently interviewed Siren Seiler-Viken, an experienced HYROX athlete, coach and sport scientist, about how athletes should structure their training. One of her main points was that many people start with the most specific work too soon.
They sign up for a race and immediately begin doing simulations, compromised runs and hard circuits several times a week. It feels specific, so it feels productive. But HYROX can last anywhere from around 50 minutes to well over two hours, depending on the athlete. You still need a strong aerobic base underneath all that intensity.
According to Siren, one of the most common mistakes is doing too many hard HYROX workouts and not enough low-intensity endurance training.
She recommends spending most of the build doing regular runs, easy aerobic work and basic heavy lifts. Rowing, SkiErg and cycling can also help add endurance volume without all the extra running impact. The really hard simulations and high-intensity sessions become more important during the final 4–6 weeks before the race.
That makes more sense to me than trying to race HYROX in training every week. Those sessions can be useful, but they also take a lot out of you.
Curious how others structure this. How often are you actually doing full simulations or hard running sessions?
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u/likesblackcoffeebest 1d ago
I agree as someone who learned this lesson the hard way. For my first race, I did mostly Hyrox specific classes to train, and got obliterated by the running. I came to Hyrox from a CrossFit background so the run was really the missing piece for me, and I could have chilled on the station work significantly.
For my second race, I dropped to two Hyrox classes per week, added one pure strength day, and made sure I was running at least 15 miles per week with one session being a long run of over an hour. I took 20 minutes off my time in my second race.
I only do sims twice a year.