HYROX Training and Race-Day Tips

HYROX combines endurance, strength, and functional fitness into a high-intensity race. With HYROX London or a HYROX Ready test run approaching, how you train and plan your race can make all the difference. Senior Instructor Holly Haywood shares practical tips to help you perform at your best.

Key Training Principles

1. Prioritise Running Under Fatigue

Running accounts for 8 km of the race. It’s not just about speed, it’s about maintaining form after exercises. Include short runs after sled pushes, burpees, or rowing to build endurance under fatigue. Mix in intervals and hill sprints to strengthen both aerobic and anaerobic fitness.

2. Recovery is Training

Sleep, hydration, mobility, and scheduled rest days are essential. Active recovery like walking, yoga, or light cycling helps circulation and reduces soreness. Avoid overtraining, rest is when progress happens.

3. Stay Consistent Over the Holidays

Shorter sessions, home workouts, and mobility-focused exercises can keep you on track during Christmas or festive periods. Flexibility is key even small sessions maintain momentum.

Race-Day Essentials:

1. Taper Smartly
In the week before the race, reduce training volume and intensity. Focus on light drills, mobility, and recovery to arrive fresh and ready.

2. Stick to Familiar Nutrition
Lead nutritionist Frances Smith shares her top tips for nutrition leading up to Hyrox. She emphasizes the importance of knowing the provisions on course and deciding whether to use your own fuel or what the event provides, while always having a backup plan. Start time is key, align training sessions and pre-race meals with it to optimise energy and digestion. Practise your race nutrition during longer training sessions, experiment with different carbohydrate sources such as gels, chews, or drinks, and stick only to products you’ve used before. Avoid forcing fuel if you experience gastrointestinal discomfort, and maintain hydration with a structured plan, aiming for around 500 ml per hour, adjusted for conditions and intensity.

3. Trust Your Strategy
Holly Haywood, our Senior Instructor for Sports and Performance, says it’s important to know your strengths and pace yourself accordingly. Focus on your own performance, not your competitors, and use mental resets between stations to stay sharp. Her expert tips guide you through both the lead-up and the big day itself, helping you approach every challenge with confidence and clarity.

4. Mental Preparation
Visualization, positive self-talk, and controlled breathing can help you manage stress and fatigue. Practice these during training to make them second nature on race day.

Looking Ahead: HYROX 2026

If you weren’t lucky with tickets this year and are planning to compete in your first HYROX, there’s exciting news: the 2026 London dates have just been announced. Now is the perfect time to start building your base, refining your technique, and planning your next race so you arrive confident, prepared, and ready to perform at your best.

Even better, you can now train in style. Third Space has opened its first dedicated HYROX Training Studio, purpose-built to elevate performance and redefine functional fitness.

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