Boost Strength & Endurance: Evidence-Backed Benefits of Tough Races

Are you an enthusiastic runner or a regular at the gym? Have you noticed that your daily fitness routine has become repetitive and monotonous? Here’s an introduction to Hyrox, a fitness race that’s getting increasingly popular.

What is the Hyrox Fitness Race?

Hyrox is a unique blend of endurance running and strength exercises that aims to challenge athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike. The focus is on functional fitness and it provides a structured way to push your limits and train for a clear goal. Plus, it offers numerous physiological benefits, regardless of your skill level. Introduced in Germany in 2017, Hyrox now organises races worldwide.

How does the Hyrox race work?

In a Hyrox race, athletes run a total of 8km, with a functional fitness exercise after each kilometre. The exercises vary and include a 1,000m ski ergometer, a 50m sled push and pull, 80m of burpee broad jumps, a 1,000m row, a 200m farmer’s carry, 100m walking sandbag lunges, and finally, 100 wall balls.

The race can be completed individually, in pairs, or in a relay-format team of four. And the challenge of the race can be scaled up or down depending on your skill level.

The average finish time for a Hyrox race is 90 minutes, but this can vary depending on a person’s age, gender, and fitness level. Elite racers often aim for a sub-60 time, with current world records set at around 50 minutes.

The Benefits of Hyrox

A Hyrox race isn’t just about physical strength, it’s also about endurance, power, and strategy. Transitioning between runs and exercises forces the body to shift between different energy systems, which can be beneficial for your overall fitness. Training for a Hyrox race can lead to improved strength, power, and endurance.

The Importance of Hyrox Training

While Hyrox is a new format, preliminary research suggests that successful race performance is linked to the amount of training a person puts in before the competition. Training for Hyrox challenges the body’s ability to use oxygen efficiently, leading to improvements in aerobic capacity or maximum oxygen uptake (VO₂ max).

Improving your VO₂max means that your body can use oxygen more efficiently, allowing you to sustain higher intensities of exercise for longer periods of time. This not only improves endurance and speed but also contributes to overall cardiovascular health.

How to Train for a Hyrox Race

Fitness training for Hyrox requires a balanced approach, combining running, strength training, and Hyrox-specific workouts. This training strategy is known as concurrent training. A study shows that concurrent training has benefits for all age groups, enhancing strength, muscular health, and cardio-respiratory fitness.

Training for a Hyrox race also involves long runs of 40-60 minutes at low intensity, which helps improve aerobic capacity. To build up endurance, high-intensity interval runs are recommended. These can involve running 400m to 1km repeatedly with short rest periods in between.

The race also requires full-body strength and endurance. Training for these specific exercises can help build up strength gradually, prevent injuries, and improve race performance. A typical weekly training plan to prep for a Hyrox race prioritises endurance training over strength training to ensure you are well-prepared.

Why should you consider Hyrox?

Whether you’re looking to participate in a race or just looking for a fitness challenge, Hyrox training can offer numerous benefits. It not only improves functional fitness but pushes athletes to their limits, and offers a goal-oriented training approach. So, are you ready to take your fitness regime to the next level with a Hyrox challenge?