The question we hear most from people signing up for their first HYROX race is always the same: how long do I need to prepare?
The honest answer is that it depends on where you start from. But there is a more useful answer: if you have been training for at least six months and can run 5 km without stopping, twelve weeks is enough to finish well. If you are starting from scratch, you need more time, and the first goal is not your time, it is finishing.
This article is what we tell anyone who walks into the box saying they want to sign up.
Before the plan: the mistake almost everyone makes
Most people prepare for HYROX by training the two things separately. They run on Monday, do strength on Wednesday, and think they're getting ready.
It isn't. HYROX isn't a running race or a strength contest. It's a race where you do both, alternating, while tired. If you never train the transition, you get to the race and discover that running 1 km after 50 metres of sled is nothing like running 1 km fresh. Your legs don't respond, your pace drops and your time shoots up.
If this article leaves you with just one idea, let it be this: train the transition, not just the parts.
What loads you're preparing for
Before putting the plan together, it's worth knowing what's ahead. There are two individual divisions, Open and Pro, and the weights change between them.
The weights go up in five of the eight stations, and women's Pro uses the same weights as men's Open. The exact weights for each division and gender are in the official HYROX weights table: pick your column before building your plan, because that's the load it takes you to.
We explained each station in detail in another article: the 8 HYROX stations, in race order.
The three pillars
1. Aerobic base. You need to be able to run 8 km. Not fast, but without stopping. If you cannot do that today, that is where you start, and the rest comes later.
2. Specific strength. The eight stations ask for specific things: pushing, pulling, carrying, squatting. You don't need to be strong in the abstract, you need to hold load over time.
3. Tolerance to the mix. It's the pillar almost everyone ignores and the one that makes the most difference. Workouts that combine running and stations, in race order, with accumulated fatigue.
12-week plan
The plan assumes three to four sessions a week. If you can only manage three, drop the standalone strength session and keep the others.
Weeks 1 to 4: building the base
| Session 1 | Continuous run, 30 to 40 minutes at a comfortable pace |
| Session 2 | Leg and trunk strength: squats, lunges, carries |
| Session 3 | Station technique, no rush and no clock |
| Session 4 (optional) | Rowing and SkiErg, short intervals, focus on technique |
The goal of these four weeks isn't to wear you out. It's to learn how to move. If you leave every session wrecked, you're doing it wrong.
Weeks 5 to 8: start mixing
| Session 1 | Interval running: 4 to 6 blocks of 1 km at race pace |
| Session 2 | Strength, with more load and fewer reps |
| Session 3 | Combined blocks: 1 km plus one station, repeated 3 to 4 times |
| Session 4 (optional) | Grip and sled work |
This is where you find your real pace. Race pace isn't the pace you can run 1 km at, it's the pace you can run the eighth at.
Weeks 9 to 11: simulate
| Session 1 | Half race: 4 km and 4 stations, in the right order |
| Session 2 | Maintenance strength, not chasing records |
| Session 3 | Weak stations, isolated and repeated |
| Session 4 (optional) | Long, easy run, 8 to 10 km |
A full simulation, about two weeks before the race, tells you more about your time than any calculation.
Week 12: taper
Cut your volume in half. Keep the intensity in short sets so you don't lose the feel, but arrive on race day rested. Nobody ever gained anything in the last week. Plenty of people lost.
A typical week, in practice
There's no need to overcomplicate it. A well-built week, halfway through the plan, can look like this:
- Monday: leg strength, 45 minutes
- Wednesday: combined blocks, 1 km plus a station, four times
- Friday: interval running, 5 blocks of 1 km
- Saturday: HYROX class, which does all the mixing for you
If you train at a box with HYROX programming, much of this is already done for you. That's why most people who prepare on their own take longer to progress: it's not a lack of effort, it's a lack of structure.
The four mistakes that cost the most minutes
- Going too fast in the first kilometre. It's the most expensive mistake of all. Adrenaline makes you run 30 seconds faster than you should, and you pay for it three times over by the end.
- Not training the sled. It's the station where technique saves the most time, and the one fewest people practise because it's uncomfortable.
- Ignoring grip. For many people it gives out before the legs do. It limits the sled pull and the farmers carry, which are two whole stations.
- Always training fresh. If you only train the stations at the start of a session, you'll never know how your body responds at the sixth kilometre. Train them tired, on purpose.
What if I've never competed and don't know if I want to?
You don't need to sign up for a race to train HYROX. Most people who do HYROX with us have never competed, and they train because the format is demanding, measurable and doesn't leave anyone staring at their phone between sets.
If you'd like to try before deciding anything, your first class is free and you don't need any experience. We start with a one-to-one induction session, so we can see where you are and adapt the training to that.
Where to train HYROX in Figueira da Foz
Revolution Fitness is a HYROX Official Gym in Buarcos, which means approved equipment and programming built on the race structure. We have the kit for all eight stations and direct access to outdoor running, which lets you train the whole race and not just the parts.
If you're still working out what the sport is, start with the guide to what HYROX is. If you want to know in detail what awaits you at each station, read the 8 HYROX stations.
With your training plan done, all that's left is to prepare for the day. See what really happens at a HYROX race, including what you can take with you and what gets taken off you at the door.
If your weak point is the fifth station, it's worth reading the guide to the HYROX row before you plan your week: the right pulling technique and pace will save you more time than any extra session.
To know what load you need to reach by the end of your preparation, check the weights table by division and gender and build your progression from there.
And if you haven't done coached HYROX training yet, first see how a HYROX class runs, from warm-up to cool-down: that's where you learn the technique this plan assumes.
Before you take a pair to a race, read the shoe guide for hybrid training and test them on runs and stations.
The kilometres in this plan wear out shoes fast. Check when to replace your pair and how to choose the next one before you reach the highest-volume weeks.
This plan puts the sled into several weeks. Before you increase the load, read the sled push and sled pull technique guide, which explains the position that gets the sled moving.
