What I Wish I Knew Before Starting HYROX Training in 2024

The 2024 HYROX season was a rollercoaster for me. I competed in three Elite 15 Majors and qualified for the World Championships. While that might sound like a successful season on paper, my results were all over the place, leaving me questioning my approach. Reflecting on the year, I pinpointed five key training strategies I used—some worked wonders, while others fell flat. In this post, I’ll share what I learned, the methods I’ll keep, and the ones I’m ditching for good. Stick around until the end for the single most valuable lesson I’ve learned about excelling at HYROX.

1. Double Threshold Training: A Running Trend That Missed the HYROX Mark

Double threshold training has taken the endurance world by storm. The concept is simple: on your quality days, you perform two threshold sessions—one in the morning and another in the evening. This allows you to spend more time at your anaerobic threshold without overloading your recovery capacity. It worked wonders for me in 2022 when I trained for and won DecaFit, a 30-minute race.

But HYROX isn’t DecaFit. For HYROX, I need to prepare for the grind—long, mentally draining efforts. Double threshold training fell short because it lacked specificity. Instead of feeling ready, I found myself second-guessing whether my body could handle the race. Recovery between sessions was tough, and the intensity wasn’t translating to the race’s demands. While this method is great for general running improvement, it’s not ideal for HYROX. I’m retiring it from my program.

2. Acceleration Weeks: Fun but Ineffective

Acceleration weeks were a blast. I’d bump up my training volume by 25–30% three to four weeks before a key event, hoping for an aerobic boost. One week, I went all out with triple sessions—something I’d normally never do. It felt exhilarating to push myself without worrying about recovery since a taper was around the corner.

Unfortunately, the results didn’t justify the effort. The gains came too late, often surfacing 4–6 weeks later, long after the race. Instead of feeling race-ready, I ended these weeks exhausted and unable to hit key intensities. Moving forward, I’ll reserve this strategy for base-building phases, far from competition season.

3. Intensity-Driven Progressions: A Double-Edged Sword

After a tough showing in Vienna early in the season, I realized I wasn’t ready for the intensity of a HYROX race. In the three weeks before the next Major in D.C., I shifted my focus entirely to high-intensity efforts. The result? My best race of the year, a personal record, and a spot in the World Championships.

Encouraged by this, I structured my pre-championship training around intensity. Big mistake. The workouts became grueling, and I was consistently overtraining. By the time race day arrived, I couldn’t maintain the discomfort of threshold intensity. My training had pushed me too far, leaving me unprepared for the long grind of the race. Moving forward, intensity will remain a tool, but not the foundation of my program.

4. Aerobic Strength Training: The Underrated MVP

This method is simple but incredibly effective: combine Zone 2 aerobic efforts with HYROX stations. Think 400m runs interspersed with burpee broad jumps, sled pushes, or rowing. These sessions not only build aerobic capacity but also increase your familiarity with race movements.

The key is staying in Zone 2. It’s easy to let your effort creep into the gray zone, where you’re working hard but not reaping the benefits of true aerobic training. This approach kept my sessions engaging and productive, and I’ll be incorporating it into my plans indefinitely.

5. Micro Tapers: Small Change, Big Impact

Here’s the game-changer: micro tapers. Instead of building fatigue throughout the week and recovering afterward, I flipped the script. I placed rest days before my quality sessions, ensuring I was fresh and ready to perform at my best. This small adjustment transformed my training.

I bought into the endurance athlete mindset that fatigue equals progress for years. While there’s some truth to that, it’s crucial to balance fatigue with performance. HYROX is about speed and intensity—not just grinding through miles. I consistently hit my target intensities by prioritizing recovery and carried that momentum into race day.

The Takeaway: Quality Over Quantity

If there’s one thing I’ve learned this year, it’s that HYROX isn’t about training the most; it’s about performing your best. The temptation to do more is always there, but success comes from balancing volume, intensity, and recovery.

So, what’s next for your training? Whether it’s experimenting with new methods or dialing in your current approach, I’d love to hear what’s working for you. Feel free to reach out —I’m always up for a chat about training.

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