Table of contents
🤖
AI-generated summary
You’ve heard about Hyrox and everyone around you is getting into it. It’s the hottest thing right now! You’re not quite sure what you’re getting into, but one thing’s certain: you’d like to start. Don’t panic — I’ve been there, and I’m going to give you the keys to getting started without burning out in the first week. 💪
Do you actually like running?
First piece of advice, and it’s a big one: ask yourself if you actually like running. 🏃♂️
Why? Because Hyrox is fundamentally a running event. If you look at the format, you spend more time running than pushing sleds. So if you think you like running, sign up for a 5k or 10k first, get a training plan, and prepare for your race.
To get started, I recommend the Decathlon app, which is a great starting point for beginners. It will create a personalized training plan leading up to your race date. All you have to do is enter your target time, the days you’re available, and it takes care of the rest. 👌
Then, if you want to level up with an app that offers a real coach and a genuine community, check out Campus. Just one small technical note: if you have an Apple Watch ⌚, the Decathlon app is compatible with it, whereas as far as I know (at the time of writing), Campus isn’t natively compatible yet.
Buy shoes, but don’t blow the budget 💸
Second piece of advice, and it’s a simple one: buy shoes made for running that you’re actually comfortable in. What does that mean? Don’t buy them online! Especially if it’s your first pair. Go to a store, try them on, jog around the aisle a bit.
And there’s no need to spend hundreds of euros on your first pair. Stay under €100 — that’ll work just fine. Every brand has great accessible ranges these days. Save your budget for the next tip… 😉
A quality box changes everything
Third step: you’ve got your shoes, you’ve got your training plan, you like running. You’ve maybe even finished your first 10k and loved it. Now you can really test whether Hyrox is right for you.
And here the only advice I can give you is to join a box (a CrossFit or Hyrox-affiliated gym). That’s why I said to spend as little as possible on shoes — what really matters is investing in a box where you have a quality coach.
Training with others guarantees you’ll give it everything and improve every session. Do the same WOD (Workout of the Day) alone in a regular gym without a coach, then do it with people around you challenging you… You’ll see, you’ll perform way better when you’re surrounded by the right people! 🔥
Training is everything
To progress properly, you need to train — but smartly. No need to become a gym obsessive every day of the week.
Personally, here’s what I recommend for a solid balance:
- Do at least two Hyrox-style sessions per week in a box.
- Depending on your running level, add 2 to 3 running sessions.
And above all, don’t skip strength training! Because even if you have the endurance of a rabbit 🐰, what will make the difference in the long run is your strength level. The stronger you are, the less cardio you’ll burn through doing your lunges, burpees, or rowing.
It’s up to you based on how much time you can devote to training. If you want to train 5 days a week, try to mix things up based on your weak points:
- Hyrox-style training in a box.
- Strength work to build power.
- Running sessions to get faster and faster.
The PFT test
Finally, when you feel ready, I recommend taking the official Hyrox test (the PFT) to see where you stand. This test is available on their website.
Note that you’ll need to do it in a gym, as it requires some equipment (rowing machine, wall balls, etc.). If you’re planning to compete as a pair (Double), it’s really useful for your partner to take it too. It’ll let you see if you’re at the same level and adjust your strategy accordingly. 🤝
Final thoughts
There you go, you now know everything (or almost everything) to get started. For me, the single most important thing is to join a box with a good coach and work on your strength and your running.
These last two points are often overlooked by practitioners. They tell themselves that doing specific training in a box is enough. But we very rarely work on “pure strength” in a one-hour group class. And the running component needs to be worked on specifically, outdoors. It’s really hard to improve at running just by jogging around the block as part of a group WOD.
Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions! 👇
PS: To give you an idea, I personally finished 1h12 in Mixed Hyrox and 1h15 in Open after one year of training. Proof that anything is possible! ⏱️
