I Do Weightlifting and This Is How I Train for a Hydroxone Race.
Remember that Hyrox fitness race trend I wrote about? Well, it looks like I’ll be joining in too. I’m teaming up with Meredith Dietz, our resident marathoner, to compete in the Hyrox NYC women’s dual. Here you can read about her training and what she considers her strengths and weaknesses. As a weightlifter myself, I’ll explain my approach.
Honestly, the question of “how should I train” can be boiled down to one word: running. Everyone tells me that running is the most important skill for a Hyrox race, it’s what you’ll spend the most time on race day, and it should make up the bulk of your training, especially if you, like me, are in good physical condition but lack endurance.
What do I need to be prepared for?
As I’ve written before, Hyrox is a structured fitness race. We’ll run eight kilometers (about five miles), one kilometer at a time. Meredith and I will have to run together, but we’ll be able to split the workload at stations located between runs: there’s a cross-country ski machine, sled pushes, sled pulls, long jumps with burpees, a rowing machine, weightlifting, lunges, and wall ball throws.
What disappointed me most was that after studying the competition format, I discovered that none of it really aligns with a weightlifter’s strengths. Strength certainly helps, but that doesn’t mean a max deadlift is in the program. I need to improve my strength endurance —100 wall ball throws are essentially 100 very light squats.
My strengths
I’m studying the competition rules, trying to figure out what I can excel at, and I realize I’m missing something. From my experience in powerlifting, I know I’m a great seated sled puller, but in the Hyrox race, the sled pull is done standing, and I don’t feel particularly confident in that. However, perhaps some of the harder stages will feel a little easier to me than Meredith.
There are a few little things that work in my favor. I can easily squat to the floor, which means I won’t be one of those people who doesn’t get reps when throwing a ball against the wall (where my hips always drop below my knees). I have pretty good grip strength, so the “farmer’s snatch” doesn’t scare me. I have better upper-body strength than the average woman, so anywhere I can use it is a small advantage.
Besides physical strength, I also have mental toughness. I enjoy competing where I can hone my technique and strategy. I’ve beaten stronger people in strength competitions and non-standard lifts simply by knowing the lifts better and making smarter decisions on competition day. I also enjoy carefully studying things that other people would do like idiots. How much will this really help me on competition day? Probably not at all, but it’s the only source of hope I have.
My weaknesses
As we’ve already discussed, my weakness is running. Luckily, I don’t have to start from scratch. I already have running shoes and know the principles of running training. But I didn’t run at all last winter, so I need to gradually increase my mileage, starting practically from scratch, while simultaneously developing my cardio fitness. If I’m not careful, this could lead to disaster, so I need to be careful not to increase my mileage too much or too quickly. We don’t have a lot of time to train, so it’s a bit of a balance.
How I train for Hyrox
When I first started training, I identified three priorities, and now that I’ve tried different workouts and learned more about the sport, I’m even more committed to them. In descending order:
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Get used to running.
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To develop my endurance so that I can keep going for the full 90+ minutes that the race will last.
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Learn the movements and techniques I will need to complete the station tasks.
Please note that strength training isn’t a priority for me. I think it’s the least of my concerns. However, my workouts always include strength training, so they remain on my schedule. As I explained in this Instagram video , I monitor my heart rate to properly distribute my efforts during workouts. One or two workouts a week can be challenging, such as a Hyrox class or a tempo run. The rest of the time, I devote to easier cardio exercises, such as running in zones 2 and 3 .
To avoid overuse injuries, I try not to run too much. My program includes walking and cycling so I can continue to work on my endurance even when I think I’ve run my maximum mileage for the week.
Result
Meredith put it best: on paper, a runner and a weightlifter should combine to make a complete Hyrox athlete. In reality, the competition format favors endurance athletes. I expect Meredith to jog at an easy pace, and I’ll be trying my best to keep up. Once we get to the weight stations, I might be able to pick up the pace a bit, but honestly, that will depend on how tired I am after the run.
One of the unpredictable aspects is the need to learn to work as a team. Meredith and I live in different cities, and we won’t be able to meet in person until I arrive in New York for the competition. If we want to practice skills like passing sandbags, we’ll have to do it on our own with people we meet at our respective gyms. On competition day, everything has to go right—or it could go wrong. I have a feeling this will be a valuable experience for both of us, regardless of the outcome.