How to Train for Hyrox Part 2 - The Art and Science of Programming

Programming for training is both an art and a science. With so many qualities required for athletic performance, it can be difficult—if not impossible—to improve everything at once. Therefore, the best place to start is by understanding the "WHY" behind the program, as discussed in Part 1. What specific adaptations are we aiming for, and what are our main goals?

By grasping the training adaptations needed and considering the "cost" of the training sessions necessary to achieve these adaptations, we can begin to establish guidelines for structuring our training plan.

In each training session, we must consider the following factors:

1. Acute metabolic and neuromuscular responses (including lactate levels, muscle damage, and fatigue).
2. The signals sent to the body for adaptation (ex: a long run to improve aerobic metabolism or strength training to stimulate muscle protein synthesis).
3. Accumulated training load from that session, along with the overall load for the week.
4. Recovery time required after the session (ex: 48-72 hours for high-intensity neuromuscular work).
5. Impact on the quality and ability to perform in the next day's training.

The fifth point is particularly crucial, as it highlights the reality that we cannot train at maximum effort every day and expect consistent quality in our performance. If we do, we risk accumulating excessive fatigue. With many individuals aiming to train 5-7 days a week to achieve their best Hyrox times, how can we sustain such an intense training schedule?

In Martin Buchheit's book, "Science and Application of High-Intensity Interval Training," he classifies six types of training sessions, each with varying contributions in aerobic, anaerobic, and neuromuscular systems. By categorizing session types, it becomes easier to integrate them into a well-balanced training week.

Types of Training Sessions

Type 1: Aerobic
This includes Zone 2 and 3 work, which focuses primarily on improving aerobic capacity.

Type 2: Aerobic and Neuromuscular
This type could involve game-based practices. In the context of Hyrox, think of lower-intensity sessions that incorporate the various stations, which load the muscular system.

Type 3: Aerobic and Anaerobic
This includes metabolic work, such as threshold training, which focuses on both energy systems.

Type 4: Combination of All Three
This type requires aerobic, anaerobic, and neuromuscular components. Examples include VO2 max sessions or Hyrox simulations.

Type 5: Anaerobic and Neuromuscular
This category consists of activities like hill sprints, sled sprints, or Sprint Interval Training.

Type 6: Neuromuscular
This includes strength training or speed work focused on developing muscular power.

Remembering all six types of training sessions can be a bit confusing, so to simplify, let’s focus on the three main systems: aerobic, anaerobic, and neuromuscular.

Types of Training Sessions - Condensed

Type 1: Aerobic
These are sessions done below blood lactate levels of 4mmol (the point at which Lactate Threshold (LT2) occurs) and are easier to recover from. (Ex: zones 1-3)

Type 2: Anaerobic
Anaerobic contribution begins at intensities above 4mmol and is highly anaerobic when above 6mmol. These sessions would include Threshold training, above threshold and VO2 max work. (Ex: Zone 4+)

Type 3: Neuromuscular
Obvious session types would be any strength or power training. Vo2 Max or any anaerobic intervals will have significant neuromuscular contribution thus fatigue from such sessions should be considered. (Ex: Zone 5, High Anaerobic, etc)

How to specifically target your zones and paces (LT1 and LT2) or VO2 max for training? The gold standard would be to perform a lab based test which would increase the precision of training prescription, giving you best results. This can be done here.

With these facts considered, aerobic training can generally be performed daily if done at a low enough intensity. However, for strength training sessions, it's recommended to allow at least 48 hours of recovery before stressing the neuromuscular system again. This principle also applies to sessions that heavily involve anaerobic contributions.

A good rule to follow is to avoid intense running sessions the day after lower-body strength training, as this can significantly reduce training quality and prevent you from hitting your targets. Performing the order in reverse is also not ideal, but may have less consequences depending on the fitness level of the athlete.

Structuring the Training Week

Now that we have some rules to follow when programming, how do we fit everything in a training week? A simple way to structure your training week is by using the High-Low method, often employed in track and field. This is one of my preferred structures when working with power athletes (Figure 2).

However, in the context of endurance sports and Hyrox, this approach requires some modification. When we identify our most important and demanding training sessions, these typically include key intervals, lower body strength sessions, and intensive Hyrox workouts (Figure 3).

If we revisit the programming rules from Buchheit (2019), anaerobic and neuromuscular stressing sessions should be separated by at least 48 hours to allow sufficient recovery and to enable accumulation of aerobic training volume. For more advanced athletes, the schedule may be more flexible, with the ability to handle a couple of back-to-back hard days (see Figure 4). They may also double up sessions on certain days to meet specific volume targets.

I do not recommend this structure for beginners, as it will be too demanding. In fact, most people training for Hyrox need to consider the time and energy they have available, on top of full-time jobs, family commitments, and stress. Often your training schedule may not align with the ideal structure I’m presenting here; however, it remains useful to learn and see how you can plan what is best for your situation— thus the “art of programming.”

In Figure 4 I present options which may change depending on the phase. The question is when to do which type of session? Well several factors should be considered when determining this such as:

1. Needs Analysis - the athlete's current level, their goal, and what they need to focus on to get there (eg. aerobic system, lactate threshold, strength, etc)
2. Time until next competition - (This will allow us to construct the training phases (See Figure 5)
3. Focus of the training phase - Aerobic Capacity or lactate tolerance.
4. Logisitics - What can the athlete actually handle in their busy schedule.

In Figure 5, we see a progression from extensive work to intensive work, finishing with Hyrox-specific work. Many people would term this final phase “compromised running;” however I prefer the term specific training as this is essentially just Hyrox. The amount of time remaining before competition will determine how much time you can allocate to developing specific attributes. Naturally, more time allows greater development of the ceiling of your aerobic and neuromuscular systems. More details are explained here.

"Specific Training is just Hyrox and 'Compromised running' is essentially just Hyrox"

By now, I hope you can appreciate that programming is about more than routinely performing one threshold session, one long run, and one “compromised running” session each week—advice you’ll often see circulating on Instagram. While this template can be a useful starting point, it fails to account for the athlete’s individual needs, the current phase of training, or how we might shift focus as the training process evolves.

We can think of athlete development as akin to making a pizza. To create a great pizza, you need to start with quality ingredients. It's essential to prepare the perfect dough (aerobic foundation), a delicious sauce (anaerobic capacity), and high-quality cheese (strength and power), along with the right toppings (skills), all combined to achieve a perfectly balanced flavor profile. Then, you must cook it to perfection—just as you should avoid overcooking and burning your training! Meticulous planning is vital.

This is also why trying to get Chat GPT to program for you will come short as there are variables and "what if's" it cannot account for. AI is unlikely to make a nice pizza for you.

In Summary

I hope that this article has provided a clear understanding of the mindset you should be in, and given you tools you need when designing your training plan. As we can see there is a lot of science to consider which provide the foundation, but there is an art to getting it right for your specific situation. In part 1 we discussed training adaptations and how to target them. In part 2 we discussed types of training sessions, where they fit in the training week, and how things may change depending on the phase.

Stay tuned for Part 3 where I will go into Strength Training to improve Running Economy

About The Author

Mario is a Strength and Conditioning Coach from Canada, currently based in Hong Kong. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and a Master’s in Strength and Conditioning from Liverpool John Moores University. He has experience in elite sport roles in the English Football League and the China National Snowboard Cross Team for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. He has worked with athletes and individuals across all levels—from amateur to professional—with particular interests in Athletic Training and Rehabilitation. He coaches people who want to perform better and feel better, building strength, resilience, and confidence.

Mario has been working with Hyrox athletes since discovering the sport in 2023. Since then, he has helped many athletes achieve personal bests and assisted beginners in completing their first Hyrox, often overcoming initial intimidation. He also holds a a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) certification from the NSCA and a Hyrox Level 1 Coaching Certificate.