HYROX
HYROX is a running race with eight interruptions: eight kilometres, each followed by a station. The athletes who finish well are the ones who can still run once their legs are full of sled and lunges. This page sets out what twelve weeks of preparation look like; YOUB turns it into your plan.
Ranges for first-timers who can run easily for 30 minutes and have four to six hours a week. If you already bring a running or strength background, you start further down the table. YOUB starts from where you actually are.
| Weeks | Phase | Running | Stations and strength | Key session |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–4 | Base | 2–3 runs, one of them 8–10 × 400 m, the rest easy at conversational pace | 2 × full-body strength: squat, Romanian deadlift, lunges, rows, pull-ups. Technique on the SkiErg and rower | 4 rounds: 500 m row, 15 wall balls, 400 m easy run |
| 5–8 | Build | Intervals of 5–6 × 800 m or 4–6 × 1 km, plus one easy long run of 60–75 minutes | Loads climb towards your division weight; farmers carry and sandbag lunges over race distance | 3 blocks: 1 km run, then two stations in race order |
| 9–10 | Race-specific | Compromised running: 500 m SkiErg or 20 lunges before every 1 km interval | Stations at target weight; wall balls and sleds on tired legs | Simulation in week 10: 6–8 × (1 km + station), even kilometre splits |
| 11 | Consolidate | Volume eases slightly; one interval session at planned race pace | One short station session: technique, not fatigue | 4 × (1 km at race pace + half a station) |
| 12 | Taper | About half the usual volume, short runs at race pace | Last light station session four to five days before the race | Race day |
Every third or fourth week is lighter: less running, no intervals, one easy technique session. Running is roughly half of your finish time, so spare hours go into easy running, not into another hard station workout.
Every HYROX race follows the same format, whether it's in Hamburg, Vienna or Basel: eight 1 km runs, each followed by one station in a fixed order. Every changeover runs through the Roxzone, and the time you spend there counts.
The distances are the same for everyone; the loads depend on division and category. These are the singles weights (women / men) for the 25/26 season. If in doubt, the current HYROX rulebook applies.
After the sled push, the next kilometre feels like a different sport. That's exactly what you train: a station, or part of one, and straight into a run. The goal is a pace you can find again after every station, not your fastest kilometre.
The stations aren't max-strength tests; they ask for strength sustained over several minutes. You build the base with classic lifts, one to three strength or station sessions a week, never more than three, and never two hard days in a row.
A lot of HYROX works without a gym: running, of course, and burpee broad jumps too. For the rest there are useful stand-ins. Only the sleds and the ergs can't be fully replaced, so book two to four sessions on real equipment before race day.
YOUB plans HYROX as a goal of its own: running and stations in one plan, matched to your division, your equipment and your week. Running and strength sessions arrive as structured workouts on Garmin and Suunto, running sessions on COROS as well. With an Apple Watch, your workouts reach YOUB through Apple Health, and you follow the planned sessions in the app.
For each of these races, youb.app has the format, the stations and the divisions. Set your race as the goal and YOUB plans the twelve weeks backwards from race day.
Coaching scenario
01
When the data shows that a demanding session does not fit the current state, YOUB does not react to one metric alone. The coach compares training history, subjective feedback, calendar pressure, and the next goal before suggesting an adjustment.
02
Depending on connected sources, YOUB can use completed sessions, duration, intensity, heart rate, sleep, recovery signals, availability, and goal dates. No single value decides the plan on its own.
03
A session can be moved, shortened, replaced, or intentionally kept. The decision is whether the change protects the long-term training goal while respecting real-life constraints and recovery.
04
YOUB provides coaching suggestions, not diagnoses. Pain, illness, injury, and medical questions belong with qualified medical professionals rather than an automated training decision.
05
For your HYROX race, the next workout is only one part of the decision. YOUB looks at the whole week: hard stimuli, recovery, long sessions, and calendar commitments need to fit together so the plan stays understandable and does not collapse after the first schedule change.
06
YOUB turns adaptations into a clear recommendation with a reason: why the session still makes sense, which risk is being reduced, and which alternative best supports the goal. The result is an understandable coaching dialogue, not an anonymous plan change, including a short follow-up question when the data or real-life context is not clear enough.
Review and sources
This page is maintained by YOUB editorially and reviewed against recognized guidance for physical activity, training load, and training safety. YOUB does not replace medical advice; athletes with symptoms or medical conditions should consult a clinician.
FAQ
Four weeks of base running and basic strength, four weeks of build with intervals and loads rising towards your division weight, two race-specific weeks with compromised running and a simulation, then one week to consolidate and one to taper, with a lighter week every three to four weeks along the way.
Yes. If you can run easily for 30 minutes and have time for strength twice a week, twelve weeks is enough to finish an Open race. Doubles is a good way in too: you run together and split the stations. YOUB asks about your division, your equipment and your time, and builds the plan from your starting point.
For the most part. Running, burpee broad jumps, backpack lunges, carries with water jugs and medicine-ball thrusters work anywhere. Sleds and ergs can't be fully replaced, so plan two to four sessions on real equipment before the race so the sled doesn't surprise you on the day.
The app is free: your plan, sessions, analysis and workouts sent to your watch stay free for good. You build the plan in the chat with the coach, which you can try free for up to four weeks; after that it's a monthly or yearly subscription.
With Garmin, yes, in both directions: your activities come into YOUB, and running and strength sessions go to the watch as structured workouts. An Apple Watch delivers your workouts through Apple Health; it doesn't receive planned sessions, which you follow in the YOUB app.
More than most people think: running is roughly half of your finish time. Two to three runs a week are the base, one of them with intervals, and any extra time goes into easy running. Increase your running volume by no more than about ten percent a week.
