HYROX · BEGINNERS
Hyrox training for beginners: where to start
Start with easy running. In a simulated race with 11 recreational athletes, higher VO2max and more endurance training went with faster times, and in public Pro and Elite results running made up about half of the race time. We train for Hyrox in this order: an aerobic base, then more running and plyometrics, then brick sessions, then race strategy. Complete starts from your long-term goals, so you can begin before you book a race.
What a Hyrox race asks of you
This guide is for you if you have never raced Hyrox. You may be new to running or lifting too.
A Hyrox race is eight rounds. In each round you run 1 km and then do one workout station, in the same order each time. You finish with 8 km of running and eight stations. The stations are the SkiErg, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jumps, rowing, farmers carry, sandbag lunges and wall balls.
The Singles rulebook says the race is open to everyone and needs no qualification. You must be at least 16 on race day. The weights and reps depend on your division, and our station guides list them. The rulebook tells injured racers to get medical clearance before they race. If you are new to hard exercise or have a health condition, ask a clinician before you start.
- HYROX Singles Rulebook 26/27 (official PDF) checked 18 Oct 2026
- HYROX: The Fitness Race (official site) checked 18 Oct 2026
What the research says
Our research set, checked on 18 October 2026, holds no study of beginners and no Hyrox training trial. The studies we found looked at racers with experience. They show what goes with fast times and say nothing about how to start.
In 11 recreational athletes in a simulated race, higher VO2max and more endurance training went with faster times. The link held for the run segments and was absent for the station segments. The athletes had a median of 18 months of Hyrox experience. The authors recommend practicing running combined with other Hyrox movements (Brandt and colleagues, 2025).
A second study looked at public results from individual Pro and Elite races, 11,842 from women and 27,854 from men. Running made up about half of total time and had the strongest link to the overall result. The strength stations cost slower athletes more time, so you need enough strength for them, and more maximal strength was not expected to help in proportion. Race times are no lab measure, so treat this as a pattern (Rappelt and colleagues, 2026).
A third study followed 24 Pro men at an official race. Running speed fell from about 16.1 km/h in run 1 to about 13.6 km/h in run 8. The authors write that sustaining a higher relative intensity appears central to shorter total running time (Gutiérrez-Hellín and colleagues, 2026).
The three studies agree on one thing. Running is the biggest block, and it slows as the race goes on. Build your running first, and start the first run at a pace you can repeat eight times. That is our advice, and none of these studies tested it on beginners.
- Brandt et al., Frontiers in Physiology, 2025: acute responses and performance determinants in Hyrox checked 19 Oct 2026
- Rappelt et al., Frontiers in Physiology, 2026: performance development in PRO and ELITE HYROX competitions checked 19 Oct 2026
- Gutiérrez-Hellín et al., Int J Sports Physiol Perform, 2026: relative running intensity and pacing in a HYROX PRO MEN competition checked 19 Oct 2026
The order we train in
We train for Hyrox in this order: an aerobic base first, then more running and plyometrics (jumps and bounds), then brick sessions, then your race strategy.
An aerobic base is the easy running that builds your engine. A brick session is a station and a run back to back, in the order the race puts them. We think brick sessions are the best way to train for Hyrox, and we put them third, after you have a base.
As a beginner, you spend your first weeks on the first step. Add light station practice as you go, so the movements are not new on race day.
Your first month
This is general training advice, so move the days to fit your life. A month starts your base. No study we found says how long it takes to become race-ready. The run lengths follow the beginner line of the library session below.
| Week | What you do |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Three sessions. Two easy runs of 30 to 40 minutes, and one full-body strength session with light weights. |
| Week 2 | The same three sessions. Add 5 to 10 minutes to your longer run. |
| Week 3 | The same three sessions. Add 5 to 10 minutes to your longer run again. In the strength session, add easy practice on the SkiErg, the rower and the wall balls. |
| Week 4 | The same three sessions. Add 5 to 10 minutes to your longer run once more, and walk the hills to keep your heart rate in zone. |
Which stations to learn first
This section is our advice. No study we found tests it.
Start with the movements that carry a technique standard: the burpee broad jumps, the sandbag lunges and the wall balls. The rulebook says a movement that misses the standard earns a no-rep or a time penalty, depending on the station. Learn each standard at a light load before you add weight.
The sled push, the sled pull and the farmers carry ask more of your strength than of your technique. Build them with light loads first, and add weight in small steps.
Each station has a rules guide and a training guide on this site. Open the station hub and read one a week.
- HYROX Singles Rulebook 26/27 (official PDF) checked 18 Oct 2026
An easy long run from Complete’s workout library
This is Long Run (Zone 2), a session in Complete’s library. It takes about 76 minutes as written, with a 60 minute run in the middle. A beginner starts well below that. The library’s own beginner line is to start at 30 to 40 minutes and add 5 to 10 minutes each week. It builds the base, the first step in our order. It is not a Hyrox session on its own.
Zone 2 is the easy aerobic heart rate zone, where you can talk in full sentences. Effort 4 out of 10 is an easy to moderate effort. World’s Greatest Stretch is a lunge with a twist that opens your hips. An A-skip is a skip with a high knee drive. Pogo hops are small, stiff ankle bounces.
| Block | What you do |
|---|---|
| Warm-up | World’s Greatest Stretch: 1 set of 4 reps per side. It opens the hips and ankles before the first step. A-Skip: 20 meters. Stand tall, make quick ground contacts and drive the knee up. Pogo Hops: 2 sets of 15 reps. Keep the ankles springy and stiff, with little knee bend. Run: 5 minutes at effort 3 out of 10. Build from a walk into an easy jog, and never start fast. |
| Main | Run: 60 minutes at effort 4 out of 10, at the upper end of zone 2. With a heart-rate tracker, stay at the top of the band. With none, go by talk: you can hold a conversation the whole way. |
| Cool-down | Run: 5 minutes at effort 2 out of 10. Ease to a walk and let your heart rate settle. |
Scaling the session
If you are new to this, start at 30 to 40 minutes. Add 5 to 10 minutes each week, and walk the hills to keep your heart rate in zone. If you have trained for a while, run the 60 minutes as written. If you want more, extend the run to 90 minutes and run the last 10 minutes at a steady marathon effort.
How Complete fits
Complete starts from your long-term goals: build muscle, lose fat, improve cardio, get stronger, general health or become an athlete. They steer what Complete recommends every day, and you do not need a plan to use it.
Complete sets your heart rate zones from your own heart data, built around your threshold heart rate. If you have workouts in Apple Health, it analyzes them during onboarding. With no usable history it starts from an age formula and replaces it once your own data arrives.
A run counts if your watch records it and it reaches Apple Health, from any watch. You can also track a run with your phone or log it in the app. Those sessions count toward your score and the recommendation for each day.
If you add a Hyrox race in the app, the plan Complete writes trains the stations as well as the runs. If your watch records HRV and resting heart rate, Complete scores your recovery against your own baseline after about a week of data. If your recovery is red, today’s session turns into rest or an easy session.
Start with your goal. Complete is an iPhone app, free to download, and logging and sharing your workouts on it stay free.
Frequently asked questions
How long should I train before my first Hyrox?
We cannot give a number. Our research set holds no study of beginners, and the right length depends on your starting point, your goal and your week. Build your base first and let your goals set the date.
Should I focus on running or the stations first?
Start with running. In the simulated race study the link between fitness and time held for the run segments, and running made up about half of race time in Pro and Elite results. Add light station practice from the third week so the movements are familiar.
What do I need to enter a Hyrox race?
The Singles rulebook says the race is open to everyone and needs no qualification. You must be at least 16 on race day and register on hyrox.com.
How often should a beginner train for Hyrox?
Three sessions a week is a sound start: two easy runs and one strength session with station practice. This is general training advice. No study we found compares training frequencies in beginners.
Do I need a plan to start Hyrox training?
No. Complete starts from your long-term goals, and its recommendation for each day needs no plan. If you add a Hyrox race in the app, the plan Complete writes trains the stations as well as the runs.