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How Specific Should HYROX Training Be? This week on the HYROX Coaching Podcast, Aaron and Chris start with some of the standout performances from the weekend before getting into one of the most important programming questions in HYROX: how specific does your training actually need to be? The discussion starts with compromised running. Running after a sled, burpee broad jumps or lunges does not feel like running fresh, and that matters. Aaron and Chris discuss why most experienced HYROX athletes should have some exposure to running in and out of stations, while also making the distinction between race-intensity compromised work and lower-intensity capacity work. Each week, I take the most useful ideas from the podcast and turn them into practical coaching notes you can apply to your own training and racing. Sign up here: https://www.wdmcoaching.com/newsletter Luke Greer’s improving wall balls and continued progression Elliot Giles’ impressive HYROX debut and what elite running pedigree can transfer Yannick’s latest performance Sinead Bent’s return Does every HYROX athlete need compromised running? Why compromised running does not always need to be hard Race-intensity work versus capacity-building work Why learning how the first 30–60 seconds after a station feels matters Why specificity should not be left until the final few weeks The difference between a HYROX-specific session and a random metcon using HYROX exercises Why race-specific intensity work should follow race order How target HYROX pace should relate to standalone threshold pace Why RPE may be more useful than chasing an exact race split Why the first two runs should feel almost too easy How going slightly too hard early can ruin the race much later Using compromised intervals to learn pacing When full and partial simulations are useful Why a race simulation should usually be a rehearsal rather than another race Why doubles teams probably do not need endless full simulations together Communication and adaptability in doubles racing How to prepare for heavy and sticky sleds Why inconsistent sled lanes are a bigger problem than simply having heavy sleds One of the biggest themes is that specificity is not the same thing as constantly simulating the full race. A session can be highly specific because it teaches the athlete to run off a sled, settle after burpees or control a station at race intensity, without needing to reproduce the entire event. Equally, a circuit containing HYROX exercises is not automatically specific if the order, intensity and demands bear little resemblance to the race. The episode also goes heavily into pacing. The opening runs should feel controlled, even when adrenaline is telling you otherwise, because being only slightly above sustainable effort early can create problems that do not fully appear until the sled pull, burpees or much later in the race. Learning that feeling in training is far more useful than blindly chasing a pace number that may not even match the actual course distance. Finally, Aaron and Chris discuss race simulations, doubles practice and sticky sleds. Full simulations can have value as occasional rehearsals, particularly for athletes who rarely race, but doing them hard carries a significant recovery cost. For doubles, the bigger skill may be communication and adaptability rather than trying to rehearse every transition perfectly.

The Science of HYROX: Threshold, Volume, Strength & Sub-50This week on the HYROX Coaching Podcast, Aaron and Chris are joined by sports scientist Gommaar D’Hulst for a deep dive into what current physiology and biomechanics can tell us about HYROX performance.The conversation starts with Alyssa’s 350 unbroken wall balls and why an effort that looks completely ridiculous for most athletes may sit surprisingly close to a highly trained athlete’s physiological threshold. Gommaar explains why elite functional movements can become increasingly aerobic, while still carrying very different local muscular and power demands from running.Get the WDM HYROX Coaching NotesEach week, I take the most useful ideas from the podcast and turn them into practical coaching notes you can apply to your own training.Sign up here:https://www.wdmcoaching.com/newsletterMake sure you confirm your email after signing up so the notes actually reach you.The discussion then moves into the HYROX-specific ramp test Gommaar has been developing. By combining burpee broad jumps, wall balls and progressively faster running, the aim is to bring the physiological testing used in endurance sport into a compromised HYROX environment. The resulting data can be used to identify different athlete profiles, including athletes who need a larger aerobic engine, athletes with a large gap between threshold and maximal capacity, endurance athletes who need greater functional power, and athletes who already possess both a high ceiling and a high threshold.One of the most useful sections for coaches is the discussion around race pace and threshold. Gommaar breaks down research showing how HYROX running pace falls as the race progresses, even though the athlete’s physiological strain remains high because of the accumulated cost of the stations. Aaron and Chris discuss why highly trained, higher-volume athletes appear able to hold much closer to their normal threshold pace during a race, while less-developed athletes often see a much larger gap.The conversation also gets into movement economy. Looking efficient is not necessarily the same as actually being efficient. Gommaar explains how biomechanics and oxygen consumption could be used together to determine whether a change in technique genuinely reduces the energy required to perform the same amount of work.From there, the discussion moves towards the future of elite HYROX. How much training volume will the best athletes eventually tolerate? How much station work is actually required once an athlete is sufficiently strong? Can functional movements be kept predominantly aerobic enough to accumulate much more race-specific volume without destroying recovery?There is also a lengthy debate over whether a sub-50 solo HYROX is physiologically possible and what the athlete capable of doing it might eventually look like.Finally, Gommaar discusses research looking at training frequency and concurrent training. When total training load was matched, longer sessions performed fewer times per week did not clearly outperform or underperform shorter, more frequent training. The conversation then moves into research suggesting that separating endurance and strength work may become increasingly valuable for highly trained athletes. For athletes who already possess enough strength, maintaining it may require substantially less strength-training volume than building it in the first place.The recurring theme throughout the episode is simple: the goal is not to maximise every individual training quality. It is to develop the combination of aerobic capacity, threshold, movement efficiency and power that allows you to produce the highest sustainable performance across the entire HYROX race.Check out Gommaar's website: https://www.wod-science.com/

How should you structure HYROX training when you’re racing throughout the year and never really have a traditional off-season? In this episode, Aaron and Chris explain why HYROX periodisation doesn’t need to follow a traditional progression from general base training into strength, threshold and finally race-specific work. Instead, aerobic development continues throughout the season while training blocks place greater emphasis on the areas that need the most improvement. Race-specific exposure stays in the programme because movement economy across the stations is much easier to maintain than rebuild. They also discuss when tempo running is more useful than threshold work, whether athletes need dedicated aerobic base phases, how training volume affects the amount of intensity required, and where VO2 max sessions can fit before an important race. The main message is simple: consistent, recoverable training will produce more progress than repeatedly pushing sessions beyond their intended purpose. Train, don’t strain. Also covered: The latest racing from Bordeaux, Karlsruhe and Toronto Why elite HYROX racing is leaving less room for weak stations How wall balls can decide closely matched races Why traditional periodisation doesn’t fit HYROX particularly well Using focused training blocks without neglecting the rest of the race How frequently stations need to appear in your training Why general fitness alone won’t maximise HYROX performance Whether you should spend a prolonged period building your aerobic base How training volume changes the amount of intensity you need Continuous tempo runs versus broken tempo intervals Where VO2 max training fits around priority races Why faster running isn’t always the best route to faster HYROX running Managing fatigue while maintaining race-specific fitness Join the HYROX Coaching Notes newsletter:https://www.wdmcoaching.com/newsletter Join WDM Complete:https://wdm-coaching.fitr.training/pa/WDM_Complete

Which forms of cross-training actually improve your HYROX performance, and which ones simply add more fatigue? In this episode, Aaron and Chris explain how to use the bike, StairMaster, SkiErg, rower and other cardio machines to build a bigger aerobic engine without relying on endless running. They discuss the difference between developing general aerobic fitness and becoming more efficient at the specific movements used in HYROX. They also explain why the right amount of cross-training depends on your training availability, injury history and ability to recover. The conversation also covers why frequent, easy work on the SkiErg and rower may be more valuable than occasional hard sessions, and why improving your SkiErg pace doesn’t necessarily mean you should race it faster. Also covered: Results and talking points from HYROX Oslo and Rome Why bike and StairMaster training transfer well to HYROX How cross-training allows you to add aerobic volume with less impact When running should remain the priority How training availability changes your approach The role of the Echo Bike, spin bike and BikeErg Why technique can break down during long SkiErg and rowing sessions Using short, frequent erg sessions to improve efficiency Why some popular interval sessions are performed too hard How going too fast on the SkiErg can damage the rest of your race Building fitness you can sustain rather than chasing the one-percent gains Join WDM Complete:https://wdm-coaching.fitr.training/pa/WDM_Complete Get the WDM Coaching newsletter:https://www.wdmcoaching.com/newsletter Listen to the podcast on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/2KsJj5u5fwZROZGD4Sk6Qi

Aaron is joined by Elite 15 athlete and Threshold Lab founder Stephen Pelkofer for a conversation about what good coaching actually looks like beyond simply writing sessions. Drawing on his background in data science, basketball and elite HYROX racing, Stephen explains why he prefers to be data-informed rather than data-driven. They discuss how pace, heart rate and race splits can be useful, but only when they’re combined with context, athlete feedback and an understanding of the person behind the numbers. The conversation also covers why aerobic fitness remains the main limiter for many HYROX athletes, the danger of copying the training of people with completely different backgrounds, and why missing or shortening one session rarely matters. Aaron and Stephen explore the difference between building fitness and chasing it, how to judge progress without becoming obsessed with race times, and why the best coaching decisions sometimes involve doing less. They also discuss: Using RPE alongside pace and heart-rate data Why athletes should leave feedback after training Identifying whether an athlete needs more volume, intensity or strength Why poor pacing can make a station look like the limiter The value of repeatable benchmark sessions Why missed sessions shouldn’t automatically be added elsewhere Adjusting training around work, family, recovery and life stress Coaching the person rather than just delivering a programme Adapting feedback and communication to the individual Why consistency beats trying to force one exceptional session Find Stephen: Instagram: @stephen.pelkofer Threshold Lab: https://www.thresholdlab.co/ Join the WDM Complete HYROX & Fitness Racing System: https://wdm-coaching.fitr.training/pa/WDM_Complete Subscribe to HYROX Coaching Notes: https://www.wdmcoaching.com/newsletter

Each week, I take one of the most useful ideas from the podcast and turn it into practical coaching notes you can apply to your own training and racing. Sign up here: ⁠https://www.wdmcoaching.com/newsletter⁠ In this episode of the HYROX Coaching Podcast, Aaron and Chris are joined by Linda Meier to talk through the period after becoming HYROX World Champion, how that success changed the expectations she placed on herself, and why objectively good performances can start to feel disappointing when they are constantly compared with your best day. Linda reflects on the training block that led into Chicago, where consistency, structured training and small improvements in movement efficiency all added up over time. Rather than describing one breakthrough session, she talks about finally training with a clear schedule, tracking progress and building confidence from seeing the work move in the right direction. The conversation then moves into what changed after winning the title. Linda explains how she began to feel that every race had to prove she was still capable of performing like a world champion. Good results became harder to enjoy, and the pressure shifted from improving her own performance to feeling she had to justify what she had already achieved. Aaron and Chris also discuss how this kind of pressure can affect athletes at every level. A PB, podium or qualification can become something athletes feel they need to defend, rather than a performance they can use as evidence of what is possible. Linda talks openly about working with a sports psychologist, trying to focus less on expectations and more on possibilities, and rebuilding the enjoyment and freedom she previously felt when racing. She is clear that this is still a work in progress rather than something she has already solved. The episode also covers how Linda balances elite-level training with a full-time career, why having an identity outside sport has helped her maintain perspective, the challenges of managing coeliac disease while travelling and training, and why doubles racing has given her a more positive racing experience during a difficult period. Linda’s training block before winning the World Championship Why consistency mattered more than one breakthrough session Improving movement efficiency and station execution Introducing more structured threshold and VO2 max training How winning changed the expectations Linda placed on herself When a personal best becomes a standard you feel you have to defend Why good performances can still feel disappointing The difference between focusing on execution and focusing on proving yourself Balancing elite training with a full-time career Why work outside sport can provide perspective and identity Managing training around flexible working hours Linda’s experience of managing coeliac disease as an athlete How health disruptions can affect recovery and training consistency Working with a sports psychologist Rebuilding confidence and enjoyment in racing Why positive doubles experiences have helped The value of giving different races different purposes Looking ahead to the rest of Linda’s season

This week, Aaron and Chris review a huge weekend of HYROX racing before getting into the main coaching discussion: the difference between fitness, conditioning and pacing, and why being fitter does not automatically mean you will race better. Fitness is the individual physical qualities you possess. Conditioning is your ability to express those qualities across the complete demands of HYROX. Pacing is how you decide to spend them on race day. Get that final part wrong and a station that looks like a weakness may simply be the point where poor decisions earlier in the race finally catch up with you. Each week, Aaron takes one of the main ideas from the podcast, expands on it properly and turns it into something practical you can apply to your own training. Subscribe here:https://www.wdmcoaching.com/newsletter Make sure you confirm your email after signing up, otherwise the newsletter will not arrive. The major results and talking points from Athens, Washington, Tenerife and Acapulco Why racing conditions have to influence your pacing strategy Why a slower result in difficult conditions does not necessarily mean poorer fitness The difference between fitness and conditioning Why good individual station tests do not guarantee a good HYROX race How running fitness can fail to transfer when the athlete lacks event-specific conditioning Why a station that falls apart late in a race may not actually be your weakness How to identify genuine limiters from training rather than simply looking at race splits Why full HYROX simulations are not always the best way to develop race conditioning Using overload intervals and targeted race-specific work instead Why the first 10–15 minutes of HYROX should feel controlled How going too hard on the SkiErg creates problems that appear much later in the race Why saving a few seconds early can cost minutes later Using the runs to regain control between stations Strategic breaks versus being forced to stop because you are already cooked What the spread of runs 2–7 can tell you about race execution How race experience helps you learn when restraint can finally give way to racing Why pacing is ultimately a decision about how to express the fitness you already possess HYROX performance is not simply a collection of eight station abilities plus a running time. You can possess excellent fitness in isolation and still fail to put it together across the complete race. Training needs to develop those qualities individually, condition you to combine them under fatigue and then teach you how to pace the event so that you can still access them at the back end. A well-paced race should not feel desperate from the opening minutes. The objective is to reach the finish line as quickly as possible, not to prove how hard you can work in the first fifteen minutes. If your wall balls, lunges or row repeatedly collapse late in races despite being strong in training, look further upstream before deciding they need more work. The real limiter may be conditioning, pacing, or both.

In this episode of the HYROX Coaching Podcast, Aaron and Chris look at how much intensity HYROX athletes actually need, and why simply making more of the week hard is rarely the answer. They start with the commonly quoted 80/20 rule and discuss where it came from, why it can be useful as a broad principle, but also why getting obsessed with exact percentages misses the point. HYROX has running, strength work and eight different stations creating different types of stress, so the real question is whether the athlete can recover from the work well enough to adapt to it. The conversation then moves into easy running and whether heart rate, pace or perceived effort should lead. Aaron and Chris discuss why RPE and breathing are often the best guides, why there is no meaningful prize for running the top of Zone 2, and why easy running needs to remain genuinely easy when the rest of the programme contains a lot of quality work. They also look at the role of tempo and sub-threshold running in HYROX, how much threshold work an athlete can realistically absorb each week, and why more total training volume does not automatically mean you can tolerate more high-intensity work. Finally, they discuss when training above threshold can be useful, why a small amount of VO₂-max work can make sense closer to an A race, and where heavier-than-race-load training helps with sleds, lunges and wall balls before it starts changing the movement so much that it loses specificity. Each week, Aaron takes one of the main ideas from the podcast and expands on it with practical coaching advice you can apply to your own training. Subscribe here:https://www.wdmcoaching.com/newsletter Make sure you confirm the email after signing up or the newsletter will not arrive. GET THE WDM HYROX COACHING NOTES

This week, Aaron and Chris are back with a race recap from Perth before getting into a set of questions around running development for HYROX athletes. The main discussion looks at how to improve running when time, running volume or impact tolerance is limited, why simply adding more speed work is often the wrong answer, and how frequency, volume and intensity should be progressed if the goal is to run faster without repeatedly breaking down. They also cover heavier athletes and running durability, using 5K and 10K races inside HYROX preparation, combining football with HYROX training, returning to running with Achilles tendinopathy, and whether true top-end running speed actually matters for HYROX performance. Each week, Aaron takes one of the main ideas from the podcast, expands on it properly and turns it into something practical you can apply to your own training. GET THE WDM HYROX COACHING NOTESSubscribe here:https://www.wdmcoaching.com/newsletter Perth HYROX Pro Solo and Pro Doubles results How to improve running when impact tolerance is limited Why faster running is not always the best “bang for buck” Building running in the order of frequency, volume and then intensity Why easy running still improves running performance Using strides without turning easy days into hard sessions Moving aerobic work onto the bike, ergs or other low-impact modalities How heavier athletes should approach running progression Why body composition and morphology affect running load differently Returning from shin pain and rebuilding running frequency gradually Where 5K and 10K races can fit into HYROX preparation Why shorter road races may be more useful than full HYROX simulations Why marathons need considerably more respect inside a HYROX season Treating football training and matches as genuine training stress How to organise HYROX quality work around another sport Running with Achilles tendinopathy and other impact limitations Why complete rest is not normally the answer for tendon problems Using bikes and other modalities to maintain aerobic fitness while running is restricted Does true top-end running speed matter for HYROX? Why most athletes have a capacity problem rather than a speed problem The opportunity cost of repeated 400 m and 800 m speed sessions Why raising your sustainable pace matters more than continually raising your maximum speed When faster running can still have a place during the season For most HYROX athletes, the biggest running gains will not come from continually trying to run faster in training. The priority is developing enough running frequency and volume to build tissue tolerance, economy and durability, then layering intensity onto that foundation. Most athletes can already run considerably faster for one kilometre than they ever need to during a HYROX race. The challenge is being able to sustain a much higher proportion of that speed across eight kilometres while repeatedly completing the stations in between. Build the capacity first. Then worry about moving the ceiling.

In this episode of the HYROX Coaching Podcast, Aaron and Chris discuss how to organise a training week that produces adaptation rather than simply accumulating fatigue. They begin with double-training days: whether they are physiologically superior or mainly a practical way to organise greater volume while preserving the quality of each session. The key point is that a double day should be treated as one training unit. The first session cannot be so hard that the second becomes a tired attempt to complete the programme. The conversation then moves into the cost of placing two or three hard sessions on consecutive days. Aaron and Chris explain why later sessions can still feel difficult while producing less useful work, and how repeatedly layering stress can turn the whole week into one grey block of moderate fatigue. They also cover what to do when a session cannot be completed as written. The right adjustment depends on the purpose of the session. Sometimes intensity should be reduced so the intended volume can be preserved. In other situations, the intensity is correct and the volume should be cut before technique, output or movement quality deteriorates. The episode also looks at when complete rest is more useful than another easy aerobic session, and how long working hours, poor sleep, commuting and cognitive stress should alter training load. Six to eight hours per week can still be too much if the athlete does not have the recovery capacity to absorb it. The main principle is simple: the best training week is not the hardest one you can survive. It is the highest-quality workload you can recover from and repeat consistently. Get the WDM HYROX Coaching Notes Each week, I expand on the main ideas from the podcast and turn them into practical coaching notes you can apply to your own training. Sign up here:https://www.wdmcoaching.com/newsletter

In this episode of the HYROX Coaching Podcast, Aaron and Chris work through the first batch of listener questions on coaching principles, programme design and what actually drives progress in HYROX. The main theme is simple: one hard session does not make you fitter. Progress comes from the whole body of work, with enough aerobic volume, threshold development, strength capacity, movement practice and recovery to keep the programme moving forward. They discuss why so many athletes start with intensity instead of building the foundations, why hard and easy days need to stay clearly separated, and why maximum recoverable volume matters more than copying someone else’s training week. There is also a wider discussion around consistency, movement efficiency, training frequency, four-day training weeks, HYROX classes, repeating sessions and why good programming does not need to reinvent itself every Monday. Each week, Aaron takes one of the main ideas from the podcast, expands on it properly and turns it into something practical you can apply to your own training. Subscribe here:https://www.wdmcoaching.com/newsletter Make sure you confirm your email after signing up, otherwise the newsletter will not arrive. One click was apparently too uncomplicated.

In this episode of the HYROX Coaching Podcast, Aaron and Chris begin with a recap of the racing in Istanbul and Chengdu, including Ronc’s return, the first outing for Jake and Luke as a doubles partnership, the contrasting race conditions across the two venues and some unexpected performances. That leads into a wider discussion about HYROX course lengths and why comparing finishing times across different races rarely tells the full story. Aaron explains how courses are laid out around the dimensions of each venue, what is included within the total measured distance and why athletes should stop trying to race every run to an exact split. The fastest strategy is not to blindly chase a pace calculated before the race. Athletes need to understand how race effort should feel, respond to the conditions and recognise when the body has more or less available on the day. The main coaching discussion then looks at how quickly different training adaptations actually happen. Aaron and Chris cover aerobic development, threshold, strength and movement efficiency, explaining why some improvements appear quickly while the adaptations that matter most are normally built across months and years. They also discuss what should genuinely change as athletes get older, where productive hard training becomes excessive accumulated fatigue, the early signs that an athlete is no longer absorbing training and how HRV should be interpreted alongside sleep, mood, soreness, perceived effort and actual performance. Each week, Aaron expands on the main ideas from the podcast and turns them into practical coaching notes you can apply to your own training. Subscribe here:https://www.wdmcoaching.com/newsletter GET THE WDM HYROX COACHING NOTES

In this episode of the HYROX Coaching Podcast, Aaron and Chris are joined again by Adam Cheang to preview the 2026/27 HYROX season. They discuss the expanding race calendar, qualification changes, Elite 15 points, Challenger races, breakthrough athletes, major predictions and why execution may matter more than ever as the level continues to rise. GET THE WDM HYROX COACHING NOTES Each week, Aaron expands on the main ideas from the podcast and turns them into practical coaching notes you can apply to your own training. Subscribe here: https://www.wdmcoaching.com/newsletter In this episode: • How the expanding calendar could change the way athletes plan their season • Why racing more often does not automatically mean more progress • Elite licences, qualification roll-downs and ticket access • Major points and the advantage held by established Elite 15 athletes • Challenger races and promotion into the Elite 15 • Racing blocks versus spreading races throughout the season • Breakthrough athletes to watch • Men’s and women’s major predictions • Doubles racing and the nationality rules • Burpee standards, judging and penalties • Why pacing, transitions and clean execution will decide more races • Pressure, performance anxiety and racing on the big day • Drug testing and HYROX’s development as a serious global sport

In this episode, Aaron and Chris delve into the concept of training intensity, exploring how to measure it accurately and apply it effectively across different training modalities. They discuss common misconceptions, practical programming tips, and the importance of managing fatigue for optimal performance.

In this episode of the HYROX Coaching Podcast, Aaron and Chris are joined by HYROX coach Phil Mataj. Phil talks through his route into coaching, from bodybuilding and CrossFit through to HYROX, starting a run club in Bristol, and eventually building a coaching system around movement quality, athlete belief and proper training structure. The conversation covers what makes good HYROX coaching, why movement standards matter from the start, and how athletes can make big improvements simply by becoming more efficient at the basics. Aaron, Chris and Phil also discuss how to identify an athlete’s main limiter, why every training block needs one clear focus, and why trying to build everything at once usually just creates fatigue rather than progress. There is also a big section on doubles racing, including why doubles is still heavily aerobic, how much changeovers matter, and why the best pairs are not just fit but efficient, calm and well-drilled. The episode also touches on threshold work, heat, heart rate, pacing, adding volume for the sake of it, and why the first 15 minutes of a HYROX race often set up the rest of the day. Topics covered include: Phil’s background in CrossFit and HYROX coachingStarting a run club and building a coaching communityCoaching Charlie and LaurenWhy you do not need to be a great athlete to be a great coachMovement standards and efficiencyBurpees, wall balls and lungesTesting athletes and finding limitersAerobic base, threshold and VO2 maxWhy each block needs one clear signalRace-specific training and sharpening before HYROXWhy doubles is still an aerobic raceChangeovers, communication and partnership in doublesPacing the first 15 minutes of a raceUsing heart rate as feedbackTraining in the heatWhy more volume is not always the answerCoaching relationships, trust and environment