What it’s like to train for the Hyrox race, with tips from a pro

Imagine waking up most days feeling like your body’s been through a war. That was my reality for the past two months, thanks to Hyrox training. 
When friends asked how it was going, I had one word: Exhausting. And I’ve been working out regularly for six years.
In June, I tackled the men’s double category with a partner. Running 8km and sharing the load for the stations felt doable – we finished in a decent 1 hour and 30 minutes.
But for August, going solo transformed the race into a whole new beast.
Pushing a 152kg sled for 50m and pulling 103kg the same distance? It’s like shoving a refrigerator across a football field – possible, but brutal.
When I signed up, I wondered if I could even make it to the finish line.
I knew I had to level up – build stamina, break through limits, and get faster. For two gruelling months, I ramped up my training and even enlisted a pro to whip me into shape.
My goal? 1 hour 30 minutes – all on my own. Here’s how it went.
TRAINING WITH A PRO
For the uninitiated, Hyrox is a physical contest that has skyrocketed in popularity worldwide. It is a timed race involving eight exercises and 8km of running. 
The June event in Singapore drew 6,500 participants, up from 3,500 at a previous outing in October.
I participated in the men’s open category at the Expo on Aug 31. The event had a turnout similar to the one in June.
Many in their late twenties and thirties joined the fitness race, and made sure to go online thereafter to document their experiences and celebrate achieving their personal goals.
It’s essentially a timed race where participants run and complete functional exercises.
The exercises are:
Before each exercise, participants run 1km, and this process is repeated eight times to make 8km of running in total.
I reached out to Sean Lee, champion of the Hyrox men’s pro doubles in June, to train alongside him and learn the ropes.
Sean and his partner finished the race in a blazing 1 hour, 6 minutes, and 31 seconds.
In the men’s pro category, the stakes are higher: 202kg sled pushes, 153kg sled pulls, 32kg farmer’s carries, 30kg lunges, and 9kg wall balls. 
I thought that with his expert tips and guidance, I’d be ready for a transformation.
However, the first training session on Jul 13 was a wake-up call. At 7am, we hit the MacRitchie trail for a 10km run, followed by strength training.
As we ran, Sean cruised at a pace that allowed him to chat effortlessly, while I struggled to keep up.
When we hit the hills, Sean didn’t just run – he “attacked” them, sprinting up with power. Meanwhile, my calves and hamstrings were on the defensive.
The steep terrain was meant to build our aerobic endurance, but by the halfway mark, I was dragging. Sean, full of energy, pushed us on, and we completed 11km in an hour, averaging 5:30 per km. 
Sean found the early run “refreshing”; I didn’t.
After a short rest, we moved to strength training. His prescription? Squats and explosive exercises like barbell calf raises to build leg strength, followed by tackling Hyrox stations like the sleds and wall balls.
With most of the stations demanding serious leg power, lower body training was crucial.
I welcomed the shift from running to lifting weights, but sled training was another story – it was the Achilles’ heel of my race preparation.
Sean’s strategy was to push 200kg in training if I were to tackle 152kg on race day. The plan: A max-out 3-minute sled push, followed by a sled pull.
By the end of the session, I was gasping for air, but the grind had only just begun.
BUILDING UP TO RACE DAY
The first few weeks were all about training above thresholds and building aerobic endurance.
For running, Sean emphasised the importance of holding one’s pace.
“Let’s say maybe your pace for the first km is very fast, four minutes, but towards the end, you are blowing up at probably five or six minutes.”
“So you can’t stick to your consistent pace, (then) you’ve got to work on your threshold runs and pacing,” he pointed out.
Threshold running means running at a pace that’s challenging but still manageable for a longer time. It helps to train one’s body to handle more effort before getting tired.
To build my endurance and improve my pace, I also did tempo runs – slower but longer – and interval runs with high-intensity sprints and recovery jogs.
While I ran faster and farther, my legs also grew increasingly fatigued.
For strength training, Sean’s philosophy was simple: Handle more in training, and competition weights will move like “water”. (I chuckled at that.)
Compound exercises like deadlifts and squats, along with explosive movements like thrusters, also helped prepare me for the stations.
But with increased intensity comes the need for proper recovery. Sean emphasised that sleep, good nutrition, and stretching were just as important. 
To support my training, I fuelled properly with enough carbs and protein. This meant consuming 3 to 5 grams of carbs per kilogram of my target body weight daily, and about 1.5 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of my body weight.
RACE READY?
In the final two to three weeks before race day, it’s recommended to incorporate more “compromised running” and to begin “tapering off”.
Tapering involves reducing training volume to ensure peak performance on race day, which means cutting back on running mileage and the intensity of workouts.
However, with only two months to prepare for the race, anxiety got the better of me and I probably did not taper off properly in the last few weeks. I continued pushing through with my training, trying to boost my endurance.
I also skimped on compromised running – training where you run before and after exercises like burpees and lunges. 
Doing Hyrox simulations can reveal weaknesses and help fine-tune your strategy, but my schedule and space constraints kept me from doing enough.
In hindsight, not tapering properly and skipping those simulations were mistakes that likely cost me on race day.
SHOWTIME
I had set a goal of 1 hour 30 mins, but I knew on the competition day that I would take anything under 1 hour 40 mins as a win.
By race week, the fatigue from weeks of intensive training had built up in my body. I didn’t feel fresh on game day.
Still, I was ready to give it my all. My target felt achievable after weeks of preparation.
My strategy was to conserve energy early on, knowing that the sled push and pull would drain me. Once those were out of the way, the rest should feel easy – or so I hoped.
At the starting line, excitement mingled with nerves. The race began, and I set off at a steady pace, hitting 1km in 5 minutes. The Ski Erg station followed suit, and I was on track.
Then came the 50m sled push. Four laps loomed ahead, and I was determined not to break midway in each lap, fearing the mental toll of stopping and starting.
With the tips in mind – keep low, drive with your legs, breathe – I launched into the push. One lap down, I caught my breath and psyched myself for the next.
This time, fatigue hit hard halfway through. I paused, regrouped, and pushed on. My mental strength kept me going.
The cycle repeated until I finished all four laps, managing a decent pace.
But when I exited to the running track, the toll of the sled push became clear. My legs throbbed, and finding my stride was a struggle.
I had to slow down, almost jogging at one point. Inch by inch, I fought to pick up speed again.
Next came the sled pull. Dread washed over me.
I knew once I conquered this, it would give me the boost I needed to tackle the rest of the race.
Continuous pulling wasn’t an option, so I paced myself, slow and steady, until I’d dragged the sled 50m. 
It felt easier in training when I hadn’t already run 3km and done two stations.
Finishing the pull, I realised I’d spent too much time. But with the toughest parts behind me, I was relieved and determined to make up for lost time.
LAST LAP
After the sandbag lunges – the seventh station – I saw that 1 hour 27 minutes had already ticked by.
With just 1km and the wall ball station left, 1 hour 30 minutes seemed out of reach, but I was still within my goal of finishing under 1 hour 40 minutes. Thirteen minutes for the final stretch felt doable.
But then, a cramp from the lunges set in, making it impossible to maintain my earlier pace. I slowed down, knowing that pushing too hard could wreck any chance of a strong finish.
Reaching the wall ball station, the clock read 1 hour 35 minutes.
For many Hyrox participants, this station is a notorious challenge. The judge’s “no rep” echoes when you miss the target or don’t squat low enough.
I had planned to tackle the wall balls in sets of 20, but several throws missed the mark, and each “no rep” was a blow to my motivation. I switched to smaller sets of 10, but miscounts persisted. 
To be fair, it’s not the judge’s fault – those were the rules. My wall ball sometimes shot straight up or landed short of the target.
After what felt like an eternity, the judge finally shouted, “100! You’re done!” I stumbled toward the finish line, gave a weary grin to the camera, and felt immensely relieved.
I checked the clock: 1 hour 45 minutes. The wall balls had cost me 10 minutes, but I had given it my all.
While I fell short of my goal, I was proud of my solo finish. My stamina had improved considerably, and moving the weights felt easier – though not exactly like water.
It also hasn’t been easy balancing training with other commitments. I’m not a full-time athlete, after all.
Would I go through this training process again soon? Probably not. The dedication and mental toll were intense. 
But was it worth it? Absolutely.