While HYROX is a relatively straightforward event, even experienced athletes can make mistakes which cost them time and energy.
Here’s some of the main ones to avoid in your next HYROX…
1. Starting Out Too Quickly
It is crucial to pace yourself during a HYROX event. It’s very easy to start out much quicker than you ideally should – especially with all the excitement of the day. However, that can mean you make the latter stages of the race very hard for yourself.
I now purposely hold myself back a bit on the first few runs so not to exhaust myself too early. As well as the runs, the Ski and Sled Push are stations where some pacing often makes sense. However, they are also stations that athletes typically try to do as quickly as they can. Slowing down a few seconds on these often pays dividends later in the race.
Click here to find out more about how to improve your performance on the HYROX Sled Push, and this article that takes about how to pace your running at HYROX.
2. Not Training Compromised Running
The running during a HYROX event can feel much harder (and slower) than running a similar distance in isolation. The difference between running 1km on fresh legs, and running 1km after 100 meters of lunges, for example, is significant. Training this type of “compromised running”, so that it’s less of a shock during the race, is important.
To read more on compromised running, and how to train for it, check out this article.
3. Not Tapering Training
When I look on Instagram and see the amount of training certain competitors are still putting in during the week before a HYROX event, it always astounds me. I don’t think we should believe everything we see on Instagram, of course. However, suffice to say, for the majority of people, tapering down your training in the 1-2 weeks prior to the race is usually a great idea if you want to feel fresh during the race.
We talk more about the important of a taper, and how to do it, as well as some of the main considerations, in this article on “How to Taper Training for a HYROX”.
4. Incorrect Laps
One mistake made surprisingly often is for a competitor to run too many, or too few, laps of the arena. It varies by venue, but typically you need to run 2-4 laps of the circuit to cover the 1km distance. However, when you’re deep into the race, fatigued, it’s easy to lose count. Too many laps and you cost yourself time and energy. Too few laps and you’ll get a time penalty.
As well as (obviously) counting the laps in your head, you can, and should, try to use the screen in the venue which tells you what lap you’re on. That’s not always easy to see though, so for additional tips on avoiding this problem refer to our running pace article where I discuss how I use my watch to time my laps.
5. CrossFit Shoes
Choosing the most appropriate footwear for HYROX is critical. One mistake many beginners to the sport make is to wear CrossFit type shoes – such as Nike Metcons or Reebok Nanos – for the race. They would, in general, be great for the functional exercises, but a huge portion of the race is running, and they simply aren’t as good as most traditional running shoes for that job.
To read up more on the best footwear for HYROX, check out the linked article.
6. Not Testing Footwear
No matter what shoe you select, you should test it out beforehand, especially on a sled push. There are 2 potential issues that could happen here. One is that a lack of grip on the underside of the shoe could mean that your feet slip when you push the sled. Another is your heel can slip out the back of the shoe, again when pushing the sled. This last issue can often (but not always) be resolved by using “Heel Lock Lacing”.
7. Slowing in Roxzone
We’ve spoken about this plenty on the site (in this article, and this article, for example), but one mistake athletes often make, especially when they are new to HYROX, is they slow down quite considerably in Roxzone (if you aren’t sure what the Roxzone is, watch this video).
Awareness of this is the first step. It’s easy to subconsciously slow down as you enter the zone. I’ve done it myself in the past. But it’s not necessary.
One reason people spend a lot of time in the Roxzone is because it’s where you can get a drink of water. While this may be necessary to some extent, hydrate well before the race to minimise the amount you need during the race.
It’s also sometimes possible for people to get a little lost in the Roxzone, and not know the direction they need to be heading for the next stage of the race. To help avoid this issue, familiarise yourself with the layout prior to the race starting. You’ll be sent the floor plan as part of the Athlete’s Guide and technical briefing video in the few days prior to the event to help with this.
8. Forgetting to Chalk Hands
Chalk is primarily helpful on the sled pull and the farmers carries at HYROX as it provides some added grip. This can be very much needed during a hot, sweaty race.
However, when you just want to get on with things as quickly as possible, chalking your hands is an easy thing to forget. It is time well invested though. If you lose your grip on the farmers carries, for example, and need to repeatedly stop to put the kettlebells down as a result, that will eat into your time.
9. No Reps / Not Knowing Movement Standards
Making sure you follow the movement standards described in the HYROX rulebook is very important. If your technique is not where it needs to be, and the judge observing you gives you some “no reps”, this is valuable time that will be added to your finishing time.
This is especially common on the burpee broad jumps and wall balls, in particular. Ensure you have familiarised yourself with the movement standards on these well in advance, and practiced adhering to them in your training sessions.
10. Stations in Wrong Order
Athletes have sometimes been known to complete the functional stations in the wrong order. Doing so results in a time penalty. This is a surprisingly simple mistake to make when you are extremely fatigued in the midst of a race. Again, using the screen at the venue can help here as it tells you where you need to head next. Do also try to ensure you have the correct order very well memorised in your head before starting (check our Beginner’s Guide to HYROX if need be).
11. Last Minute Panic
There’s a lot to think about before a race (checking in your bag, putting timing chip round ankle, going to the toilet at the right time, moving your way around a busy venue, etc). This can often lead to panic. Spiking your heart rate because you’re stressed, before the race has even started, is not good prep for a good performance. In this “Pre HYROX Race Routine” article we talk some more about planning the time before a race so start it in a good mental state.
12. HYROX Simulations
The standardisation of a HYROX event can lead many athletes to perform numerous HYROX simulations (or scaled versions of one) in their training. There’s nothing wrong with doing that occasionally but doing them too often may not be the best approach. A full HYROX can be extremely tiring and take a fair few days (for most people) to recover from. Do too many, too often, and you’ll risk injury.
It’s probably also not optimal from a training perspective. For example, just doing 1 set of 100m lunges each week likely isn’t the best way to improve your 100m lunge time. Splitting up the total you do into more manageable sets, perhaps with heavier weights, and progressively overloading over time, can often be more effective, as well as being easier to recover from.
To reiterate, I’m not saying it’s a bad idea to occasionally replicate a HYROX race in your training; I would just be careful of making the mistake of doing it too often. If you do need help with training for the event, check out our personalised coaching options, or our 12 Week Training Plan.
13. Changing Your Diet
You’ve heard about the need for more carbs (for energy) and decide a pre-race pasta party might be in order? Or a supplement company convinced you to buy a box of energy gels which you plan to chug down minutes before the race? Be careful. Dramatically changing what you eat in the days and hours before a race can be a big, all too common mistake. To be clear, I’m not saying there’s something wrong with increased carb intake, or energy gels or anything like that. But don’t leave it until just before the race to find out how you respond to those. Instead, it’s something you should be testing well in advance. For example, energy gels can cause digestive distress for some people. Do you really want to find you’re one of those people mid-HYROX? Probably not, and I’m guessing the other athletes around you don’t either!
Hopefully these tips will help you avoid any mistakes for your next HYROX.
