The race involves 8, 1km runs, interrupted by 8 events - ski erg, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jumps, rowing, farmers carry, sandbag lunges and wall balls. You will be blowing by the end but there are plenty of variations to cater to everyone. You can compete as an individual, a team of 2 or 4, all women, all men or mixed. I was in a team and getting some breathing space allowed me to soak in the whole production.
From a physio perspective, you need to prepare. In all versions of the race aerobic capacity is required! And then varying degrees of strength and muscular endurance (using the strength under fatigue conditions), and efficiency of movement, allowing you to conserve energy during the race.
My tips?
1. Train. If you've got the time, 3-4 months prep would be good to build up progressively and reduce your risks of injury and burnout.
a. Build a base of fitness and strength
b. Practice the specific moves, gradually building the weight to competition requirements
c. Practice under fatigue in interval bursts
d. Put together your intervals to build up to full race simulations
2. Track your training to build confidence in your progress toward the big day
3. Rest - make sure you're recovering well. We're not interested in the popular 'methods of recovery'. We're only interested in the tried and tested methods - hydrate, rest, sleep, nutrition, movement.
4. Invite your friends to watch. The encouragement around the run track is really special and the atmosphere is truly electric as the professionals race around together with the amateur teams. There really isn't much like this!
www.hyrox.com
