What is Hyrox?
Hyrox is a unique fitness competition that combines running with a series of functional workouts, designed to test both endurance and strength. Participants complete 8 x 1 km runs interspersed with eight different workout stations, including exercises like rowing, sled pushes, and burpee broad jumps. This format allows individuals of varying fitness levels to compete against each other in a standardised race, which can take place at multiple venues across the world, and promotes a community spirit while challenging athletes to push their limits.
Why is Hyrox so Popular?
The popularity of Hyrox has surged in recent years due to its accessibility and the growing trend of functional fitness. As more people seek ways to incorporate diverse workouts into their routines, Hyrox offers a competitive yet inclusive environment that appeals to fitness enthusiasts and casual participants alike. The event's blend of running and various strength exercises caters to a wide audience, from strength and crossfit athletes to runners and people with other endurance backgrounds.
In addition the events tend to have a community-driven atmosphere which fosters camaraderie among participants and Hyrox have clearly had a strong marketing ambition which promotes memorable event experiences. Additionally, the rise of social media has amplified its visibility, allowing athletes to share their experiences with eye-catching images and motivating others to join the movement.
What is the format of Hyrox?
All athletes at all events complete the same running course and functional movements, although weights vary depending on gender and the category an athlete enters in.
The race comprises:
1km running
1,000m ski erg
1km running
50m sled push
1km running
50m sled pull
1km running
80m burpee broad jumps
1km running
1,000m row
1km running
200m farmers carry
1km running
100m walking lunges
1km running
100 wall ball shots
How to Hydrate for Hyrox?
As with any event, but especially one that’ll result in your sweating quite heavily, hydrating before the start line is hugely important. We recommend slightly upping your fluid intake AND your electrolyte intake in the 2 - 3 days period to your event. Electrolytes are crucial in maintaining the body’s fluid balance, so a serving of an electrolyte drink such as VOOM Hydrate smart each day in the lead up to the event will help ensure you’re ready to go. If you’re a particularly heavy or salty sweater you may wish to up this slightly, or even supplement sodium intake as the most abundant electrolyte found in sweat.
Again on the day of the event we recommend sipping on 500ml of electrolyte mix in the three hours before the start. This ensures adequate hydration if you’ve become dehydrated in the night or during travel to the venue. It will also help counteract losses made during your warm up as you begin to crank your body up!
With finish times ranging from just under 60 minutes to the 3 hour mark, (average finish time of around 90 minutes) hydration during the event can vary from competitor to competitor. Adequate fluid intake during the event is also influenced by the temperature in the venue and your own sweat rate. Hyrox provide a water station in the Rox Zone, meaning you’ll pass it either just before or just after every workout station. If you grab a cup and have a gulp of that, you’re probably taking in 100 - 150ml of water each time, so we’d normally recommend aiming for 4-600ml fluid intake per hour in events lasting over 60 minutes. People can get away with less than this, and some may go a full 90 minute event without drinking, but in terms of trying to minimise the performance slump that comes with dehydration, something is better than nothing!
Can I Carry My Own Drink During Hyrox?
Am I allowed to carry my own hydration or drinks during a Hyrox is a question that gets asked rather a lot! Carrying of drink bottles or hydration packs, including vest types, is allowed, although each workout station has its own unique challenges with regards to having drinks on your person. For example can you do burpee broad jumps without soft flasks flying out of your hydration belt, or can you comfortably sit a 20kg sandbag on your shoulders whilst wearing a drink vest?
For the vast majority our advice would be to utilise the water station which you’ll pass 8 times during the event (once every time you go through the 'Rox Zone' to/from the workout stations.) If you are aware that you are likely to be taking longer than a couple of hours you may wish to consider carrying your own liquids, but a better option would probably be to take your time through the 'Rox Zone' and perhaps take on slightly more fluid at this point.
How to Fuel For a Hyrox Race?
Whilst Hyrox definitely involves elements of strength, with over an hour of continued effort there’s no getting away from the endurance of the event. As with any endurance event, we recommend a carbohydrate rich meal around 1-4 hours beforehand which is going to top up your glycogen stores and make sure you have plenty of available energy to race.
Ideal pre-race meals might be a bowl of porridge, toast with jam or honey and a banana, or a rice dish with some chicken and veggies. The pre race meal should be rich in easily-digestible carbohydrates and moderate in protein and fats, and aim to avoid greasy foods or really high fibre foods as both can lead to stomach upset during your event. Eating these readily digestible carbs before exercise has been shown to delay fatigue onset, reduce perceived rate of exertion and boost exercise capacity - so it’s definitely worth doing!
Do I Need Carbohydrates During Hyrox
Sports science recommendations on carbohydrate intake are all based around the duration of the activity, so whether you should take on carbs during a Hyrox event depends on your estimated finish time!
Athletes working for less than 90 minutes don’t necessarily need intra-exercise carb supplementation, although they may wish to take on a small carbohydrate boost. Meanwhile athletes hitting close to an hour are unlikely to take on anything aside from fluid. As the duration approaches 90 minutes the body’s glycogen stores start to be depleted to a performance-affecting level. Once the duration becomes longer than 90 minutes, research repeatedly shows a performance improvement from taking on carbs.
For exercise lasting between 1.5 and 2.5 hours, the recommended intake of 30 to 60g of carbs per hour has been shown to be most appropriate. You’ll see some athletes carry energy gels to take on a carb top up during the race, or with 45g of carbohydrates, a Pocket Rocket works perfectly! With 4 easy to eat pieces you can dose your carb intake to avoid any stomach upset, for example taking one pieces after stations, 1,3,5 and 7 to maintain glucose levels.
As the duration increases over 2.5/3hrs, recommendations also increase, with research suggesting 60-90g carbs per hour as the most appropriate. So for an athlete taking closer to three hours to complete their Hyrox event, it may be beneficial to aim for a carbohydrate intake of 60g per hour. This will ensure you’re continuing to provide the body with useable energy to keep you moving round the course.
If your meal is three to four hours before race start you should look to take on up to 4g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight. So for a 75kg athlete, around 150g of carbohydrates, which might look like a large bowl of porridge made with semi-skimmed or whole milk, with a banana and some honey. Some people prefer small quantities of whole foods before racing so you may wish to supplement your meal with a carb drink, such as VOOM Fusion Fuel which packs an impressive 90g of carbohydrate per serving, and has the benefit of boosting fluid intake too.
