Strength Continuum for HYROX

We’ve talked about the role of fitness in HYROX before. Now let’s turn to strength.

In sport science, strength is observed on a continuum from absolute (1RM) to endurance.

In HYROX the limiting factor will be on the muscular/strength endurance end of this continuum - the ability for your muscles to generate force, over an extended period of time, under high rates of fatigue.

Training for muscular endurance isn’t only about doing high rep sets. But instead, learning good movement mechanics, building absolute strength, as well as increasing time to fatigue.

Movement mechanics:
When you move poorly, you expend unwanted energy.

There’s a reason an exercise feels easier the more you do it. That, in part, is because you are improving your economy of movement - spending less energy while doing the same amount of work.

Movement economy is a combination of strength and time to fatigue, but it starts with movement mechanics - how freely can your body move to get into the positions it needs to without placing undue stress on other/supporting muscles?

Think squat or in the HYROX specific case, lunge or wall ball. Do you have the mobility and flexibility required to reach parallel in a squat? Are your hips loose so you can open up properly while running?

Compromised movement will result in fatigue. Fatigue leads to wonky technique. Wonky technique leads to certain muscle groups “blowing up”.

Movement is the foundation from which you build strength and endurance from. Talk with a coach to see where your movement limitations lie. If you don’t have a coach, where do you feel tight? Where are those repetitive, niggly injuries occurring? Start there.

Absolute Strength:
Although you won’t be tested on pure strength during HYROX, the stronger you are, the better your economy of movement, and in turn, improving your time to fatigue.

Anyone who has competed in CrossFit before will know the benefits or improving high end strength, even if you aren’t being tested in it. The ability to work with heavy loads, under fatigue, will make each exercise more manageable during the race.

Upper & lower body push/pull exercises should all make up the bulk of your strength orientated movements.

Is your 1-5RM in selected movements (squat/lunge, deadlift, row, & press) progressing over time?

The closer you get to race day the more absolute strength transitions toward specific strength endurance.

As strength endurance becomes the prominent factor try to integrate sled work and farmers carry to push/pull movements, or place a heavy lunge after a round on the air bike - testing and building your work capacity.

Time to Fatigue:
Time to fatigue starts with a well built aerobic engine. If you haven’t already, start running, long and slow. Building an aerobic base will allow you to work harder and faster all while being able to remain below your threshold (red line).

As race day nears, a lot more of your training should start to shift from generic strengthening toward HYROX specific conditions - anaerobic/lactate threshold and strength endurance/muscular endurance.

For those competing in the NZ competition, from mid December onwards this would be your primary focus. Exercise specific intervals/circuits that help to build time to fatigue, your ability to sit in the pain cave.

A pairing of sled work and the rower. Running, after a circuit of burpees and lunges. Or a triplet of ski erg, wall balls, and farmers carry.

The goal here is not to max out, nor is it to lift overly heavy. But instead, to be able to work with relatively difficult loads which being compromised (struggling to breath).

Find where your red line is and ride just below it.

The specificity principle dictates the closer we get to Feb, the more HYROX-like your sessions should look. The potency of which will be dependent on the base you have built around your strength (movement, absolute, and time to fatigue) and fitness (aerobic).

Good luck with your HYROX training, send us a message or book a consult if you’d like to know how to integrate different nutrition strategies to get the most out of your remaining training.