How to tweak your CrossFit training for HYROX

HYROX is a race. CrossFit is a method.
If you already do CrossFit, you’re ahead of the game. You have the strength, the conditioning, and the mindset.

But HYROX is all about volume and repeatable output under fatigue. You don’t need to stop doing CrossFit — you just need to tweak your training with intention.

Here’s a simple step-by-step plan for how to prep for HYROX without losing your CrossFit gains — or burning out.

6 months out – Build your engine

HYROX is long. You need endurance, not just intensity.

Train 4–6 times per week — volume matters.
Do 3–4 CrossFit classes per week.
Add or replace 1–2 sessions per week with true aerobic work:

• Zone 2 cardio: run, row, bike, or ski at a pace where you can hold a conversation for 30–45 minutes
• Easy EMOMs or recovery-style circuits where your heart rate stays controlled
  Example: Every 3 minutes for 30 minutes – 500m row + 15 air squats + 10 push-ups at easy pace

Important: Low-intensity means you should leave the session feeling better than when you started. If it feels like a WOD, it’s not low intensity.

If you’re doing 4x/week already, just add 1 long Zone 2 session. If you’re at 5–6, swap one WOD for aerobic work.

Focus: Build a bigger aerobic base. Get used to showing up tired and still performing.

4 months out – Start running consistently

Time to get specific. HYROX includes 8 kilometers of running. Start practicing now.

3–4 CrossFit WODs per week
2 running sessions per week:

• One steady run (4–6 km easy pace)
• One interval session (e.g. 6x400m or 4x800m at race pace)

Swap one metcon for a longer HYROX-style engine session:

• 800m run + 30 wall balls x 4
• 1K row + 20 burpee broad jumps + 20 sandbag lunges

Focus: Get your legs used to volume and running under fatigue.

3 months out – Add HYROX movement prep

You don’t need to become a specialist, but you should know what race day feels like.

3 CrossFit WODs per week
2 runs per week
1–2 movement-specific prep sessions per week, including:

• Sled push and pull (50m)
• Farmers carry (200m)
• Wall balls (40–75 reps)
• Sandbag lunges
• Burpee broad jumps
• 1K ski/row repeats

You don’t need exact HYROX gear. Get creative: kettlebell lunges, prowlers, front-rack carries, plate drags.

Focus: Build strength endurance and improve movement efficiency under fatigue.

6 weeks out – Simulate race conditions

Now you’re in prep mode. This is your dress rehearsal phase.

2–3 CrossFit WODs per week
1–2 runs per week
2 HYROX-style simulations per week

Example simulation:

• 1 km run
• 50m sled push
• 1 km run
• 75 wall balls
  Repeat for 2–3 rounds or rotate in other stations

Practice transitions, fueling, and grip strategy
Test gear, nutrition, and pacing

Focus: Don’t chase personal bests — practice control, consistency, and smart execution.

Race week – Taper and recover

Let your body absorb the work you’ve done.

Do 2 light sessions early in the week.
Keep moving, but keep it light.
Practice a few short stations (e.g. 15 wall balls or a 1K jog).
Take 2 full rest days before race day.
Sleep, hydrate, and eat well.

Focus: Arrive rested, confident, and familiar with the race structure.

How much CrossFit vs. HYROX training should I do?

Training for HYROX is like training for a marathon

You don’t run 42 kilometers every day to prepare for a marathon — and you shouldn’t do full HYROX simulations every week either.

Instead, 95 percent of your training should build your capacity without mimicking race-day intensity.

That means:

• Short, high-intensity efforts like CrossFit WODs
• Long, low-intensity sessions like Zone 2 cardio

What you want to avoid is combining long and intense every day. That’s a fast track to burnout or injury. Save the full effort for race day. Train smart, not just hard.

Quick tips for CrossFitters

• Don’t go all-out every day. HYROX rewards steady pacing, not sprinting.
• Keep lifting, but ease off one-rep max testing. Focus on repeatable strength efforts.
• Practice high-rep wall balls. Race day hits different at rep 60.
• Add transitions into your training. Every second saved counts.
• Be patient. HYROX is a grind. Learn how to hold effort over time.
• Take your rest days seriously. Recovery is where adaptation happens — not during the workout. If you’re not sure what quality rest actually looks like, read our full post about it here.

Final thoughts

CrossFit prepares you for anything. HYROX is one very specific thing.

You don’t need to switch gyms, stop lifting, or become a cardio machine — you just need to tweak your training with purpose. With 4–6 days of weekly training, some smart planning, and a willingness to get uncomfortable, you’ll be ready.

And once race day is over, you’ll be fitter than ever — and more capable than most.

If you need help figuring out how to structure your training, the coaching team at CrossFit Kreis 9 is happy to help. We know what it takes to prepare busy adults for big goals — and HYROX is no exception.

Let’s get you ready.