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🏃🏽♀️ Is Hyrox the Key to Longevity?
Was that a clickbait title? Sure, a little bit. And to be clear upfront, I have not done a Hyrox competition at this point. But, hearing stories from people who have (which we’ll get to in a bit) and reading their latest Sports Science Report as well as research on the sport has me thinking it really could be the ideal sport for building longevity markers across the board.
For those unfamiliar with Hyrox, it’s essentially a fitness race. Competitions are standardized and always consist of the same 8 exercises–ski ergometer, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jump, rowing ergometer, farmers carry, sandbag lunges, and wall balls–and 8 runs (1,000 meters each). You start with a run and then alternate between exercise stations and runs throughout the rest of the competition.
Research shows this kind of high-intensity functional/hybrid training can deliver a suite of benefits for active 40+ women, including boosting Vo2 max, strength, and power, while also improving coordination, proprioception, and faster reaction times–all stuff we want to keep sharp with age.
It’s also accessible for busy women. The average finishing times for beginner to intermediate women 40 to 60 is 1:45 to 2:25; advanced competitors in that age range take about 1:40. Speaking of women, they also make up about half of Hyrox participants, and the company has publicly stated their intentions to go all in on female physiology research, including understanding how women adapt to endurance-strength hybrid training, how hormones influence thermoregulation, and how life-stage factors like menopause or postpartum recovery affect performance, according to Loughborough University lecturer and exercise physiologist Dr. Samantha Rowland, who is part of Hyrox’s active research council.
Insights from a 40+ Hyrox Newbie
As mentioned up top, I have not done a Hyrox competition, but my Hit Play Not Pause producer Carrie Barrett has. So I hit her up to share her experience. This is what she had to say.
Feisty 40+: What were your first impressions?
Carrie: I won’t lie, it was a little intimidating because it was more ‘glamorous’ than I expected, with lots of younger women with glitter and matching outfits and makeup. But it was amazing, and I’m already looking forward to my next one.
Feisty 40+: You’re a hardcore endurance athlete–triathlete, distance runner–how did you train?
Carrie: I knew that this was something I didn’t want to train for alone, so I sought out a Hyrox affiliate gym and, as fate would have it, a CrossFit gym in Bend had just become an affiliate and was going to start a new Hyrox program.
I went to Hyrox specific classes 3 times per week and we worked on several areas each class:
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Skills development - especially for exercises like lunges, wall balls, and sled push/pull. Because you’re moving weights under fatigue and stress, we worked on proper technique in order to avoid injury.
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Aerobic engine development - particularly on the row and ski erg, where you are actually trying to regulate your heart rate in order to “recover” during these stations.
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VO2 max development - high intensity/short duration work with everything, utilizing SIMS workouts.
My non-Hyrox training days were mostly endurance running (some tempo workouts on the track like 800s and 1000s). I also just enjoyed being on my bike with no structured training.
Feisty 40+: That sounds like great prep. How was race day? Anything surprise you there?
Carrie: I was surprised at how fast paced the actual race was. There was no time to think because each station was an average of about 5 minutes. I truly was just “in the moment” trying to get through the station I was in. My race felt like ripping off the proverbial bandaid - quick and painful - ha!
I was surprised at how hard the race actually was. I was as prepared as I could be, but holy moly, the sled pulls and wall balls were tough for me! I also learned that taking short breaks is a performance strategy to bring your heart rate down.
I was also surprised at the party atmosphere and the massive amounts of people racing all weekend. There were 17,000 people over the course of the weekend in Dallas alone!
Feisty 40+: Do you feel like your endurance background helped?
Carrie: My running background absolutely was my strength. Hyrox does have eight functional strength stations, but it’s primarily a running race. Five miles done in 1k chunks is no joke and, because I have a 20+ year solid aerobic base, I was able to perform well and manage my HR on the runs to actually use that as recovery. The other stations are all trainable. Looking at stats in my age group, I was pretty average on all the strength stations, but excelled at the run, making it a successful race for me.
Feisty 40+: You’re keen to do another. Why?
Carrie: It was such a fun experience to enter with a beginner mindset and have absolutely nothing to compare it to. I learned something new in every class and the workouts were so fun and varied that I never got bored with training.
It boosted my confidence in the gym. It's not easy walking into a new gym (especially CrossFit), but the coaches and other athletes were all supportive. After all, Hyrox was new to most of us!
At 52, it’s also a great way to check off some HIIT/SIT workouts and strength training. While I didn’t do much heavy barbell lifting with this cycle, I absolutely got stronger - lunging with 50lb sandbags and doing squats/wall balls with 12-14lb balls.
Trying something completely out of my comfort zone was so rewarding. My biggest takeaway was a boost in self-pride for committing to something new and achieving it.
Next time, I'll just know to put on a little mascara and glitter. 🙂 |
