A Hyrox A Day
Prologue
Today marks day 40 of attempting every single day to complete a Hyrox in under 60 minutes, and it’s about time I sat down to share my thoughts. I originally intended to write these for my benefit, to reflect on what I’ve learned over the last 40 days and identify what I can do differently to help me reach the #sub60. However, when I thought about it, it made sense to share what I learned with you all in the hope that I could help improve your training, whether for Hyrox or not!
So, here goes.
Day 1.
On Thursday, December 19th, 2024, I drove to the gym to do something I’d never done before: complete a Men’s Open Hyrox in under 60 minutes.
No one else in the gym noticed me walk in. Why should they?
I warmed up slowly on the bike, then went about setting up all of the functional movements: the sled with 152kg on it, the rope in preparation for sled pulls. Again, while no one was watching.
Despite what most people think — which is probably due to my lack of clarification — I wouldn’t be doing a full Hyrox each day. I set the timer for 60 minutes and try to complete as many of the 16 stations as possible. Why not complete an entire Hyrox each day? Firstly, I just don’t have the time; I run my own business, so I can’t be at the gym for a minimum of two hours each day (which it would be most days!). Secondly, a full Hyrox would kill me. Despite ignoring most of the hate online — that doing 60 minutes every day is stupid, gives me no time to recover, and would lead to injury — a full Hyrox would almost certainly have been a step too far. Plus, I like the concept of seeing how far I can get through the workout each day. 60 minutes. Every day. I can do that.
On that first morning, with the timer set to 60 minutes, I started the treadmill at 10kph (6 min/km), and that, my friends, was the start of a long training block. How long? I really don’t know. I do know that 10kph felt pretty quick. Shit. I’d need to get that to 15kph and above.
At the London Hyrox event in November 2024, the average Men’s Open time was 1:28 across 2,326 athletes. Only 11 men went below 60 minutes. 0.5%. I’d love to know how many men in total have gone below 60 minutes, but all I know is that I want to get into that 0.5% category. Let’s go!
Why am I doing this?
I’m an optimist — I think anything is possible, but I’ve never really asked my body how hard it can push. I’ve always been a “nearly man” in my sporting life, so now’s my chance to prove I can go above and beyond — especially in the world of sub-60 minute Hyrox, even in the Men’s Open category.
I want to see if showing up every day (yes, 4:30am on Christmas Day too) can push me to a new level of fitness. What I didn’t realise when I started was that it’s not just about my body adapting — it’s about my mindset. I had an inkling on day one, but after 40 days, it’s crystal clear.
Showing up matters. The average person might aim for three gym sessions a week, but when Monday hits and you’ve had a crazy day, you say, “I’ll catch up later.” Spoiler alert: you won’t. If you commit to showing up every day, there’s no excuse. You just do it, no negotiations. At first, it’s hard, but soon it’s just part of who you are. Try working out every day for 25 minutes instead of 60 minutes three times a week, and I bet you’ll double your workout time in a month.
Fitness is medicine. It’s meditation. It’ll improve every part of your life. How do you stick with it? SHOW UP every day. No exceptions.
One of the other reasons I’m doing this challenge is to improve my relationship with my business. I started WHEYD in 2018 and have run it solo through some pretty tough times — recessions, COVID, and Brexit. By 2022-2024, I wanted to quit and get a “normal” job more times than I can count. But I didn’t. I have customers who rely on us to stay healthy, and I owe it to them to stay strong. Showing up every day helps me do that, too. In just 40 days, I’ve already fallen back in love with the process and have more determination than ever
Is #sub60 even possible?
According to the ROXFIT app, to race #sub60, I’d need to average 3:48/km, completing 8k in 30:27. To benchmark that, at the same London event I mentioned earlier, I did my first Hyrox in the Men’s Doubles category with a close friend. We finished in 1:08, with an average run time of 4:33/km. I called it the hardest thing I’ve ever done (and I’ve run a marathon with zero training that same year – that was a walk in the park compared to this).
According to Strava, my fastest 5k in the last 10 years was 22:01 in May 2024 (during Hyrox Doubles training). That’s an average of 4:24/km. So, is it possible to shave over 30 seconds per km off that pace while still handling the functional movements?
I don’t know.
Most people online say no.
I say... I hope so. SHOW UP every day for 60 minutes and let’s find out.
If I can do it, so can you!
I’ve learned a lot so far, and most of it doesn’t have a perfect answer yet. Hyrox is a new sport, and I don’t think anyone has the perfect training plan.
Along this journey, I’ll figure out answers to these questions:
-
How to approach Hyrox: Hard on the run and slow on the functional? Or vice versa? Medium on both? As hard as possible on both?
-
Diet: What do I eat before, during, and after? What's the perfect macro split and calorie target?
-
Recovery: Do I need to ice bath every day? Regular physio? What’s the best recovery routine?
-
Training Plan: Should I go hard every day, or mix in some slower Zone 2 days? Intervals or steady pace?
-
Logistics: As a business owner always on the move, how do I ensure I have access to a gym with the right Hyrox equipment? How do I train on holiday or when the gym’s closed?
-
Injury: How do I stay injury-free? And what if I do get injured?
-
Strength training: Do I need extra sessions to build strength?
-
Functional technique: What’s the best technique for each functional movement, and how do I find it?
-
The runs: Should I add interval training to my 1k runs? Is it better to go hard some days and easier on others (e.g. after the sled)?
These are just a few things I’m testing and will share my results on.
What's next?
I hope that sharing this motivates you to try something daily, to SHOW UP, and to start building a beast.
Follow my journey below:
Until next time.
Much love,
Adam x