What do elite HYROX athletes train like?

Most elite HYROX athletes train about 15 to 20 hours a week, usually twice a day, and run somewhere around 60 to 80 km a week, according to surveys of the Elite 15 fields by Rox Lyfe. The spread is wide, though: one world champion reported about 8.5 hours a week, while others run close to 100 km. What they share is a big easy aerobic base, one or two hard threshold sessions, two or three strength sessions, regular race-pace station work, and a serious approach to sleep and recovery. Below is what named athletes and coaches have said about each part, and which parts amateurs should and shouldn't copy.

• ~18 hoursmedian weekly training, 2025 Elite 15
• ~79 kmmedian weekly running, 2025 Elite 15
• 8.5 hoursweekly training reported by 2025 World Champion Linda Meier

How much do elite HYROX athletes train each week?

Rox Lyfe's Greg Williams surveyed the 30 athletes in the 2025 Elite 15 fields and found a median of about 18 hours a week for both men and women. A year later, Rox Lyfe's 2026 Elite 15 profile put the averages at about 15 hours for women and 19 for men.

Individual athletes vary a lot:

Meier's figure stands out. She won the 2025 World Championship on far less training time than most of the field, which is a useful reminder that there's more than one way to get to the top.

How much do they run?

Running is the biggest single block of training for most elites, which makes sense, since roughly half of a race is running.

• Field averages. Rox Lyfe found a median of about 79 km a week in 2025 and an average of about 64–72 km in 2026, noting that running volume has, if anything, come down compared with earlier seasons.
• High-volume runners. Lauren Weeks, Lucy Procter and Vivian Tafuto each reported about 96 km a week in 2025, and Graham Halliday 95–120 km.
• Lower-volume runners. Tomas Tvrdik and Alexander Rončević reported about 40–48 km, Morgan Schulz about 48 km, and Linda Meier about 24 km a week in 2025.
• Tim Wenisch capped his running at about 90 km a week before his 2025 world title, with most weeks at 65–80 km, according to John Paton's write-up of a podcast with him. He'd previously gone over 100 km. He added up to 40 km of erg work a week instead.
• Hidde Weersma told Red Bull he runs roughly 70 to 80 km a week.

Sources don't always line up. Rončević reports 20–25 training hours a week to Red Bull but only about 40–48 km of running to Rox Lyfe, which suggests much of his volume comes from the gym, ergs and bike rather than running.

Lucy Procter told Red Bull that running makes up about 40–50% of her weekly hours, and that she adds cycling and other aerobic work once extra running stops paying off. That trade, swapping some running for low-impact cardio, shows up again and again.

How fast are they?

For context, Rox Lyfe's 2026 profile estimated the average Elite 15 athlete's current 5 km at 17:24 for women and 15:38 for men, and 10 km at 36:39 and 32:38. Our 5K time guide shows what amateur goal times need.

What does their threshold work look like?

Almost every published elite week includes one or two hard threshold sessions, with everything else easy.

• Tim Wenisch: one longer threshold workout a week, such as 10 × 1 km, with easy days alternating with hard ones. His easy runs were zone 2 at about 4:20–4:30 per km.
• Jake Dearden: a threshold session built around 800 m efforts, alongside a race-simulation session with compromised running and a longer, slower run (Red Bull).
• Rich Ryan: 3 × 2 km at threshold with 75 seconds' rest, combined with station work, in the week compiled by the5krunner.
• Joanna Wietrzyk: two threshold running mornings a week, plus threshold work on the Echo bike and ergs, in the same compilation.

Do elites use double threshold?

Some do. Stephen Pelkofer, a HYROX athlete who writes The Threshold Lab, says many HYROX elites do a double session day where the second session is on the bike, SkiErg or rower rather than a second run. He suggests double-threshold running mostly for base building, and says big single threshold sessions matter more as race day gets close. Our advanced training guide explains how to try a controlled double-threshold day.

And the easy work?

This is the part people skip. In a 2020 BoxRox interview, Hunter McIntyre said about 10 to 12 of his 18 to 20 weekly hours were slow aerobic work, and that his running coach, Rich Diaz, had him do his roughly 10 weekly running hours at a lower intensity to build his aerobic base. A small 2025 study of HYROX athletes (Brandt and colleagues) found finish time was linked to VO2max and endurance training volume, which fits.

How much strength training do they do?

Usually two or three sessions a week, and heavier than many people expect.

• Hidde Weersma does two strength sessions a week in building and race-specific phases, focused on traditional lifts like heavy back squats. They run about 80 minutes in a build phase and drop to about 45 minutes near race day (Red Bull).
• Jake Dearden said he cut strength from five sessions a week to two or three during a running-focused block (Red Bull).
• Tim Wenisch spent 5–8 hours a week in the gym, including erg work. A hard gym day was 45–60 minutes of strength, such as back squats paired with jumps, split squats and calf raises, followed by a 25–30 minute conditioning circuit.

How strong is strong enough? Rox Lyfe's 2026 survey put the approximate median three-rep max deadlift at 118 kg for women and 170 kg for men, and the back squat at 89 kg and 134 kg. Those are well above the race loads, which is the point: a big strength reserve makes the sleds and lunges feel lighter when you're tired.

How much station practice do they do?

Station work is regular, specific and often done at or above race pace, but it rarely dominates the week.

• Tim Wenisch finished hard gym days with wall balls, lunges and sled pushes at or slightly above race pace, and often ended erg sessions with short, hard bursts.
• Hidde Weersma told Red Bull that station-focused weeks are mostly low intensity, with just one running interval session.
• Hunter McIntyre narrowed his focus to sled pushes, sled pulls, burpee broad jumps and wall balls before the 2026 World Championships, according to BoxRox.
• Emilie Dahmen's week, as compiled by the5krunner, includes two intensive HYROX sessions and one easy HYROX session.

How do elites recover?

The structure itself is the main recovery tool: hard days followed by easy days, and most of the week easy.

• Sleep. Wenisch aimed for 7–8 hours a night. Pelkofer calls consistent sleep the most important recovery tool.
• Lighter sessions on easy days. Easy bikes, rows and walks fill many elite weeks, and Linda Meier's compiled week includes mobility and rest slots.
• Rest days. Several elites train every day in some form, but Dahmen's week includes a full day off, and Wenisch treated Sunday as rest, often with something long and easy.
• Recovery tools. McIntyre told BarBend he uses a hyperbaric chamber, ice baths and sauna, but said those tools took about 15 years to accumulate and he doesn't expect younger athletes to have them. His cheapest tool is what he calls "happiness walks": long walks outdoors that make him forget his sore legs.

Piers Plowman, education manager at the HYROX Academy, warned in the Red Bull piece that overreaching can wreck consistency. That applies at every level.

What should amateurs copy, and what shouldn't they?

As HYROX master coach Tiago Lousa told Red Bull, three well-structured sessions a week can work for a first race. The elite structure scales down well: one threshold run, one strength session with a station finisher, one long easy run, then add easy volume as your body allows.

FAQ

How many hours a week do elite HYROX athletes train?

Usually about 15 to 20. Rox Lyfe's survey of the 2025 Elite 15 found a median of about 18 hours, and its 2026 profile found averages of about 15 hours for women and 19 for men. Individuals range from about 8.5 hours (Linda Meier) to 25 or more.

How many kilometers a week do elite HYROX athletes run?

Typically 60 to 80 km. Rox Lyfe reported a median of about 79 km in 2025 and an average of about 64 to 72 km in 2026. Some run close to 100 km, while others run under 50 km and do more on the bike and ergs.

Do elite HYROX athletes do double threshold?

Some do, often with the second session on the bike, SkiErg or rower rather than a second run, according to athlete and writer Stephen Pelkofer. Most published elite weeks include one or two threshold sessions in total.

How strong are elite HYROX athletes?

Rox Lyfe's 2026 survey put the approximate median three-rep max deadlift at 118 kg for women and 170 kg for men, and the squat at 89 kg and 134 kg. Most elites lift two or three times a week.

Should I train like an elite HYROX athlete?

Copy the structure, not the volume. Keep most sessions easy, do one or two quality sessions, lift twice a week and practice stations at race pace. Build your hours and mileage gradually rather than jumping to elite numbers.

Next steps

Turn the elite structure into a plan with our advanced training guide, or find your biggest leak first in how to improve your HYROX time. Check your running against your goal in the 5K time guide, pick sessions from our HYROX workouts, and set race targets with the pace calculator.