HYROX Nutrition & Recovery: How to Fuel Your Body for Better Performance

HYROX has exploded in popularity because it demands something slightly different from the traditional gym athlete.

You cannot simply be strong.

You cannot simply be a good runner.

You need strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular fitness, recovery capacity and the ability to keep working when your legs are screaming at you.

A standard HYROX race combines eight 1km runs with eight functional workout stations, including SkiErg, sled pushes and pulls, burpee broad jumps, rowing, farmers carries, sandbag lunges and wall balls.

That combination places considerable demands on your energy stores, muscles and cardiovascular system.

Which means your training is only part of the equation.

Nutrition, hydration, supplementation, rest and sleep can all influence how effectively you train, recover and ultimately perform.

And this is where many athletes get it wrong.

They spend hundreds of pounds on shoes, race entries, watches, gym memberships and coaching, then attempt to fuel their body on coffee, a protein bar and whatever happens to be left in the fridge.

Let's fix that.

Your Diet Is Your Performance Foundation

Before we talk supplements, we need to talk food.

Supplements should supplement a good diet, not attempt to rescue a bad one.

For HYROX and endurance athletes, your diet needs to provide four main things:

• Enough calories to support your training
• Adequate carbohydrate to fuel performance
• Enough protein to support muscle maintenance and recovery
• Healthy fats, fruit, vegetables and micronutrients to support general health

Consistently under-eating while trying to train hard is one of the quickest ways to compromise performance and recovery.

You might initially lose weight, but eventually you may notice:

• Training intensity dropping
• Recovery becoming slower
• Increased tiredness
• Poorer sleep
• Reduced motivation
• More frequent illness
• Difficulty maintaining muscle mass

Being lighter isn't automatically better if you've also become weaker, slower and permanently exhausted.

Carbohydrates Matter

Carbohydrates sometimes receive an unfair reputation in the fitness industry.

For someone sitting on the sofa all evening eating biscuits, excessive calories from any source aren't particularly helpful.

For someone running intervals, pushing sleds, rowing, doing lunges and training several times each week, carbohydrates have a completely different job.

Carbohydrate helps replenish muscle glycogen, one of the body's major fuel sources during hard training.

Sports nutrition guidance commonly recommends adjusting carbohydrate intake according to workload, with lower intakes on easy training days and considerably higher intakes around demanding endurance and competition periods.

Useful carbohydrate foods include:

• Oats
• Rice
• Potatoes
• Sweet potatoes
• Pasta
• Wholegrain bread
• Fruit
• Bananas
• Rice cakes
• Cereals
• Yoghurt
• Dried fruit

Think "fuel for the work required"

On a recovery day you may naturally eat fewer carbohydrates.

Before a demanding HYROX simulation, interval session or long endurance workout, carbohydrate intake becomes far more important.

This doesn't mean shovelling 3,000 calories of pasta into yourself the night before every training session.

It means matching your food intake to your training demand.

Protein: Recovery Starts With What You Eat

HYROX athletes need to run, but they also need muscle.

Sled pushes, farmers carries, rowing, lunges and wall balls all place considerable demands on muscle tissue.

Protein therefore becomes extremely important for:

• Supporting the growth of muscle mass
• Maintaining muscle mass
• Recovering from regular training
• Helping athletes meet their daily nutritional requirements

Protein contributes to the growth and maintenance of muscle mass, which is an authorised nutrition claim.

Sports nutrition research generally places protein requirements for exercising adults above those of sedentary adults. The International Society of Sports Nutrition has recommended approximately 1.4-2.0g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day for healthy exercising individuals.

For an 80kg athlete, that could mean roughly:

112-160g protein per day, depending on training volume, goals and total calorie intake.

You do not have to live on chicken breasts and carry Tupperware everywhere like you're preparing for a bodybuilding show.

Start with normal foods:

• Chicken
• Turkey
• Eggs
• Fish
• Greek yoghurt
• Cottage cheese
• Lean beef
• Tofu
• Tempeh
• Lentils
• Beans

Then use protein powder for convenience when required.

Our Choice: TBJP Performance Protein

TBJP Performance Protein 900g
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TBJP Performance Protein 900g is available through The Little Supplement Company and combines whey protein concentrate with whey protein isolate.

It provides an easy way to increase daily protein intake when eating another full meal isn't practical.

A protein shake can work particularly well:

• After training
• At breakfast
• Between meals
• Mixed into porridge
• Added to yoghurt
• When travelling
• When appetite is low after a hard session

The important point isn't drinking a shake within seventeen seconds of dropping your sled.

What matters most is achieving your overall daily protein intake consistently.

Creatine Isn't Just for Bodybuilders

If I were putting together a very short list of supplements for HYROX athletes, creatine would be close to the top.

Creatine is one of the most extensively researched sports supplements available.

And despite what some endurance athletes still believe, it isn't only for bodybuilders.

HYROX isn't continuous low-intensity endurance exercise.

It contains repeated periods of high muscular output:

• Sled pushes
• Sled pulls
• Burpees
• Rowing
• Farmers carries
• Lunges
• Wall balls
• Running accelerations

That makes creatine particularly interesting for hybrid athletes.

The authorised European health claim states that:

Creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high-intensity exercise, with the beneficial effect obtained from a daily intake of 3g of creatine.

That describes a significant part of HYROX rather nicely.

Our Choice: Gym Squad Supps Micronized Creatine Monohydrate

Gym Squad Supps Micronized Creatine Monohydrate, 60 servings
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Our Gym Squad Supps Micronized Creatine Monohydrate provides straightforward creatine monohydrate without unnecessary complications.

For most athletes, around 3-5g daily is the straightforward approach.

You don't need to continually cycle on and off it.

You don't need a different creatine for Tuesdays.

And you certainly don't need a formulation called Ultra Hyper Anabolic Nuclear Creatine Matrix 9000.

Creatine monohydrate does the job.

When should you take creatine?

Timing isn't particularly important.

Take it:

• With breakfast
• In your protein shake
• After training
• With a meal

The important part is taking it consistently every day, including rest days.

One consideration for competitive endurance athletes is that creatine can initially increase bodyweight slightly because water is stored within muscle tissue.

That isn't body fat.

However, if race weight is extremely important to you, introduce creatine during your training block rather than experimenting with it two days before an important event.

Electrolytes: Hydration Is More Than Drinking Water

HYROX venues can get warm.

Training sessions can get sweaty.

And endurance athletes can lose significant amounts of fluid through perspiration.

When you sweat you don't only lose water.

You also lose electrolytes including:

• Sodium
• Potassium
• Magnesium
• Calcium

These minerals are involved in processes including normal muscle function, electrolyte balance and normal nervous-system function.

Simply drinking huge amounts of plain water isn't always the best strategy during prolonged or sweaty exercise.

Our Choice: LSC DRIP Hydration Formula

LSC DRIP Electrolyte Formula, 30 servings
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Our own LSC DRIP Hydration Formula was designed specifically around hydration and active lifestyles.

Each serving provides approximately:

• 420mg potassium
• 175mg sodium
• 75mg magnesium
• 75mg calcium

alongside carbohydrate, FOS prebiotic fibre, watermelon extract and the Spectra botanical complex.

Magnesium contributes to:

• Electrolyte balance
• Normal muscle function
• Normal energy-yielding metabolism
• Reduction of tiredness and fatigue

Potassium contributes to normal muscle and nervous-system function.

DRIP can be used before, during or after training according to the directions on the product.

Don't wait until you're dehydrated

A sensible hydration strategy begins before training.

Think:

Before training: Start well hydrated.

During training: Replace fluids according to your sweat rate and conditions.

After training: Replace fluids lost during the session.

One important point: sweat rates and sodium losses vary enormously between individuals.

Someone doing a relatively easy indoor session may need considerably less than a heavy sweater training for 90 minutes in hot conditions.

For long events, very hot environments or athletes with unusually high sweat losses, hydration and sodium requirements may need to be individually assessed rather than simply taking more and more scoops of an electrolyte product.

More isn't automatically better.

A Good Multivitamin: Your Nutritional Safety Net

A multivitamin shouldn't be used because vegetables have somehow become inconvenient.

Athletes should still aim to eat a wide variety of:

• Fruit
• Vegetables
• Whole grains
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Quality proteins
• Healthy fats

However, athletes training frequently have substantial energy and nutritional demands.

Combine that with work, family, travelling and the occasional meal consisting of whatever can be found at a motorway service station, and diets aren't always perfect.

That's where a quality multivitamin can provide a useful nutritional foundation.

Our Choice: Terranova Living Multivitamin SPORT

Terranova Living Multivitamin SPORT with MAGNIFOOD Botanicals
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Terranova Living Multivitamin SPORT with MAGNIFOOD Botanicals is formulated specifically with active adults in mind.

It provides vitamins and minerals alongside Terranova's MAGNIFOOD botanical complex.

Important micronutrients within a sports diet include nutrients such as:

Magnesium

Contributes to:

• Normal muscle function
• Normal energy-yielding metabolism
• Reduction of tiredness and fatigue

B Vitamins

Several B vitamins contribute to normal energy-yielding metabolism.

Zinc

Contributes to:

• Normal immune-system function
• Protection of cells from oxidative stress

Vitamin C

Contributes to:

• Normal immune-system function
• Protection of cells from oxidative stress
• Normal collagen formation

A multivitamin isn't a pre-workout and it isn't going to suddenly knock five minutes off your HYROX time.

Think of it as part of your nutritional foundations.

Krill Oil and Omega-3

Fat is another important part of an athlete's diet.

One particular group of fats that receives considerable attention is omega-3 fatty acids, particularly EPA and DHA.

EPA and DHA contribute to the normal function of the heart when sufficient quantities are consumed.

Oily fish is an excellent dietary source and should absolutely remain part of a good diet where possible.

Examples include:

• Sardines
• Mackerel
• Salmon
• Herring
• Trout

For people who rarely eat oily fish, an omega-3 supplement may be worth considering.

Our Choice: LSC Krill Oil

Krill Oil Capsules by LSC Supplements
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LSC Krill Oil is available through The Little Supplement Company as part of our omega and general-health range.

Krill naturally provides omega-3 fatty acids.

A useful lesson when choosing any omega-3 supplement is to look beyond the big number printed on the front.

What matters is not simply:

"How many milligrams of oil are in the capsule?"

You should look at the amount of EPA and DHA provided by the recommended daily serving.

That tells you considerably more about the actual omega-3 content.

Krill oil should be seen as part of the athlete's wider health and nutrition routine, not as some magical recovery capsule.

Recovery Is Training

This is perhaps the least exciting part of this article.

It is also one of the most important.

You do not improve during the workout itself.

Training provides the stimulus.

Recovery allows your body to adapt to that stimulus.

If you continually train hard without allowing adequate recovery, eventually performance may begin to decline.

Warning signs can include:

• Heavy legs
• Poor performance
• Persistent muscle soreness
• Lack of motivation
• Difficulty sleeping
• Increased resting heart rate
• Irritability
• Repeated minor illnesses
• Reduced strength
• Feeling permanently exhausted

More training is not always better training.

HYROX athletes frequently combine:

• Running
• Strength training
• Functional training
• Interval work
• Technique sessions
• Race simulations

That workload has to be managed intelligently.

Include easier sessions.

Include rest days.

Periodically reduce training volume.

And remember that walking, mobility work, light cycling or swimming can sometimes be more useful than another brutal workout.

Sleep: Possibly the Most Underrated Performance Tool

You can buy every supplement on this website and still sabotage yourself if you're sleeping five hours a night.

Sleep supports physical and mental recovery.

A consensus statement from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society recommends that adults regularly obtain at least seven hours of sleep, while recognising that individual requirements vary and some people require more.

Athletes undergoing demanding training may find their recovery is better when they allow closer to 7-9 hours whenever realistically possible.

A good sleep routine includes:

• Keeping reasonably consistent sleep and wake times
• Having a dark, cool bedroom
• Reducing bright screens immediately before bed
• Avoiding very late heavy meals where possible
• Limiting alcohol
• Avoiding excessive caffeine late in the day
• Creating a regular wind-down routine

Magnesium for Your Evening Routine

Magnesium is particularly useful nutritionally for athletes because it contributes to:

• Normal muscle function
• Normal nervous-system function
• Normal psychological function
• Normal energy metabolism
• Reduction of tiredness and fatigue

A quality magnesium supplement can therefore fit naturally into an evening recovery routine.

One option available from us is Viridian Magnesium Bisglycinate, a well-tolerated form of magnesium commonly chosen for evening use.

We also stock LSC Magnesium Citrate for people wanting a straightforward daily magnesium formula.

But remember:

Magnesium supports normal physiological functions. It doesn't knock you unconscious.

If you're drinking four coffees at 4pm, scrolling through your phone until midnight and attempting to fix the problem with magnesium at 12:05am, the magnesium isn't the problem.

The LSC HYROX & Endurance Foundation

If I were building a simple supplement foundation for a HYROX or endurance athlete, I would prioritise:

1. Protein

TBJP Performance Protein

Use it to help achieve your overall daily protein requirement.

2. Creatine

Gym Squad Supps Micronized Creatine Monohydrate

Take approximately 3-5g consistently each day according to the product directions.

3. Electrolytes

LSC DRIP Hydration Formula

Use around training to support your overall hydration strategy.

4. Multivitamin

Terranova Living Multivitamin SPORT

Use alongside a varied, nutrient-dense diet.

5. Omega-3

LSC Krill Oil

Particularly worth considering if oily fish intake is low.

6. Magnesium

Viridian Magnesium Bisglycinate or LSC Magnesium Citrate

A useful addition to an athlete's general nutrition and evening recovery routine.

Your Performance Hierarchy

When it comes to improving HYROX or endurance performance, get things in the correct order:

1. Train intelligently

2. Eat enough quality food

3. Eat enough carbohydrate to fuel demanding sessions

4. Hit your daily protein requirement

5. Stay properly hydrated

6. Sleep and recover

7. Add carefully selected supplements

Not the other way round.

You cannot supplement your way out of poor training, inadequate nutrition and four hours' sleep.

The best athletes understand that performance comes from repeatedly doing the basics well.

Supplements simply make those basics easier to support.

Need Help Building Your HYROX Supplement Stack?

At The Little Supplement Company, we would rather help you choose the products you genuinely need than sell you twelve products you don't.

Whether you're preparing for your first HYROX, improving your endurance, training for a PB or simply trying to recover better between sessions, we can help you put together a straightforward nutrition and supplement strategy.

All of the supplements mentioned in this article are available through:

www.littlesupplementcompany.co.uk

Or visit us in-store in Paignton for straightforward advice.

Train hard.

Fuel properly.

Hydrate.

Recover.

Sleep.

Then do it all again.

Because unfortunately, there still isn't a capsule that replaces the work.

Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. Follow individual product directions and do not exceed the stated recommended intake. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking prescription medication or have a diagnosed medical condition, speak with your GP, pharmacist or appropriate healthcare professional before introducing new supplements.

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