What Is HYROX?
The independent supplement shop's guide
Eight 1km runs. Eight functional stations. Same course, everywhere in the world.
HYROX is a fitness race held indoors against the clock. You run a kilometre, you do a workout station, and you repeat that eight times in a fixed order. Because the course never changes, a time in Exeter means the same thing as a time in Hamburg, and that is exactly why the training for it is so specific.
The course
Eight stations, one fixed order
A 1km run comes before every station. Pick any station to see what it involves and what it asks of your body. Weights and some rep counts change by division, so treat the numbers below as the standard open race.
1. SkiErg, 1000m
The opener. You pull the handles down and drive through the trunk and legs rather than yanking with the arms, which is the mistake that costs people the next three stations. Coming straight off the first run, this is where most first-timers go out far too hard.
Upper body endurance2. Sled Push, 50m
A loaded sled, four lengths of the lane. Legs, glutes and lungs, and the first station where the floor and your shoes genuinely matter. Short, heavy and very hard to fake if you have not trained it.
Leg drive and repeat power3. Sled Pull, 50m
Hand over hand on the rope, dragging the sled back to you. Back, biceps, grip and trunk, and it arrives just as your forearms are already complaining from the push.
Pulling strength and grip4. Burpee Broad Jump, 80m
Down, up, jump forward, repeat, for eighty metres. The station people describe as the one that breaks the race open. Pure aerobic grinding with a full body movement, and the point where pacing stops being optional.
Whole body conditioning5. Row, 1000m
Halfway. A thousand metres on the rower using legs, back and arms in that order. It feels like a rest after the burpees, which is exactly how people talk themselves into rowing it far too fast.
Aerobic capacity6. Farmers Carry, 200m
Two kettlebells, two hundred metres, and by now your grip has already been through a sled pull and a rower. Upper back, trunk and forearms, with dropping the bells costing you far more time than slowing down would.
Grip and trunk endurance7. Sandbag Lunges, 100m
A sandbag across the shoulders for a hundred metres of walking lunges. Quads and glutes, on legs that have already run seven kilometres and pushed a sled. This is where cramp shows up if hydration has been an afterthought.
Leg endurance under load8. Wall Balls, 100 reps
The last station before the finish. A hundred reps of squat and throw, with a standard to hit on every single one. Everything you have already done shows up here, which is why the wall ball is the station people train most and still dread.
Repeat power when emptyWhy it is its own thing
Not a 10k, not a gym session, both at once
The reason HYROX has grown so fast is that it does not reward specialists. A strong lifter blows up on the runs. A good runner stalls on the sled. The race keeps switching between the two, and your body has to keep switching with it.
Repeated high-intensity efforts
Sixteen hard efforts with no real rest between them. The demand is not one big push, it is the ability to produce power again, and again, after the last one hurt.
An hour or more of aerobic work
Eight kilometres of running is the backbone of the race, and it happens in pieces around stations that keep spiking your heart rate.
Serious sweat losses
Indoor venues, big crowds and sustained effort. Fluid and electrolyte losses over a race, and over the training block before it, are real and worth planning for.
Recovery between sessions
Most people train four to six times a week for months. What limits progress is usually not the session you can do, it is how well you recover before the next one.
Fuelling it
What we put together for HYROX athletes
Food comes first, always. Supplements are there to cover what a heavy training block makes harder to get from the plate. These six were chosen because each one does a different job, not because six sounds better than three.
The HYROX Stack
Hydration, repeated power, protein, magnesium, micronutrient cover and omega-3. One box, six roles, put together by a shop that sells all six separately and knows which ones people actually forget.
Or build your own
Start with the gap you actually have
Most people do not need all six on day one. Pick the problem that sounds most like your training week and start there.
LSC DRIP Electrolyte FormulaHydration and electrolytes around your longer and sweatier sessions.£24.95
Gym Squad MagnificentMagnesium contributes to normal muscle function and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.£19.95
SWOLE Micronised CreatineCreatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high-intensity exercise, with a daily intake of 3g.£24.95
LSC DRIP Electrolyte FormulaWorth ruling hydration out before blaming your engine.£24.95
Go deeper
Guides from the shop floor
Common questions
The things people ask us at the counter
What does HYROX stand for?
It is a brand name rather than an acronym, formed from "hy" for hybrid and "rox" for rocks. The point of the name is the format: a hybrid of running and functional fitness, rather than either one on its own.
How long does a HYROX race take?
It varies enormously by fitness and division. Elite athletes finish around the one hour mark, while a large share of first timers are somewhere between ninety minutes and two hours. It is a long effort by any standard, which is why fuelling and hydration matter more than people expect.
Can a beginner do HYROX?
Yes, and plenty do. The open division exists for exactly that, and the course is the same for everyone. What catches beginners out is not the individual movements, it is doing them sixteen times in a row. Build the running base first and train the sled and the wall balls specifically.
Do I need supplements for HYROX?
No. You need training, sleep and a decent diet, in that order. Supplements are worth considering once those are in place and a heavy training week is making something harder to cover, most commonly hydration, protein intake and recovery.
What should I take on race day?
Race day is a bad day to try anything new. Whatever you use, use it through training first so you know how you respond. Sort your hydration in the days before rather than trying to fix it in the last hour.
Where is my nearest event?
Events run across the UK through the season, and for anyone in Devon the Exeter events are the closest. Check the official HYROX site for current dates and entries, as they change and sell out quickly.
Training for one in Devon? Come and talk to us
We are an independent supplement shop at 22 Hyde Rd, Paignton, and a fair few of our customers are working towards Exeter. If you would rather ask a person than read a label, we are open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 3pm, or on 07711 393130.
You can also browse the full HYROX supplements collection, the wider Sports Performance range or the Bundles & Stacks if you know what you are after.
Little Supplement Company is an independent retailer. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or a partner of HYROX, and HYROX is a trademark of its owner. Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.