16 Week HYROX Training Program Pdf Free Download [2026]

HYROX is amazing. It’s like an ethical cult with exercise that makes you happy and healthy. Perfect!

HYROX is a savage test of how well you can run when your body wants to quit. It involves eight kilometres of running and eight functional workout stations. I have to say that sixteen weeks is the perfect amount of time to prepare – well, it depends on how fit you are at baseline, but its a good length of time to train for a competition. It gives your body a chance to adapt without breaking. It’s probably a good idea to have a break or low-intensity week or two following a competition or 16 week cycle of hard training.

This program balances the running with the heavy lifting to make you a complete athlete.

Training Phases and Logic

We split the sixteen weeks into four distinct blocks. This is called periodisation. It sounds academic but it just means we change the focus as we get closer to the race. I have to say that the first block is all about the base. You need to get used to being on your feet for long periods. I saw a post on Reddit where a person tried to do full race simulations in week two.

You will encounter things like the sled push and the wall balls. These are not just about strength. They are about moving under fatigue. We call this compromised running. It feels like your legs are filled with lead. One detail worth noting is the buzz in a gym on a heavy lifting night. It is great but you must stay disciplined. Do not chase heavy weights at the expense of your running.

Responsive Table Sixteen Week HYROX Training Overview

Block Weeks Primary Goal

Aerobic Foundation One to Four Build running volume and movement form

Strength Development Five to Eight Focus on sled strength and lunges

Engine and Speed Nine to Twelve Intervals and compromised running sets

Race Peak and Taper Thirteen to Sixteen Simulations followed by full recovery

Tips for Success

You should pay attention to your gear. I remember seeing someone eating cold pasta in the car after a session because they had the wrong shoes and their feet were destroyed. It is a small detail but it matters.

• Choose shoes that work for both running and lifting.
• Practice your burpees so you do not waste energy.
• Use a quality sandbag for your lunge training.
• Focus on your breathing during the rowing machine.
• Ensure your water bottle is easy to carry during training.

16-Week HYROX Training Program

16-Week HYROX Competition Training Program

Program Overview: This 16-week program is designed to prepare you for HYROX competition. It progressively builds aerobic capacity, muscular endurance, and event-specific fitness through four distinct phases.

Key Components: Running intervals, strength training, HYROX-specific station work, and recovery sessions.

Phase 1: Base Building (Weeks 1-4) Week 1 Monday – Running Base

ExerciseDuration/RepsIntensity

Easy Run30 minZone 2 (conversational pace)

Dynamic Stretching10 minLight

Tuesday – Strength Foundation

ExerciseWeightSets x Reps

Goblet Squats16kg KB3 x 12

Push-upsBodyweight3 x 10

Bent Over Rows15kg DBs3 x 12

LungesBodyweight3 x 10 each leg

Plank HoldBodyweight3 x 30 sec

Wednesday – Intervals + Stations

ExerciseDurationIntensity

Run 1km easy warm-up5-6 minEasy

400m intervals6 x 400m, 90 sec rest80% effort

SkiErg3 x 250mModerate

Sled Push (empty)3 x 25mModerate

Thursday – Active Recovery

ExerciseDurationIntensity

Light Jog or Walk20 minVery Easy

Mobility Work15 minLight

Friday – Strength + Conditioning

ExerciseWeightSets x Reps

Back Squats60% 1RM4 x 8

Bench Press60% 1RM4 x 8

Deadlifts60% 1RM3 x 8

BurpeesBodyweight3 x 8

Rowing MachineN/A3 x 250m moderate

Saturday – Long Run

ExerciseDurationIntensity

Steady State Run45 minZone 2 (comfortable)

Sunday – Rest

Complete rest or very light stretching/walking

Week 2 Monday – Running Base

ExerciseDurationIntensity

Easy Run35 minZone 2

Strides4 x 100m80% effort

Tuesday – Strength Foundation

ExerciseWeightSets x Reps

Goblet Squats20kg KB3 x 12

Push-upsBodyweight3 x 12

Bent Over Rows17.5kg DBs3 x 12

Walking Lunges10kg DBs3 x 12 each leg

Plank HoldBodyweight3 x 40 sec

Wednesday – Intervals + Stations

ExerciseDurationIntensity

Run warm-up1kmEasy

600m intervals5 x 600m, 2 min rest80% effort

SkiErg4 x 250mModerate

Sled Push4 x 25mModerate

Thursday – Active Recovery

ExerciseDurationIntensity

Bike or Swim25 minEasy

Yoga/Stretching20 minLight

Friday – Strength + Conditioning

ExerciseWeightSets x Reps

Back Squats65% 1RM4 x 8

Bench Press65% 1RM4 x 8

Deadlifts65% 1RM3 x 8

Burpee Broad JumpsBodyweight3 x 10

Rowing MachineN/A3 x 500m moderate

Saturday – Long Run

ExerciseDurationIntensity

Steady State Run50 minZone 2

Sunday – Rest

Complete rest or very light activity

Week 3 Monday – Running Base

ExerciseDurationIntensity

Easy Run40 minZone 2

Hill Sprints6 x 30 sec85% effort

Tuesday – Strength Foundation

ExerciseWeightSets x Reps

Front Squats40kg4 x 10

Dips or Push-upsBodyweight3 x 15

Pull-ups (assisted if needed)Bodyweight3 x 8

Bulgarian Split Squats12kg DBs3 x 10 each

Farmer’s Carry24kg KBs3 x 40m

Wednesday – Intervals + Stations

ExerciseDurationIntensity

Run warm-up1kmEasy

800m intervals4 x 800m, 2.5 min rest85% effort

SkiErg4 x 500mHard

Sled Push (25kg added)4 x 25mModerate-Hard

Burpees3 x 10Fast pace

Thursday – Active Recovery

ExerciseDurationIntensity

Light Run or Bike30 minVery Easy

Foam Rolling15 minLight

Friday – Strength + Conditioning

ExerciseWeightSets x Reps

Back Squats70% 1RM4 x 6

Bench Press70% 1RM4 x 6

Deadlifts70% 1RM4 x 6

Wall Balls9kg ball3 x 15

Rowing MachineN/A2 x 1000m hard

Saturday – Long Run

ExerciseDurationIntensity

Steady State Run55 minZone 2

Sunday – Rest

Complete rest day

Week 4 – Deload Recovery week – reduce volume by 40% Monday – Easy Run

ExerciseDurationIntensity

Easy Run25 minZone 2

Tuesday – Light Strength

ExerciseWeightSets x Reps

Goblet Squats16kg2 x 10

Push-upsBodyweight2 x 10

Rows12kg DBs2 x 10

Wednesday – Active Recovery

ExerciseDurationIntensity

Walk or Light Bike30 minVery Easy

Thursday – Rest

Complete rest

Friday – Light Session

ExerciseDurationIntensity

Easy Run20 minZone 2

SkiErg2 x 250mEasy

Saturday – Easy Run

ExerciseDurationIntensity

Steady Run30 minZone 2

Sunday – Rest

Complete rest

Phase 2: Capacity Building (Weeks 5-8) Week 5 Monday – Tempo Run

ExerciseDurationIntensity

Warm-up10 minEasy

Tempo Run20 minZone 3 (comfortably hard)

Cool down10 minEasy

Tuesday – Strength + Power

ExerciseWeightSets x Reps

Back Squats75% 1RM4 x 5

Push Press40kg4 x 8

Romanian Deadlifts60kg3 x 10

Weighted Pull-ups+5kg3 x 6

Box JumpsBodyweight3 x 8

Wednesday – HYROX Simulation

ExerciseDuration/DistanceIntensity

Run1kmRace pace

SkiErg1000mHard

Run1kmRace pace

Sled Push50m (50kg)Hard

Run1kmRace pace

Burpee Broad Jumps80mFast

Thursday – Recovery

ExerciseDurationIntensity

Easy Swim or Bike30 minZone 1

Mobility Work20 minLight

Friday – Strength Endurance

ExerciseWeightSets x Reps

Front Squats50kg4 x 10

Sandbag Lunges30kg3 x 20m

Farmer’s Carry32kg KBs4 x 50m

Wall Balls9kg4 x 20

Rowing MachineN/A4 x 500m, 1:30 rest

Saturday – Long Run + Stations

ExerciseDurationIntensity

Run60 minZone 2

Then: SkiErg500mModerate

Sled Push3 x 50mModerate

Sunday – Rest

Complete rest

Week 6 Monday – Intervals

ExerciseDurationIntensity

Warm-up1kmEasy

1km intervals4 x 1km, 2 min rest90% effort

Cool down1kmEasy

Tuesday – Max Strength

ExerciseWeightSets x Reps

Back Squats80% 1RM5 x 5

Bench Press80% 1RM

Avoiding the Overtraining Trap

Overtraining happens more than people admit. It is not just about feeling tired in your legs. It is about your mood and your sleep. More is not always better. You can burn out physically and mentally…low levels of specific hormones and neurotransmitters can leave you feeling flat.

You should monitor your resting heart rate. If it jumps up all of a sudden then you should take a rest day. It is okay to skip a session to allow your body to heal. And another thing is to watch your joints. If your knees feel like they are grinding then you should swap a run for a bike ride. That is not the end of the world.

Here are the things to keep an eye on and measure – if you are able – it will make it fairly straightforward to know when you are overtraining –

1. Physiological metrics to measure

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) very useful

• What it reflects: Autonomic nervous system balance (stress vs recovery)
• Overtraining signal:
  • Sustained drop below your personal baseline (not day-to-day noise)
  • Flattened HRV (little variation across days)
• How to use it properly:
  • Measure daily, same time (ideally morning, supine)
  • Look at 7-day rolling trends, not single days
• Caveat: HRV drops with illness, poor sleep, alcohol, dehydration — context matters

Rule of thumb:

↓ HRV for 3–5+ days + poor performance = red flag

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Resting Heart Rate (RHR) simple and reliable

• What it reflects: Cardiovascular stress & recovery state
• Overtraining signal:
  • ↑ 5–10 bpm above baseline for several days
• Best practice:
  • Measure upon waking, before caffeine or movement
• Works especially well when combined with HRV

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Heart rate response during training

• Red flags:
  • Higher heart rate than usual at the same workload
  • OR unusually low heart rate despite high effort (parasympathetic overtraining)
• Metric to track:
  • HR vs pace / power drift over time

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Sleep metrics (from wearables or self-report)

• Overtraining signal:
  • Reduced deep sleep
  • Frequent awakenings
  • Elevated nighttime heart rate
• Sleep disturbances often precede performance decline

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2. Performance-based indicators (VERY important)

Performance plateau or regression

• You’re training harder but:
  • Power/pace decreases
  • RPE increases at the same workload
• This is one of the strongest indicators of overtraining

Delayed recovery

• Persistent soreness >72 hours
• Warm-ups feel unusually difficult
• Multiple “bad sessions” in a row

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3. Subjective measures (often overlooked, but critical)

Mood & motivation

• Irritability
• Apathy toward training
• Anxiety or mild depressive symptoms

Perceived exertion

• Normal sessions feel “too hard”
• High RPE at low intensity

Illness & immunity

• Frequent colds
• Slow wound healing

Elite coaches often trust subjective fatigue before metrics fail.

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4. Hormonal / clinical markers (advanced, optional)

Mostly used for research or elite athletes:

• Cortisol ↑
• Testosterone ↓ (or T:C ratio ↓)
• CK (creatine kinase) chronically elevated

Not practical for most people unless supervised.

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5. The most effective minimal tracking setup

If you want maximum signal with minimal effort, track:

1. HRV (daily, rolling average)
2. Resting Heart Rate
3. Session RPE
4. Performance trend (pace/power at fixed effort)
5. Sleep quality

That combo catches most overtraining cases early.

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6. Interpreting the signals together

High-risk pattern

• ↓ HRV (several days)
• ↑ Resting HR
• Worse performance
• Poor sleep or mood

→ Reduce volume/intensity immediately

Functional overreaching (often intentional)

• Short-term HRV drop
• Temporary fatigue
• Performance rebounds after deload

→ Planned recovery restores performance

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I cannot find a sled to push? You can use a heavy plate on a towel or a resistance band. It is not perfect but it works.

Do I need to train six days a week? No four or five days is often enough for most people. Quality matters more than quantity.

Can juniors do this program? Yes but they should use lighter weights and focus on moving well.

HYROX 16 weeks – caN YOU put this in a format for google sheet – (…Download