How many days a week do elite HYROX athletes train?

Most Elite 15 athletes train twice a day on most days of the week. Charlie Botterill reaches a total weekly volume of 25 to 27 hours. Emilie Dahmen’s schedule is the most conservative, with one full rest day and one day off per week. Age-group athletes should not attempt to replicate these volumes directly.

What training zones should I use for HYROX?

Your zone targets are discipline-specific. The heart rate corresponding to zone 2 on the ski erg will differ from zone 2 on the run, because active muscle mass, posture, and venous return all shift the numbers between modalities. Each piece of equipment requires its own threshold assessment before zone-based training is meaningful.

Does sauna use actually improve HYROX performance?

The underlying science is well established. Heat adaptation increases plasma volume within three to five days of consistent sessions, raises stroke volume, and lowers heart rate at a given submaximal workload. Longer-term exposure improves thermoregulatory efficiency. These adaptations can improve endurance performance both in hot conditions and, to a lesser extent, in temperate ones, though effects vary between individuals and protocols.

Should I train the disciplines I am worst at?

For most age-group athletes, yes. Elite athletes at this level are refining small margins across a discipline set they have trained for years. Most recreational competitors have a weak station or two where deliberate practice returns far more than additional running volume. Identify your slowest station from your last race result and build at least one dedicated session per week around it.

How important is running in HYROX training?

Running accounts for 8km of every HYROX race and is the largest single predictor of finishing time for most athletes. The Elite 15 schedules treat running quality sessions as the non-negotiable anchor of the training week. Station work is scheduled around running, not the other way around.