How not to train for Hyrox

Beriwal, who is based in Kolkata, began training at the gym a few weeks before signing up for the Bengaluru edition in April 2026. But, she had chikungunya in late November and had to take a short break. There were five months to go for the competition, and she believed the time was enough for recovery. Preparations began with light training in January followed by simulations which are controlled formats that emulate the Hyrox template of alternating between runs and functional workouts. The model involves eight kilometres of running interjected with eight exercises including SkiErg, Sled Push, Sled Pull, Burpee Broad Jumps, Rowing, Farmers Carry, Sandbag Lunges and Wall Balls.

“I did not know how intense the training could get since it was my first time. Given my commitment to fitness coupled with training for short 10-kilometer marathons, I thought it would be okay,” she shares. But, the simulations were a different ball game. Moreover, chikungunya affects the joints and she had not accounted for this aspect. Within a few weeks, her ankles started to swell up and she began to limp. Her doctors advised her to drop out of the competition. “It was very bad. My joints would have probably recovered from chikungunya sooner. I took two additional months because of the intensive training which was not required. I needed to respect what my body could and couldn’t do, and it was okay to take a step back.”

Hyrox has become a viral fitness competition driven by aggressive social media marketing through health influencers. The race has four different categories—open for individual participation, pro with heavier weights, doubles with a partner and relay with a team of four. Due to this format, it is positioned as an ‘inclusive competition’ with social media content glamourising the ability to push through pain. The noise around it has created a sense of FOMO. But, this has its pitfalls, and like Beriwal not everyone is ready to participate. While social media content highlights discipline and grit, there’s very little information on fatigue, recovery and listening to the body. It is essential to focus on these aspects to not fall for the hype, especially with the Delhi edition of Hyrox about two weeks away, and Mumbai scheduled to take place in September.

Paridhi Ojha, a Delhi-based physiotherapist, who specialises in sports injury has seen a significant increase in patients with complaints of pain that emerged during the Hyrox training process. Two hours before speaking to Mint, she discouraged a patient from participating because he had complaints of back pain. Rucha Deshpande, a physiotherapist from Mumbai, has noticed this too: “People come to me with musculoskeletal issues especially in the preparatory phase. Usually, there are two categories of people—athletes who have conditioned themselves for the race, and regular office-goers who spend hours sitting. The training and preparation for both groups are distinctly different.” She explains a competition like this amounts to bread-and-butter for athletes with their bodies ready for high-intensity workouts, and they are aware of rest and recovery. “Whereas for those with regular jobs, Hyrox is something that they do on the side and most don’t take the intensity of the process seriously While workouts are important, they have to be balanced with a planned recovery period.” Typically, registration opens about four months before the event, and people jump into intense training and simulations putting immense strain on their bodies. It is not advisable to go to such extremes for someone who sits for eight or more hours in front of the laptop, and works out thrice a week.

For first timers

Ojha’s advise is to gradually load the body. It is a progressive approach where the starting point is at the baseline level of zero. Those who are complete newbies, need to increase their progress in volume and intensity by five percent every week in the first two months or so. Once the body has adapted to this, they can increase by about 10% on a weekly basis. There has to be a few days of de-load after every two weeks to recover.

While this approach is advised for rookies, there is no saying that an expert marathon runner would require less training, or someone who hasn’t missed a single cross-fit class will sail through. “Since Hyrox combines endurance running with functional strength training, you need to adequately focus on different muscle groups. Without this, you would risk injuries, especially to the back,” notes Dr Rohan Nambiar, consultant orthopedic at Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru.

Even though participants are inclined to prepare after registering believing that it’s a lighter sport, compared to let’s say Ironman, individual fitness levels vary. And, some could require year-long training just to be ready to take the strain. Again, training isn’t limited to sweating it out in the gym as Instagram reels would have one believe. Rest, recovery, hydration and nutrition is part of the package. Nambiar recommends a simple health check-up before participation to rule out uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension. Participants must also check Vitamin D and B12 that fuel muscles.

Managing pain

The uneasy feeling of soreness is bound to happen during training. But, if there’s a sharp, localised, radiating pain for a prolonged period of time, it’s best to consult a doctor. “If the pain is changing your form, you need to pay attention to it,” says Ojha. But, if the pain is well managed and there is a progressive plan, one can still go on to participate.

When chef Joonie Tan’s knees started to hurt while training, she understood it meant slowing down. “Instead of pushing through the pain, I reduced the training load, worked closely with my physiotherapist, prioritised recovery, focused on mobility, strength and proper rest. I also realised that recovery isn’t something you do only when you’re injured—it’s part of the training itself. That mindset helped me continue preparing without making the problem worse.”