HYROX FOR RUNNERS · 12 WEEKS · 45:55 RUN:STRENGTH · 6 SESSIONS/WK

Hyrox Training Plan for Runners: Intermediate, 12 Weeks

Intermediate track 3:30-4:30 marathon / 1:40-2:10 half

You run in the 3:30-4:30 marathon range and have some gym background. Your engine is solid and your strength is workable — the lever is balance, not a single weakness.

A balanced 45% run, 55% strength build. We protect one long run and one quality run a week, layer in a weekly compromised-run brick, and progress station strength steadily. This is the most generally applicable track for a runner taking Hyrox seriously.

Twelve weeks is the sweet spot: three base weeks to build, four to develop the bricks, a two-week peak, a full simulation, then a taper into race week.

This plan trains the same way whatever division you race — only your race-day target loads change. Your band (your running level) sets the training; your division sets the weights below. Station performance is uncorrelated with running fitness in the first Hyrox study (Brandt et al. 2025, a small n=11 sample) — a strong engine does not carry the stations. Train them directly.

Your race-day loads by division

Station Open · Men Open · Women Pro · Men Pro · Women
Sled Push 152 kg 102 kg 202 kg 152 kg
Sled Pull 103 kg 78 kg 153 kg 103 kg
Farmers Carry 2 × 24 kg 2 × 16 kg 2 × 32 kg 2 × 24 kg
Sandbag Lunges 20 kg 10 kg 30 kg 20 kg
Wall Balls 6 kg · 3 m 4 kg · 2.7 m 9 kg · 3 m 6 kg · 2.7 m

Doubles uses the same individual loads as Open — you and your partner split the reps and distance, not the weight. Train the full Open loads so race day feels lighter. Race-day standards from the HYROX Singles Rulebook 25/26. Training loads in the plan build up to these — you do not lift race weight from day one.

Training Schedule
WEEK 1 Base
Day Workout Purpose
Day 1 Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 7 km Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 2 Squat Strength Back Squat 4×5 @75-80% 1RM · Walking Lunge 3×24 total @20 kg · Core 3 x 45 s plank + side Heavy back squat plus loaded lunges. The leg strength that turns the sled and wall balls from a wall into a station.
Day 3 Tempo Intervals Tempo Run 3 x 10 min tempo Threshold pace — comfortably hard. Raises the pace you can sustain once the legs are tired.
Day 4 Rest
Day 5 Station Skills Circuit Wall Balls 4 x 20 @6 kg · Burpee Broad Jumps 4 x 10 · Sandbag Lunges 60 m @20 kg Drill wall balls, burpees and lunges for clean reps. Standards (depth, full reps) are practised here, not on race day.
Day 6 Grip + Core Loaded Carry / Grip 5 x 50 m farmers @24 kg · Core 4 rounds core Loaded carries and core circuit. Cheap insurance against the grip and bracing failures that cost late-race time.
Day 7 Long Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 12 km Steady aerobic distance. Your weekly endurance anchor — run by feel, not pace.
WEEK 2 Base
Day Workout Purpose
Day 1 Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 7 km Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 2 Deadlift Strength Deadlift 4×5 @75-80% 1RM · Romanian Deadlift 3×8 · Loaded Carry / Grip 4 x 40 m farmers @24 kg Posterior chain plus grip carries — directly arms the sled pull and farmers carry, the two stations that expose runners.
Day 3 1 km Intervals Intervals 5 x 1000 m 5k-10k / 90 s jog VO2max work at 5k-10k effort. Lifts the ceiling your compromised race runs sit under.
Day 4 Rest
Day 5 Sled Conditioning Sled Push 5 x 25 m @100 kg / 60 s · Sled Pull 5 x 25 m @75 kg Push and pull intervals. Builds the specific leg and back endurance the two sleds demand.
Day 6 Recovery + Mobility Easy Run (Zone 2) 4 km recovery · Core 20 min mobility flow Very easy run and a mobility flow. Active recovery — you adapt on the easy days, not the hard ones.
Day 7 Long Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 12 km Steady aerobic distance. Your weekly endurance anchor — run by feel, not pace.
WEEK 3 Base
Day Workout Purpose
Day 1 Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 7 km Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 2 Lower-Body Power Front Squat 4×5 @70-75% 1RM · Sled Push 4 x 25 m @100 kg Front squats paired with heavy sled pushes. Strength that transfers straight to the heaviest load of race day.
Day 3 400 m Repeats Intervals 8 x 400 m 3k-5k / 75 s Sharp speed at 3k-5k effort. Trains turnover and the ability to surge out of a station.
Day 4 Rest
Day 5 Wall Ball + Lunge Block Wall Balls 5 x 30 @6 kg · Sandbag Lunges 4 x 25 m @20 kg High-volume wall balls and loaded lunges — the back-end of the race, where runners lose the most time.
Day 6 Grip + Core Loaded Carry / Grip 5 x 50 m farmers @24 kg · Core 4 rounds core Loaded carries and core circuit. Cheap insurance against the grip and bracing failures that cost late-race time.
Day 7 Long Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 12 km Steady aerobic distance. Your weekly endurance anchor — run by feel, not pace.
WEEK 4 Build
Day Workout Purpose
Day 1 Lunge-to-Run Set Compromised Run 5 x 800 m tempo · Walking Lunge 30 reps (after each run) Lunges before each run rep so you practise the signature skill: running on pre-fatigued legs.
Day 2 Full-Body Strength Back Squat 3×6 @RPE 8 · Deadlift 3×5 · Core 4 rounds core circuit Squat, deadlift and core in one session. General strength base for runners with little lifting history.
Day 3 Run-Station Pyramid Compromised Run 1000-1000-800-600 m · Burpee Broad Jumps 12 after each run reps Descending runs with burpees between. Builds the transition fitness the Roxzone quietly eats.
Day 4 Rest
Day 5 Pull + Grip Block Sled Pull 5 x 25 m @75 kg · Farmers Carry 4 x 100 m @48 kg · Loaded Carry / Grip 3 x dead hang 40 s Sled pull, farmers carry and dead hangs. Hardens the grip and upper back that fail first for pure runners.
Day 6 Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 7 km Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 7 Long Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 12 km Steady aerobic distance. Your weekly endurance anchor — run by feel, not pace.
WEEK 5 Build
Day Workout Purpose
Day 1 Tempo Intervals Tempo Run 3 x 10 min tempo Threshold pace — comfortably hard. Raises the pace you can sustain once the legs are tired.
Day 2 Squat Strength Back Squat 4×5 @75-80% 1RM · Walking Lunge 3×24 total @20 kg · Core 3 x 45 s plank + side Heavy back squat plus loaded lunges. The leg strength that turns the sled and wall balls from a wall into a station.
Day 3 Roxzone Transitions Compromised Run 1000 m race pace · SkiErg 500 m · Row 500 m Race-pace run straight into the ergs. Trains the transition that runners overlook — the clock never stops in the Roxzone.
Day 4 Rest
Day 5 Erg Power Intervals SkiErg 5 x 500 m / 75 s · Row 5 x 500 m / 75 s SkiErg and row intervals. Upper-body conditioning your runs never build — train it directly.
Day 6 Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 7 km Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 7 Long Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 12 km Steady aerobic distance. Your weekly endurance anchor — run by feel, not pace.
WEEK 6 Build
Day Workout Purpose
Day 1 1 km Intervals Intervals 5 x 1000 m 5k-10k / 90 s jog VO2max work at 5k-10k effort. Lifts the ceiling your compromised race runs sit under.
Day 2 Deadlift Strength Deadlift 4×5 @75-80% 1RM · Romanian Deadlift 3×8 · Loaded Carry / Grip 4 x 40 m farmers @24 kg Posterior chain plus grip carries — directly arms the sled pull and farmers carry, the two stations that expose runners.
Day 3 Compromised Sled Brick Compromised Run 800 m tempo · Sled Push 25 m @100 kg · Compromised Run 800 m tempo · Wall Balls 35 reps @6 kg Run-sled-run-wall-balls without rest. The truest rehearsal of how Hyrox actually feels — pace the first run.
Day 4 Rest
Day 5 Station Skills Circuit Wall Balls 4 x 20 @6 kg · Burpee Broad Jumps 4 x 10 · Sandbag Lunges 60 m @20 kg Drill wall balls, burpees and lunges for clean reps. Standards (depth, full reps) are practised here, not on race day.
Day 6 Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 7 km Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 7 Long Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 12 km Steady aerobic distance. Your weekly endurance anchor — run by feel, not pace.
WEEK 7 Build
Day Workout Purpose
Day 1 400 m Repeats Intervals 8 x 400 m 3k-5k / 75 s Sharp speed at 3k-5k effort. Trains turnover and the ability to surge out of a station.
Day 2 Lower-Body Power Front Squat 4×5 @70-75% 1RM · Sled Push 4 x 25 m @100 kg Front squats paired with heavy sled pushes. Strength that transfers straight to the heaviest load of race day.
Day 3 Run + Wall Ball Brick Compromised Run 1000 m · Wall Balls 50 reps @6 kg Alternating runs and wall balls. Teaches you to break the wall-ball set and keep moving on tired legs.
Day 4 Rest
Day 5 Sled Conditioning Sled Push 5 x 25 m @100 kg / 60 s · Sled Pull 5 x 25 m @75 kg Push and pull intervals. Builds the specific leg and back endurance the two sleds demand.
Day 6 Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 7 km Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 7 Long Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 12 km Steady aerobic distance. Your weekly endurance anchor — run by feel, not pace.
WEEK 8 Peak
Day Workout Purpose
Day 1 Lunge-to-Run Set Compromised Run 6 x 1000 m tempo · Walking Lunge 40 reps (after each run) Lunges before each run rep so you practise the signature skill: running on pre-fatigued legs.
Day 2 Full-Body Strength Back Squat 4×5 @78% 1RM · Deadlift 3×4 · Core 5 rounds core circuit Squat, deadlift and core in one session. General strength base for runners with little lifting history.
Day 3 Run + Lunge Brick Compromised Run 1000 m · Sandbag Lunges 100 m @30 kg Runs into loaded lunges. Rehearses the late-race quad burn that wrecks unprepared runners.
Day 4 Rest
Day 5 Station Block Simulation SkiErg 1000 m · Sled Push 50 m @152 kg · Sled Pull 50 m @103 kg · Farmers Carry 200 m @48 kg · Sandbag Lunges 100 m @20 kg · Wall Balls 100 reps @6 kg All six loaded stations back to back, no runs. Stress-tests grip, legs and standards under accumulated fatigue.
Day 6 Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 8 km Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 7 Long Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 16 km Steady aerobic distance. Your weekly endurance anchor — run by feel, not pace.
WEEK 9 Peak
Day Workout Purpose
Day 1 Tempo Intervals Tempo Run 4 x 10 min tempo Threshold pace — comfortably hard. Raises the pace you can sustain once the legs are tired.
Day 2 Squat Strength Back Squat 5×5 @80-85% 1RM · Walking Lunge 4×24 total @24 kg · Core 4 x 60 s loaded carry hold Heavy back squat plus loaded lunges. The leg strength that turns the sled and wall balls from a wall into a station.
Day 3 Run-Station Pyramid Compromised Run 1000 m x 4 · Burpee Broad Jumps 15 after each run reps Descending runs with burpees between. Builds the transition fitness the Roxzone quietly eats.
Day 4 Rest
Day 5 Half Simulation Compromised Run 4 x 1000 m race pace · SkiErg 1000 m · Sled Push 50 m @125 kg · Burpee Broad Jumps 80 m · Wall Balls 100 reps @6 kg Four runs and four stations at race effort. A manageable test of pacing and transitions before a full sim.
Day 6 Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 8 km Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 7 Long Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 16 km Steady aerobic distance. Your weekly endurance anchor — run by feel, not pace.
WEEK 10 Simulation
Day Workout Purpose
Day 1 Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 7 km Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 2 Deadlift Strength Deadlift 4×5 @75-80% 1RM · Romanian Deadlift 3×8 · Loaded Carry / Grip 4 x 40 m farmers @24 kg Posterior chain plus grip carries — directly arms the sled pull and farmers carry, the two stations that expose runners.
Day 3 Roxzone Transitions Compromised Run 1000 m race pace · SkiErg 500 m · Row 500 m Race-pace run straight into the ergs. Trains the transition that runners overlook — the clock never stops in the Roxzone.
Day 4 Rest
Day 5 1 km Intervals Intervals 5 x 1000 m 5k-10k / 90 s jog VO2max work at 5k-10k effort. Lifts the ceiling your compromised race runs sit under.
Day 6 Recovery + Mobility Easy Run (Zone 2) 4 km recovery · Core 20 min mobility flow Very easy run and a mobility flow. Active recovery — you adapt on the easy days, not the hard ones.
Day 7 Full Race Simulation Compromised Run 8 x 1000 m race pace The complete 8-run, 8-station race. The community's number-one readiness check — nothing predicts your time better.
WEEK 11 Taper
Day Workout Purpose
Day 1 Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 7 km Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 2 Station Skills Circuit Wall Balls 4 x 20 @6 kg · Burpee Broad Jumps 4 x 10 · Sandbag Lunges 60 m @20 kg Drill wall balls, burpees and lunges for clean reps. Standards (depth, full reps) are practised here, not on race day.
Day 3 400 m Repeats Intervals 8 x 400 m 3k-5k / 75 s Sharp speed at 3k-5k effort. Trains turnover and the ability to surge out of a station.
Day 4 Rest
Day 5 Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 7 km Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 6 Rest
Day 7 Compromised Sled Brick Compromised Run 800 m tempo · Sled Push 25 m @100 kg · Compromised Run 800 m tempo · Wall Balls 35 reps @6 kg Run-sled-run-wall-balls without rest. The truest rehearsal of how Hyrox actually feels — pace the first run.
WEEK 12 Race Week
Day Workout Purpose
Day 1 Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 7 km Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 2 Recovery + Mobility Easy Run (Zone 2) 4 km recovery · Core 20 min mobility flow Very easy run and a mobility flow. Active recovery — you adapt on the easy days, not the hard ones.
Day 3 Lunge-to-Run Set Compromised Run 5 x 800 m tempo · Walking Lunge 30 reps (after each run) Lunges before each run rep so you practise the signature skill: running on pre-fatigued legs.
Day 4 Rest
Day 5 Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 7 km Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 6 Rest
Day 7 RACE
Coaching Notes
C
Compromised running is the whole skill. Running on legs pre-fatigued by a station feels nothing like a fresh run — the brick sessions are where you learn it. Pure runners who skip this overestimate their time by 10-15 minutes.
S
Run a full simulation before race day. The community's number-one readiness check — nothing predicts your finish better than the real 8-run, 8-station sequence.
R
Drill the standards in training. Wall balls below the line and full-depth lunges done fresh become no-reps under fatigue. Practise the standard, not just the movement.
1
Protect the long run and the weekly brick. If a week gets compressed, keep those two — they carry most of the Hyrox-specific adaptation.
2
Treat strength as a skill, not a finisher. Lift when you are fresh, not at the end of a run — quality reps build the strength that holds up under fatigue.
Hyrox for Runners · Intermediate · 12-Week Plan · rundida.com
rundida.com
HYROX FOR RUNNERS · 12 WEEKS · 45:55 RUN:STRENGTH · 6 SESSIONS/WK
Hyrox Training Plan for Runners: Intermediate, 12 Weeks
Intermediate track 3:30-4:30 marathon / 1:40-2:10 half
Training Schedule
Phase Base
W1
D1
Easy run
7 km
~45 min
D2
Squat
4×5 @75-80% 1RM
~50 min
D3
Tempo
3 x 10 min tempo
~45 min
D4
Rest
D5
Stations
4 x 20 @6 kg
~45 min
D6
Grip/core
5 x 50 m farmers @24 kg
~30 min
D7
Long run
12 km
~75 min
W2
D1
Easy run
7 km
~45 min
D2
Deadlift
4×5 @75-80% 1RM
~50 min
D3
Intervals
5 x 1000 m 5k-10k / 90 s jog
~45 min
D4
Rest
D5
Sleds
5 x 25 m @100 kg / 60 s
~42 min
D6
Recovery
4 km recovery
~35 min
D7
Long run
12 km
~75 min
W3
D1
Easy run
7 km
~45 min
D2
Power
4×5 @70-75% 1RM
~45 min
D3
400s
8 x 400 m 3k-5k / 75 s
~38 min
D4
Rest
D5
WB + lunge
5 x 30 @6 kg
~40 min
D6
Grip/core
5 x 50 m farmers @24 kg
~30 min
D7
Long run
12 km
~75 min
Phase Build
W4
D1
Comp. run
5 x 800 m tempo
~45 min
D2
Strength
3×6 @RPE 8
~55 min
D3
Pyramid
1000-1000-800-600 m
~40 min
D4
Rest
D5
Pull/grip
5 x 25 m @75 kg
~40 min
D6
Easy run
7 km
~45 min
D7
Long run
12 km
~75 min
W5
D1
Tempo
3 x 10 min tempo
~45 min
D2
Squat
4×5 @75-80% 1RM
~50 min
D3
Roxzone
3× · 1000 m race pace
~34 min
D4
Rest
D5
Erg power
5 x 500 m / 75 s
~38 min
D6
Easy run
7 km
~45 min
D7
Long run
12 km
~75 min
W6
D1
Intervals
5 x 1000 m 5k-10k / 90 s jog
~45 min
D2
Deadlift
4×5 @75-80% 1RM
~50 min
D3
Sled brick
2× · 800 m tempo
~28 min
D4
Rest
D5
Stations
4 x 20 @6 kg
~45 min
D6
Easy run
7 km
~45 min
D7
Long run
12 km
~75 min
W7
D1
400s
8 x 400 m 3k-5k / 75 s
~38 min
D2
Power
4×5 @70-75% 1RM
~45 min
D3
WB brick
4× · 1000 m
~35 min
D4
Rest
D5
Sleds
5 x 25 m @100 kg / 60 s
~42 min
D6
Easy run
7 km
~45 min
D7
Long run
12 km
~75 min
Phase Peak
W8
D1
Comp. run
6 x 1000 m tempo
~52 min
D2
Strength
4×5 @78% 1RM
~65 min
D3
Lunge brick
4× · 1000 m
~42 min
D4
Rest
D5
Station sim
1000 m
~48 min
D6
Easy run
8 km
~48 min
D7
Long run
16 km
~90 min
W9
D1
Tempo
4 x 10 min tempo
~50 min
D2
Squat
5×5 @80-85% 1RM
~60 min
D3
Pyramid
1000 m x 4
~48 min
D4
Rest
D5
Half sim
4 x 1000 m race pace
~55 min
D6
Easy run
8 km
~48 min
D7
Long run
16 km
~90 min
Phase Simulation
W10
D1
Easy run
7 km
~45 min
D2
Deadlift
4×5 @75-80% 1RM
~50 min
D3
Roxzone
3× · 1000 m race pace
~34 min
D4
Rest
D5
Intervals
5 x 1000 m 5k-10k / 90 s jog
~45 min
D6
Recovery
4 km recovery
~35 min
D7
Full SIM
8 x 1000 m race pace
~80 min
Phase Taper
W11
D1
Easy run
7 km
~45 min
D2
Stations
4 x 20 @6 kg
~45 min
D3
400s
8 x 400 m 3k-5k / 75 s
~38 min
D4
Rest
D5
Easy run
7 km
~45 min
D6
Rest
D7
Sled brick
2× · 800 m tempo
~28 min
Phase Race Week
W12
D1
Easy run
7 km
~45 min
D2
Recovery
4 km recovery
~35 min
D3
Comp. run
5 x 800 m tempo
~45 min
D4
Rest
D5
Easy run
7 km
~45 min
D6
Rest
D7
RACE
C Practise running on tired legs
S Run a full sim first
R Drill standards so reps count
1 Keep the long run + brick
2 Lift fresh, not fatigued
Rest Easy run Long run Tempo Intervals Strength Stations Compromised Sim / Race
Hyrox for Runners · Intermediate · 12-Week Plan · rundida.com
rundida.com

FAQ

Can a runner do Hyrox without much gym experience?
Yes — that is exactly who this plan is for. Your running engine decides roughly half the race; the stations are a strength and skill gap you close with the strength and brick sessions here. The first Hyrox study (Brandt et al. 2025, n=11) found station performance is uncorrelated with running fitness, so the work is specific but learnable.
How many days a week is this Hyrox plan?
Around five to six sessions a week, with at least one full rest day and easy days built in for recovery. The exact mix depends on your track — the beginner plan has more rest, the strong-runner plan more strength.
Do I need a full gym for this plan?
You need access to the Hyrox stations or close equivalents — a sled, wall balls, sandbags, kettlebells, a SkiErg and a rower — plus a barbell for the strength days. Many sessions can be adapted with substitutions, but the closer to the real equipment, the better the transfer.
What is the difference between Open, Pro and Doubles?
The training is the same; only race-day loads differ. Open is the standard division, Pro uses heavier sleds, sandbags, lunges and a 9 kg wall ball (men), and Doubles uses the Open loads but you split the reps and distance with a partner. The load table on each plan shows your exact weights.
How long should a runner train for their first Hyrox?
If you already have a running base and some strength, eight to twelve weeks is enough to be ready. Building strength from scratch, give yourself sixteen weeks. The plans match those timelines — pick the runway you have.
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