What is Hyrox?
Hyrox is a global fitness race combining running with functional workouts like sled pushes, burpee broad jumps, and rowing.
It is a perfect blend of strength, HIIT, and running.
Founded in Hamburg in 2017 by Christian Toetzke and Moritz Furste, many of the principles of Hyrox have evolved from Crossfit.
Here is a HYROX Workout:
8 x 1km runs, each followed by a different functional workout station, such as:
SkiErg
Sled Push
Sled Pull
Burpee Broad Jumps
Rowing
Farmers Carry
Sandbag Lunges
Wall Balls
So it’s a mix of cardio and strength, testing endurance, power, and mental grit.
Why is Hyrox So Popular?
It’s standardized worldwide—every race is the same format, so you can compare your performance globally.
Suitable for all fitness levels (there are individual, doubles, and relay categories).
Combines gym training and running—perfect for functional fitness fans, runners, and CrossFitters alike.
The barrier for Crossfit tends to be a little higher: you have Olympic Weightlifting, Gymnastics, Conditioning, and Strength. Hyrox offers more than running without the necessary development and skills needed to do Crossfit successfully and injury free.
What Are The Injury Risk With Hyrox?
1. Overuse Injuries
Caused by too much volume or not enough recovery.
Common types:
- Shin splints
- Runner’s knee
- Achilles tendinitis
Risk increases if you ramp up running too fast or repeat high-impact moves without rest.
Read more about overuse injuries HERE:
You can also read more about acute versus more chronic injuries HERE
2. Poor Technique on Strength Movements
The sled push/pull, wall balls, and burpee broad jumps can be brutal on your joints if done with bad form.
Can lead to:
Lower back strain
Shoulder impingement
Knee pain
Hip Impingement
3. Muscle Strains and Tears
Common in the hamstrings, quads, and calves—usually from sprinting, rowing, or lunges without a proper warm-up or mobility work.
4. Grip and Elbow Strain
Especially from farmer’s carries and sled pulls.
Can cause tendinitis in the forearms or elbows if grip strength isn’t trained properly. Make sure you prioritize shoulder stability and health as well. Most elbow injuries are coming from the shoulder complex! (Myomuv can help you find the true root cause)
5. Fatigue-Related Injuries
As you tire during the event, your form breaks down = higher injury risk.
This is where core strength and mental focus really matter. You need really good trunk control and midline stability so you your legs and arms can power you through! Be sure to spend time training at max efforts so when competition day comes; you are prepared!
How to avoid injuries when training for Hyrox
Check for any areas of weakness
The first thing we recommend is to get an assessment with a Hyrox Physical Therapist to identify areas of weakness, or especially if you have a long term or reoccurring injury. A sport or musculoskeletal phyiscal therapist can help point you in the right direction to managing these through your Hyrox training so you give yourself the best chance of avoiding an injury slowing you down or stopping you all together.
Our custom Hyrox Movement assessment considered the 8 different movements and running to ensure you have the right mobility, stability, and movement pattern to not only feel your best, but to perform your best!
Train effectively and efficiently
Regarding your training, the best advice source and advocate to support you throughout the journey is a Strength and Conditioning Coach. Together, you can build your evolving training plan around all your other commitments, learn how to train effectively and efficiently, how to dodge any potential injuries that come from a large increase in exercise load and intensity and ensure your techniques are correct, because poor form can exacerbate old injuries and even cause new ones.
The MYOMUV Physical Therapy team has advanced trainings in Strength and Conditioning to ensure you get the best of both worlds!
Seek expert advice
With the right training we are confident that you won’t pick up any niggles or injuries, however, they are a part of sport, and of life. So if an injury comes knocking on your door, the absolute first point of call should be a Hyrox Training Physical Therapist here at MYOMUV; as they will be able to correctly diagnose the injury and get you promptly on the right path to recovery, with appropriate injury management, hopefully meaning race day is still a reality.
Take the guesswork out of it early on and this will ensure the problem you are having: tightness, pain, injury, weakness; gets solved without causing other issues. The longer you train in a less than optimal state; the longer it will take for your problem to get resolved!
Build More Capacity
You need a big engine for Hyrox. You ability to have high workloads under extreme fatigue is going to ensure you can protect your joints and body under stress. This capacity comes with time and progressive overload. Your work capacity is the foundation for everything you will do in Hyrox training and competitions.
BONUS
Make sure you are a good runner because this will set you up for more success on the 8 big movements.
For more information on running: read our blog post here:
https://myomuv.com/four-simple-tips-to-improve-your-running/
Are you Training For An Upcoming Hyrox Race and Want To Maximize Your Performance and Decrease Your Injury Risk?
We have helped helped hundreds of local Hyrox Athletes and competitors quickly solve their pain so their training can be maximized!
Talk to one of our Hyrox Specialist today so we cam point you in the right direction!
