Hyrox for Women: Training Tips, What to Expect and How to Prepare

Hyrox for Women | Weights & Distances | Plan | Strength & Running | Exercises | Hyrox Doubles | Nutrition | Training | FAQs

Since being founded in 2017, Hyrox has become a worldwide phenomenon with fitness fanatics, beginners, and everyone in between getting involved in this global fitness race.

Hyrox races are divided into four individual divisions (Women, Women Pro, Men, Men Pro) and three doubles divisions (Doubles Women, Doubles Men, Doubles Mixed) as well as relay divisions (Relay Women, Relay Men, Relay Mixed).

With men and women in different divisions, you may be wondering how Hyrox for women is different. We’ve asked PureGym PT and Hyrox Coach Mel Drake to share everything you need to know about women’s Hyrox, including expert tips about training, nutrition, and race day prep.

This article focuses on Hyrox for women. Check out our complete guide to Hyrox here for more general information about the race.

Quick Summary

• Hyrox events combine 8 x 1km running with 8 different functional fitness stations
• Hyrox women weights are different from the men's divisions
• Women can do individual (Open/ Pro) or Doubles/Pairs Hyrox
• A Hyrox women training plan includes running, strength, and conditioning
• Women of all fitness levels can do Hyrox, including beginners

Is Hyrox suitable for women?

One of the main concerns about Hyrox that women have is that you need to be extremely strong or have years of CrossFit experience to enter a race, but this isn’t true. Plenty of Hyrox women beginners come from running, gym training, or no sporting background at all. They just train for it and have a fun time!

Hyrox exercises are simple and easy to learn and require a mixture of functional strength and cardio endurance to perform rather than pure strength. Rather than having to choose between lifting weights or improving your cardio fitness, training for Hyrox allows you to do both. Not only is this often empowering for women, but it’s also a great way to work on your overall health and fitness in a fun way.

Still not convinced Hyrox is for everybody? There are four Hyrox categories (Pro, Open, Doubles and Team Relay) so you can choose the right level of challenge for you.

Hyrox Women weights and race format

All men’s and women’s Hyrox follow the same format: a 1km run followed by a functional fitness station, repeated eight times. The women’s workout stations are identical to the men's event, but loads are adjusted for stations where moving weight is involved.

Hyrox women’s weights and functional stations are as follows:

• 1000m SkiErg
• 2 x 25m sled push – 102kg including sled
• 2 x 25m sled pull – 78kg including sled
• 80m burpee broad jump
• 1000m row
• 200m kettle bell farmers carry – 2 x 16kg
• 100m sandbag lunges – 10kg
• 100 wall balls – 4kg

You don’t need brute strength to do well at Hyrox. Running fitness, pacing, efficient movement, and good technique all play a big role.

Building a Hyrox women training plan

A balanced Hyrox women training plan should prepare you for the running and functional fitness elements of the race, and help you manage pacing and endurance.

A good weekly training plan for Hyrox includes:

• 2-3 running sessions
• 2-3 strength sessions
• 1 race-specific conditioning session
• At least one recovery day

Building overall strength with compound exercises will help with power and endurance during the race but it’s also key to regularly practice the movements you’ll do on race day. You can do this by incorporating the exercises into your strength and conditioning workouts each week.

Your training should also include regular race simulations. You can do this in the gym by practising sled pushes and pulls, wall balls, row erg intervals, burpee broad jumps, and farmer's carries with running between each station.

Hyrox training for strength, running and endurance

A good approach to female Hyrox training will focus on three areas:

Running fitness

Running makes up 8km of every race, so improving your aerobic fitness should be a priority even if you’re already a runner.

Functional strength

Hyrox exercises like sled pushes, lunges, carries, and wall balls require full-body strength and muscular endurance.

Race endurance

Hyrox is about doing a variety of strength and fitness exercises as you get progressively more fatigued. Combining running with strength exercises in training helps prepare you for this.

Best exercises for women training for Hyrox

Your Hyrox training should involve a mixture of strength, conditioning, and practising the Hyrox exercises

Strength

For strength, choose compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, rows, and bench press. Go for heavy weights, low reps for some sessions, and lower weights, higher reps for others. This will build the power and endurance needed for each of the functional exercise stations.

Conditioning

Building both your running endurance and speed should be a focus for your conditioning workouts. Aim to include longer runs for endurance and sprint work for speed, and include some workouts where you run after strength training to simulate race day fatigue.

In addition to running, you’ll need to train on the SkiErg and rower. Keep these sessions shorter and more intense.

Hyrox exercises

One of the best ways to prepare is by recreating race simulations in the gym. Practise sled pushes and pulls on the turf, wall balls, Row and SkiErg intervals, burpee broad jumps, farmer’s carries with kettlebells and running between each station. The more familiar these transitions become, the more confident you’ll feel on race day.

In addition to simulations, you can include these exercises as part of your strength and conditioning workouts.

Hyrox Doubles – should women enter pairs?

In Hyrox Doubles, you and your partner split reps at the workout stations however you want, with the 1km runs ran together side by side.

Hyrox Doubles can be a great way to try Hyrox for the first time, especially if you’re nervous! Having a friend to work with on the day can take away your nerves and make it more fun than going solo. And because the functional exercises are split between both partners, the race can feel less daunting as there’s less to do.

Hyrox Doubles can be same sex or mixed, but be aware that Mixed Doubles (one woman and one man) use the standard Men’s Open weights.  

Nutrition advice for Hyrox women

Because Hyrox combines running fitness, strength, and muscular endurance, it uses a lot of energy. Under-fuelling can negatively affect your Hyrox performance and recovery, but also your hormone health, energy levels, and mood. Eating enough to fuel yourself for training and race day will help you to feel and perform your best.

For race day, aim to eat a balanced breakfast (porridge with banana and honey plus Greek yoghurt, or eggs on toast) 2-3 hours beforehand. After racing, prioritise carbohydrates and protein to support recovery: a protein shake with a banana, or Greek yoghurt with berries and granola, are good recovery snacks to tide you over to a balanced evening meal of lean protein, complex carbs like rice or sweet potato and plenty of vegetables.

Useful supplements include carbohydrates and electrolytes around longer training sessions or race day. Iron plays a key role in endurance performance, so if you’re prone to low iron or have heavy periods, it’s worth discussing with your GP before supplementing.

What is training for Hyrox really like?

Training for Hyrox is fun and rewarding – but it isn’t easy! The race itself is likely to take you 90 or more minutes (the average Hyrox time for women is around 1 hour 45 minutes) of nonstop, hard effort work, and your training needs to prepare you for this.

Training for Hyrox as a woman can be more challenging due to hormonal fluctuations. Energy levels can vary drastically across the menstrual cycle, making training feel much harder at times.

Tracking your training, nutrition, and menstrual cycle and identifying patterns in energy and performance can be helpful when planning your sessions as you can factor in harder workouts when you’re feeling your best. Having back up workouts for low energy days can help with staying consistent in your training.

Hyrox for women FAQs

Are the Hyrox weights different for women?

Yes. Hyrox women weights are lighter than the men's but the race structure is the same.

Can beginners enter Hyrox as a woman?

Yes – lots of entrants are Hyrox women beginners. It’s important to train before your race to prepare your body for the exercises, but you don’t need to have fitness experience prior to signing up.

How long do women typically take to complete Hyrox?

Finish times vary depending on experience. Many first-time competitors finish between 90 minutes and 2 hours.

Do women need to train differently for Hyrox than men?

The overall approach is similar as Hyrox follows the same structure for men and women. Women may have a lower base level of strength and higher cardio endurance, in which case focusing more on strength in training can be helpful. It can also be beneficial for women to track their training and cycle and adjust their training if needed, although not all women will find this helpful.  

Fuelling for Hyrox is key for both men and women but women may be more likely to undereat, so tracking nutrition can also be helpful.

What's the best way for women to improve their Hyrox time?

Improve your running fitness, practise race-specific stations regularly, work on efficient transitions, and work on your form to minimise no-reps, is the best way to improve your Hyrox time.

Want to train for Hyrox?

Hyrox for women is an exciting challenge and a great way to build strength, fitness, and competitive confidence. If you want to do a Hyrox but need some help training, speak to a PureGym Personal Trainer – find your nearest PureGym to get started.