Hybrid races like Hyrox have grow to be in style for a motive. They’re enjoyable to coach for, with a number of completely different elements to problem you and hold it attention-grabbing, and so they push your physique to its absolute restrict. Whereas most athletes put tons of thought into coaching, vitamin can usually be the lacking piece. Should you’re new to Hyrox (or competed as soon as and realized mid sled-push that you just underestimated the vitamin piece), this weblog is for you.
We’re breaking down the physiological calls for of hybrid coaching and the way correct vitamin might help you practice more durable, recuperate quicker, and carry out your finest on race day.
What’s Hyrox?
Hyrox is a hybrid endurance race that mixes operating with practical health. The format consists of 8 x 1km runs, every one adopted by a exercise station (ski erg, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jumps, rowing, farmer’s carry, sandbag lunges, and wall balls). For many rivals, the race takes between 75-90 minutes to finish, placing it someplace between a 10k and a Crossfit metcon by way of length and depth. The range within the occasion challenges athletes not solely aerobically, but additionally calls for endurance, explosiveness and psychological grit.
What’s Hybrid Coaching?
Hybrid coaching is a mix of energy and endurance. For instance, suppose lifting and operating or biking and CrossFit exercises. This type of coaching is demanding as a result of it challenges your physique to be highly effective, environment friendly, and sturdy sufficient to work for lengthy durations of time. This presents a singular problem in terms of fueling as your physique wants to have the ability to entry and make the most of completely different vitality techniques and recuperate shortly between efforts.
Extra particular to Hyrox, competing requires excessive depth efforts (stations like sled push and pull), endurance (complete run is roughly5 miles), and energy and energy (as with the 100 wall balls on the finish!). This implies you might be taxing each your anaerobic (quick intense bursts) and cardio (longer, sustained vitality) techniques. If fueling isn’t dialed in, it’s possible you’ll be setting your self up for elevated danger of insufficient vitality and nutrient consumption, harm and burnout.
Zone 2 coaching (low to reasonable depth cardio work) is commonly used throughout hybrid coaching to develop metabolic flexibility. Merely put, metabolic flexibility is your physique’s potential to change between completely different gas sources. Nonetheless, with a purpose to capitalize on this effectivity, your each day fueling habits have to help it.
Foundational Diet for Hyrox
Carbohydrates: Your Fundamental Hyrox Power Supply
Carbohydrates are important for each excessive depth and endurance efforts. Glycogen, the saved type of carbohydrate in your muscle tissue and liver, is your main gas supply in a Hyrox race. With out sufficient carbohydrate consumption, you run the danger of hitting a wall onerous throughout coaching or competitors. Satisfactory carbohydrate consumption aids in:
- Replenishing muscle glycogen so you’ve vitality on your subsequent exercise
- Delaying fatigue in coaching and competitors
- Supporting excessive energy output throughout stations
- Sustaining psychological focus and determination making
Whereas future content material will get you higher acquainted with how a lot carbohydrate you want and when, take a while to get comfy together with carbs all through the day, particularly simply digestible carbs earlier than your exercises and prime quality sources to assist in restoration after.
Protein: Restore and Restoration
Protein helps muscle restore, limits muscle breakdown and helps your physique adapt to the stress of hybrid coaching. That is particularly vital with a excessive coaching demand. Sustaining muscle mass whereas coaching onerous and growing mileage will be tough- protein (with energy coaching program! ) is your ally right here. You additionally wish to consider protein as a structural and metabolic nutrient – not one that you just wish to burn for vitality. This is the reason reaching your protein wants, however not exceeding them in giant quantities, is right.
Fats: Help for Endurance and Restoration
Whereas carbs and protein could are typically the main focus, fats performs a massive function in supporting Hyrox athlete vitamin. Fat are vital for offering sustained vitality for decrease depth efforts and relaxation days. It additionally helps hormone manufacturing, mind well being and joint operate. Fat additionally play a task in nutrient absorption, particularly nutritional vitamins A, D, E, and Ok that are vital for restoration, bone well being, and extra.
Hydration and Electrolytes
With busy schedules and an affinity for espresso, we get that it’s straightforward to miss hydration. However prioritizing fluid consumption means optimizing use of the vitality vitamins coated, regulating physique temperature, and finally enhancing your coaching and competitors experiences. Only a 2% fluid loss impairs bodily and psychological efficiency. What’s a 2% fluid loss? For some, it’s if you discover you’re thirsty. Think about these pointers forward of and through your hybrid coaching and discover what hydration merchandise is likely to be finest for you right here.
Wish to study extra? Enroll to be the primary to know after we launch our subsequent Hyrox vitamin articles, recipes, sports activities vitamin product critiques, and programming.
Written by Ellie Meyers MS, RD, CPT a sports activities dietitian to professional and collegiate athletes who recurrently attends Hyrox coaching periods and accomplished her first Hyrox competitors in NYC in 2023.