Training · 27 October 2026 · Nutrifit
HYROX for Beginners: How to Train for Your First Race right here in Liverpool
HYROX Manchester runs from 20 to 31 January 2027. It's the closest HYROX race to Liverpool, and if you start training now you have about 12 weeks.
That's enough time to get round your first race properly, not just survive it. This is what the race involves, which division to pick and how we'd use those 12 weeks.
What is HYROX?
HYROX is a fitness race. You run 1km, complete a workout station, and repeat that eight times. That's 8km of running and eight stations, in the same order at every race in the world.
Because the format never changes, your time means something. You can compare it against your last race, your mates, or anyone else in your division.
The HYROX race format and weights
These are the Open division standards for the 2026/27 season. Every station comes after a 1km run.
Station | Work | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | SkiErg | 1000m | 1000m |
2 | Sled push, 50m | 152kg incl. sled | 102kg incl. sled |
3 | Sled pull, 50m | 103kg incl. sled | 78kg incl. sled |
4 | Burpee broad jumps | 80m | 80m |
5 | Row | 1000m | 1000m |
6 | Farmers carry, 200m | 2 x 24kg | 2 x 16kg |
7 | Sandbag lunges, 100m | 20kg | 10kg |
8 | Wall balls, 100 reps | 6kg to 3m | 4kg to 2.7m |
Pro uses heavier weights at every loaded station. Don't enter Pro for your first race.
Which HYROX division should a beginner enter?
Division | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
Singles Open | You do everything yourself | Anyone with a few months of consistent training |
Doubles | You both run all 8km together and split the station work however you like | A first race with a friend, or if the wall balls worry you |
Relay | A team of four, each person runs 2km and does two stations | Total beginners, or a group from work |
Our honest advice: if you're unsure, enter Doubles. You still run the full 8km, but you get rest on every station and you learn the race without it going badly wrong.
How fit do you need to be?
Fitter than you'd need for a 10k, but not as fit as you think. If you can jog 5km without stopping and you've done some strength training, you can finish a HYROX.
What catches beginners out isn't any single station. It's the running in between, on legs that have just pushed a sled or done 100m of lunges.
A 12-week HYROX training plan
Weeks | Focus | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
1 to 4 | Build the base | Two easy runs a week, two strength sessions, one conditioning class. Learn every station. |
5 to 8 | Add race pace | 1km repeats at race pace, sleds and lunges heavier, a station straight after every run. |
9 to 11 | Race practice | One half simulation a week: four runs and four stations back to back. Test your wall ball sets. |
12 | Taper | Cut volume by half, keep a bit of intensity, sleep. Nothing new in race week. |
Three rules hold for the whole 12 weeks. Run at least twice a week. Lift heavy at least twice a week. Don't do a full race simulation before race day, because it costs more recovery than it gives back.
What a HYROX training week looks like
This is how we'd set it up using the Nutrifit timetable.
Day | Session | Why |
|---|---|---|
Monday | Strength (upper) | Pulling strength for the sled pull, SkiErg and row |
Tuesday | HYROX class, 7am | Race stations and running off the kit |
Wednesday | Strength (lower) | Squats and sleds, so the lunges and sled push feel lighter |
Thursday | Conditioning | Engine work under fatigue |
Friday | Rest | Recovery is where the fitness actually lands |
Saturday | Run Club, 9:30am | 5km around the Albert Dock, easy pace |
Sunday | Full Send, or rest | A longer session closer to race length |
That's five or six sessions. If you can only do three, make them lower body strength, a HYROX class and a run.
Beginner HYROX mistakes
Going out too fast. The first 1km feels easy. Run it at the pace you could hold for all eight, or the sleds will find you out.
Never pushing a sled before race day. Sleds feel different on every surface. Get used to heavy pushes and pulls on turf well before January.
No plan for the wall balls. They're last, and 100 reps on empty legs needs a strategy you've already tested, such as sets of 10 to 20 with short breaks.
Skipping the running. The stations are the fun part, but there's 8km of running wrapped around them.
Training for the stations, not the race. Doing a station fresh tells you very little. Do it after a run.
HYROX beginner FAQs
Where is the nearest HYROX to Liverpool? Manchester, from 20 to 31 January 2027. It's under an hour away on the train.
How long does a HYROX take? Most first-timers finish somewhere between 75 and 100 minutes. Don't worry about the clock for your first one.
Do I need to be a runner to do HYROX? No, but you need to run regularly. Twice a week for 12 weeks makes a big difference.
Is Doubles easier than Singles? Yes. You both run the full 8km, but you split the station work, so you get a breather on every one.
Can I train for HYROX in a normal gym? You can do some of it, but most gyms don't have sleds, turf, SkiErgs and wall ball targets in one place. That's the gap a HYROX Training Club fills.
Train for HYROX in Liverpool at Nutrifit
Nutrifit is an official HYROX Training Club at 5 Brook Street in Liverpool city centre. We have a sled track, turf lanes, SkiErgs, rowers, wall ball targets and everything else on race day under one roof.
We run dedicated HYROX classes alongside Strength and Conditioning every week, plus a free Saturday Run Club open to anyone. If you're new, £25 gets you 7 days of unlimited classes. Book at nutrifitgym.co.uk.
