Gym-goers who are strong but don't run
12-Week HYROX Training Plan for Lifters
Builds your running from run/walk up to a long run while keeping a lifting day. Builds your running from run/walk to a long run while keeping a lifting day.
Download on theApp Store12 weeks · 5 days a week · Gym
- Length
- 12 weeks, 59 sessions
- Days a week
- 5
- Session length
- 40–75 min
- Level
- Beginner
- Equipment
- A gym with sleds, SkiErg, rower, kettlebells and wall balls (e.g. a HYROX-affiliated gym)
- Race standard
- HYROX 2026/27 rulebook, Open division loads
What's in it
- Run/walk start builds to a 7 km long run
- One lifting day a week keeps the strength you have
- Tempo and intervals alternate to build running speed
- Real sleds, SkiErg and wall balls at Open race loads
Week 1, in full
Every session of the first week, exactly as it appears in the app.
Mon
Run / Walk Fartlek
- Warm-up10 min easy jog, bike or row, then leg swings, hip openers and 2 × 10 air squats
- Faster Run / Walk6 × (1 min brisk run, 2 min walk) · Zone 3 · 70–80% max HR · steady, short sentences onlyBrisk, not a sprint: you could still say a short sentence.
- Cool-down5–10 min easy walk or jog, then stretch calves, hips and upper back
Tue
Strength · Lower
- Warm-up8 min easy jog, bike or row, then leg swings, hip openers and 2 × 10 air squats
- Goblet Squat3 × 12 reps · Light · RPE 6 · 3–4 reps in reserve
- Romanian Deadlift3 × 12 reps · Light · RPE 6 · 3–4 reps in reserve
- Rest90 sec
- Walking Lunges (each leg)3 × 12 reps · Light · RPE 6 · 3–4 reps in reserve
- Step-Ups (each leg)3 × 12 reps · Light · RPE 6 · 3–4 reps in reserve
- Plank3 × 20 s
Wed
Run / Walk
- Run / WalkRun 1 min, walk 1 min, repeat for 20 min · Zone 2 · 60–70% max HR · conversational paceKeep every run segment conversational. Walking is part of the plan, not a failure.
Thu
Benchmark Test
- Warm-up12 min easy jog, bike or row, then leg swings, hip openers and 2 × 10 air squats
- 1 km Time Trial1 km · Hard but controlled, about 8/10, not a sprint. Record the time · Zone 4 · 80–90% max HR · threshold, comfortably hardWalk for a few seconds if you need to; it's a starting point, not a race.
- Rest5 min
- Wall Balls50 reps, target 2.70 m (W) / 3.00 m (M); break into sets before you fail · 4 kg (W) · 6 kg (M)For time. Record it and your set breaks.
- Rest5 min
- 1 km Run1 km · Target pace 6:15–7:00 /km · Zone 4 · 80–90% max HR · threshold, comfortably hardCompare this km with the first, the gap is your compromised-running cost.
- Cool-down5–10 min easy walk or jog, then stretch calves, hips and upper back
Sat
Long Run / Walk
- Long Run / WalkRun 1 min, walk 1 min for 25 min · Zone 2 · 60–70% max HR · conversational paceSlower than you think. Time on feet is the goal, not pace.
The whole plan, by the numbers
59 sessions over 12 weeks, building to race day. Every session after week 1, with distances, sets, reps, loads and heart-rate zones, is in the Cheetah app.
- 34
- runs
- 11
- strength sessions
- 5
- station sessions
- 4
- compromised runs
- 2
- race simulations
- 2
- benchmark tests
- 2
- lighter recovery weeks
Why 12 weeks
12 weeks is the standard length for a first race: enough time to build your running and learn every station at race weight without rushing, with room for a deload or two.
The race loads this plan builds to
This version trains on the real equipment: sleds, SkiErg, rower and wall balls. Station days start light for technique and build to these loads before the race simulation.
| Station | Women (Open) | Men (Open) and Women Pro | Men Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| SkiErg, 1,000 m | No load | No load | No load |
| Sled Push, 50 m (4 × 12.5 m) | 102 kg (225 lb) | 152 kg (335 lb) | 202 kg (445 lb) |
| Sled Pull, 50 m (4 × 12.5 m) | 78 kg (172 lb) | 103 kg (227 lb) | 153 kg (337 lb) |
| Burpee Broad Jumps, 80 m | No load | No load | No load |
| Rowing, 1,000 m | No load | No load | No load |
| Farmers Carry, 200 m | 2 × 16 kg (2 × 35 lb) | 2 × 24 kg (2 × 53 lb) | 2 × 32 kg (2 × 71 lb) |
| Sandbag Lunges, 100 m | 10 kg (22 lb) | 20 kg (44 lb) | 30 kg (66 lb) |
| Wall Balls, 100 reps | 4 kg (9 lb) | 6 kg (13 lb) | 9 kg (20 lb) |
Races you can still make with 12 weeks
Start on the Monday shown and week 12 lands on race week. Later than that, pick a shorter plan.
| Race | Dates | Start this plan by |
|---|---|---|
| HYROX Manchester 2027 | Jan 20–31, 2027 | Mon, Nov 2, 2026 |
| HYROX Chicago 2027 | Feb 11–15, 2027 | Mon, Nov 23, 2026 |
| HYROX Phoenix 2027 | Feb 25–28, 2027 | Mon, Dec 7, 2026 |
| HYROX Glasgow 2027 | Mar 10–14, 2027 | Mon, Dec 21, 2026 |
| HYROX Las Vegas 2027 | Mar 12–14, 2027 | Mon, Dec 21, 2026 |
| HYROX Miami Beach 2027 | Mar 26–28, 2027 | Mon, Jan 4, 2027 |
| HYROX Houston 2027 | Apr 1–4, 2027 | Mon, Jan 11, 2027 |
| HYROX Ottawa 2027 | Apr 21–25, 2027 | Mon, Feb 1, 2027 |
Follow the 12-week plan in Cheetah
Every session written out, logged at race weights, with Apple Watch and heart-rate zones.
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