Gym-goers who are strong but don't run
8-Week HYROX Training Plan for Lifters at Home
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 Store8 weeks · 5 days a week · Home
- Length
- 8 weeks, 39 sessions
- Days a week
- 5
- Session length
- 40–75 min
- Level
- Beginner
- Equipment
- Dumbbells or kettlebells, a resistance band, a backpack you can load to 10–25 kg
- Race standard
- HYROX 2026/27 rulebook, Open division loads
What's in it
- Run/walk start builds to a 5 km long run
- One lifting day a week keeps the strength you have
- Tempo and intervals alternate to build running speed
- Every station swapped for dumbbell, band and backpack work
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
- Dumbbell Goblet Squat3 × 12 reps · Light · RPE 6 · 3–4 reps in reserve
- Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift3 × 12 reps · Light · RPE 6 · 3–4 reps in reserve
- Rest90 sec
- Backpack Walking Lunges (each leg)3 × 12 reps · Light · RPE 6 · 3–4 reps in reserve
- Bulgarian Split Squat (each leg)3 × 10 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
- Dumbbell Thrusters (wall ball sub)50 reps · Light dumbbells, 4–8 kgFor 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
39 sessions over 8 weeks, building to race day. Every session after week 1, with distances, sets, reps, loads and heart-rate zones, is in the Cheetah app.
- 21
- runs
- 7
- strength sessions
- 3
- station sessions
- 2
- compromised runs
- 3
- race simulations
- 2
- benchmark tests
- 1
- lighter recovery week
Why 8 weeks
Pick 8 weeks if you already train most weeks, or your race is close. The build is short, so station work and compromised runs start early and there is little slack for missed sessions.
What stands in for each station
This version is built for dumbbells or kettlebells, a resistance band, a backpack you can load to 10–25 kg. Here is what it uses in place of each HYROX station.
| Station | Swap: home (dumbbells, a band, a backpack) |
|---|---|
| 1. SkiErg | Band pull-downs. Band anchored high, hinge at the hips, about 1 rep for every 12 m. |
| 2. Sled Push | Loaded push. Push a loaded box or bag across a hard floor, or walk a hill with a 10 to 25 kg backpack. |
| 3. Sled Pull | Band rows. Heaviest band, fast and continuous, about 6 reps for every 5 m. |
| 4. Burpee Broad Jumps | Burpee broad jumps. No swap needed. Short on space? Burpees plus broad jumps in place. |
| 5. Rowing | Kettlebell swings. 12 to 24 kg, about 1 swing for every 16 m of rowing. |
| 6. Farmers Carry | Farmers carry with dumbbells or water jugs. Heaviest pair you own. Short on space? Carry for 60 s per 50 m. |
| 7. Sandbag Lunges | Backpack walking lunges. Backpack loaded to 10 to 20 kg. No space? Alternate in place, 1 rep per metre. |
| 8. Wall Balls | Dumbbell thrusters. Light dumbbells, 4 to 8 kg, same rep count. |
Races you can still make with 8 weeks
Start on the Monday shown and week 8 lands on race week. Later than that, pick a shorter plan.
| Race | Dates | Start this plan by |
|---|---|---|
| HYROX Vancouver 2026 | Dec 17–20, 2026 | Mon, Oct 26, 2026 |
| HYROX Manchester 2027 | Jan 20–31, 2027 | Mon, Nov 30, 2026 |
| HYROX Chicago 2027 | Feb 11–15, 2027 | Mon, Dec 21, 2026 |
| HYROX Phoenix 2027 | Feb 25–28, 2027 | Mon, Jan 4, 2027 |
| HYROX Glasgow 2027 | Mar 10–14, 2027 | Mon, Jan 18, 2027 |
| HYROX Las Vegas 2027 | Mar 12–14, 2027 | Mon, Jan 18, 2027 |
| HYROX Miami Beach 2027 | Mar 26–28, 2027 | Mon, Feb 1, 2027 |
| HYROX Houston 2027 | Apr 1–4, 2027 | Mon, Feb 8, 2027 |
Follow the 8-week plan in Cheetah
Every session written out, logged at race weights, with Apple Watch and heart-rate zones.
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