40+ athletes and anyone returning to training
16-Week HYROX Training Plan for Over 40s
Three hard days 48 hours apart, lower run volume and an optional recovery day. A gentler 16-week race build for 40+ athletes and anyone returning: more recovery, lower run volume.
- Length
- 16 weeks, 63 sessions
- Days a week
- 3
- Session length
- 40–70 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
- Three hard days 48 hours apart plus an optional easy day
- Lower run volume, and station loads capped at 90% of race weight
- A lighter deload week every 4th week so you recover
- 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.
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
Tempo Run
- Warm-up10 min easy jog, bike or row, then leg swings, hip openers and 2 × 10 air squats
- Tempo Run10 min continuous · Zone 3 · 70–80% max HR · steady, short sentences onlySteady, controlled discomfort. Start slower than you think.
- Cool-down5–10 min easy walk or jog, then stretch calves, hips and upper back
Easy Aerobic (optional)
- Easy Run, Bike or Row21 min, low impact is fine · Zone 2 · 60–70% max HR · conversational paceSkip it if you're still sore from Monday.
- Mobility10 min: hips, ankles, thoracic spine, calves
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
The whole plan, by the numbers
63 sessions over 16 weeks, building to race day. Every session after week 1, with distances, sets, reps, loads and heart-rate zones, is in the Cheetah app.
- 38
- runs
- 15
- strength sessions
- 3
- station sessions
- 2
- compromised runs
- 2
- race simulations
- 2
- benchmark tests
- 3
- lighter recovery weeks
Why 16 weeks
Pick 16 weeks if you are newer to training or want a gentler build. The extra month means more easy running, more technique work before loads go up, and more recovery weeks.
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 16 weeks
Start on the Monday shown and week 16 lands on race week. Later than that, pick a shorter plan.
| Race | Dates | Start this plan by |
|---|---|---|
| HYROX Chicago 2027 | Feb 11–15, 2027 | Mon, Oct 26, 2026 |
| HYROX Phoenix 2027 | Feb 25–28, 2027 | Mon, Nov 9, 2026 |
| HYROX Glasgow 2027 | Mar 10–14, 2027 | Mon, Nov 23, 2026 |
| HYROX Las Vegas 2027 | Mar 12–14, 2027 | Mon, Nov 23, 2026 |
| HYROX Miami Beach 2027 | Mar 26–28, 2027 | Mon, Dec 7, 2026 |
| HYROX Houston 2027 | Apr 1–4, 2027 | Mon, Dec 14, 2026 |
| HYROX Ottawa 2027 | Apr 21–25, 2027 | Mon, Jan 4, 2027 |
| HYROX Atlanta 2027 | Apr 23–25, 2027 | Mon, Jan 4, 2027 |
Follow the 16-week plan in Cheetah
Every session written out, logged at race weights, with Apple Watch and heart-rate zones.