{"id":331377,"date":"2025-12-05T04:51:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T04:51:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/331377\/"},"modified":"2025-12-05T04:51:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T04:51:14","slug":"scientists-tested-me-to-see-what-makes-the-perfect-hyrox-athlete-heres-what-i-learnt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/331377\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists Tested Me to See What Makes the Perfect Hyrox Athlete \u2013 Here\u2019s What I Learnt"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite its booming popularity, Hyrox<\/a> is still in its relative infancy. But even though it’s still only eight years old, its owners have ambitions of becoming an Olympic sport as early as the 2032 Games in Brisbane. There’s also a desire to make more improvements to the already-impressive quality of racing. <\/p>\n

That’s why Hyrox has called on top scientists to establish a global Sports Science Advisory Council (SSAC), which will help in continuing to push the sport forwards in the future. With 40,000 people set to compete at the London event between December 4-7, the sport has also released its inaugural Science of Hyrox report<\/a>, offering a comprehensive analysis of the research impacting the sport. The report delves into its implications for athletes, coaches, and the broader Hyrox community, highlighting key areas for improvement. <\/p>\n

In essence, Hyrox wants to understand where the true limits of performance<\/a> are. But without any elite athletes available, one of the SSAC’s scientists, Dr Gommaar D’Hulst, decided I’d be an adequate replacement to conduct a VO2 max<\/a> and blood lactate test on. Here’s what I learnt. <\/p>\n

Testing My VO2 Max and Blood Lactate \"receiving<\/p>\n

courtesy of Hyrox<\/p>\n

Dr D’Hulst wanted to determine if I was limited by oxygen delivery or the utilisation of that oxygen \u2013 in other words, whether I became fatigued because of either my heart or my muscles. In order to do that, he measured the amount of oxygen in my vastus lateralis (outer quad<\/a> muscle) throughout the test and compared that my lactate levels. <\/p>\n

Starting on a curved running treadmill, a self-propelled machine rather than the motorised belt of a regular treadmill, I had to maintain a steady pace of 7.0km\/h for four minutes, before resting for 60 seconds. Dr D’Hulst took my lactate in the rest period, while continuing to track the oxygen in my muscle. After each four-minute interval period, the pace then increased in 1.2km\/h increments until I reached complete failure. That came a minute in when the pace was bumped up to 16.6km\/h \u2013 a speed I was pleased to hold for a period of time. <\/p>\n

The Results\"man<\/p>\n

HYROX<\/p>\n

‘The muscle-oxygen data showed that you are rather a delivery-limited athlete,’ Dr D’Hulst tells me. In other words, my heart fails before my muscles. Essentially, there’s enough oxygen in my muscles to maintain the required pace, but my heart isn’t able to pump enough oxygen to them for optimal performance. <\/p>\n

I’m also told that I should run between 5.08 and 5 minutes per kilometre to run aerobically, or in zone 2<\/a>. For anaerobic threshold running, that pace increases to between 4.07 and 4.17 minutes per kilometre \u2013 the pace at which Dr D’Hulst suggests I should aim for when running Hyrox races<\/a>. <\/p>\n

‘So, if you\u2019d like to implement intervals<\/a> in your sessions, I suggest six-to-eight minutes at-or-near threshold speed, with limited rest of around one-to-two minutes. When you’re racing a Hyrox, aim for your threshold speed during the first two to three runs and see if you can maintain \u2013 or even increase \u2013 that speed in the later rounds.’<\/p>\n

Why Hyrox Will Only Continue to Improve<\/p>\n

While Dr D\u2019Hulst\u2019s recommendations will definitely shape my own training, this kind of data will be even more valuable for elite athletes trying to squeeze out every last drop of performance.<\/p>\n

And with most current competitors having transitioned into Hyrox from other sports, a younger generation who\u2019ve grown up prioritising Hyrox is now waiting in the wings. Progress is inevitable \u2013 and with Hyrox\u2019s SSAC driving standards even higher, the sport is only just getting started.<\/p>\n

Related Stories\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Ryan is a Senior Writer at Men\u2019s Health UK with a passion for storytelling, health and fitness. Having graduated from Cardiff University in 2020, and later obtaining his NCTJ qualification, Ryan started his career as a Trainee News Writer for sports titles Golf Monthly, Cycling Weekly and Rugby World before progressing to Staff Writer and subsequently Senior Writer with football magazine FourFourTwo.<\/p>\n

During his two-and-a-half years there he wrote news stories for the website and features for the magazine, while he also interviewed names such as Les Ferdinand, Ally McCoist, Jamie Redknapp and Antonio Rudiger, among many others. His standout memory, though, came when getting the opportunity to speak to then-Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher as the club won League One in 2023.<\/p>\n

Having grown up a keen footballer and playing for his boyhood side until the age of 16, Ryan got the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland national futsal team eight times, scoring three goals against England, Scotland and Gibraltar. Now past his peak, Ryan prefers to mix weightlifting with running \u2013 he achieved a marathon PB of 3:31:49 at Manchester in April 2025, but credits the heat for failing to get below the coveted 3:30 mark\u2026<\/p>\n

You can follow Ryan on Instagram @ryan.dabbs<\/a> or on X @ryandabbs_<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n