Hyrox Coaching Podcast

Aaron
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HYROX racing and no-nonsense coaching insights. Training breakdowns, race reviews and real talk from the sharp end with Chris Bayens and Aaron Woodman

  1. 3d ago

    Cross-Training for HYROX: Bike, Ski, Row or StairMaster?

    Which forms of cross-training actually improve your HYROX performance, and which ones simply add more fatigue? In this episode, Aaron and Chris explain how to use the bike, StairMaster, SkiErg, rower and other cardio machines to build a bigger aerobic engine without relying on endless running. They discuss the difference between developing general aerobic fitness and becoming more efficient at the specific movements used in HYROX. They also explain why the right amount of cross-training depends on your training availability, injury history and ability to recover. The conversation also covers why frequent, easy work on the SkiErg and rower may be more valuable than occasional hard sessions, and why improving your SkiErg pace doesn’t necessarily mean you should race it faster. Also covered: Results and talking points from HYROX Oslo and Rome Why bike and StairMaster training transfer well to HYROX How cross-training allows you to add aerobic volume with less impact When running should remain the priority How training availability changes your approach The role of the Echo Bike, spin bike and BikeErg Why technique can break down during long SkiErg and rowing sessions Using short, frequent erg sessions to improve efficiency Why some popular interval sessions are performed too hard How going too fast on the SkiErg can damage the rest of your race Building fitness you can sustain rather than chasing the one-percent gains Join WDM Complete:https://wdm-coaching.fitr.training/pa/WDM_Complete Get the WDM Coaching newsletter:https://www.wdmcoaching.com/newsletter Listen to the podcast on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/2KsJj5u5fwZROZGD4Sk6Qi

  2. Sep 25

    Data, Feedback and Coaching the Person with Stephen Pelkofer

    Aaron is joined by Elite 15 athlete and Threshold Lab founder Stephen Pelkofer for a conversation about what good coaching actually looks like beyond simply writing sessions. Drawing on his background in data science, basketball and elite HYROX racing, Stephen explains why he prefers to be data-informed rather than data-driven. They discuss how pace, heart rate and race splits can be useful, but only when they’re combined with context, athlete feedback and an understanding of the person behind the numbers. The conversation also covers why aerobic fitness remains the main limiter for many HYROX athletes, the danger of copying the training of people with completely different backgrounds, and why missing or shortening one session rarely matters. Aaron and Stephen explore the difference between building fitness and chasing it, how to judge progress without becoming obsessed with race times, and why the best coaching decisions sometimes involve doing less. They also discuss: Using RPE alongside pace and heart-rate data Why athletes should leave feedback after training Identifying whether an athlete needs more volume, intensity or strength Why poor pacing can make a station look like the limiter The value of repeatable benchmark sessions Why missed sessions shouldn’t automatically be added elsewhere Adjusting training around work, family, recovery and life stress Coaching the person rather than just delivering a programme Adapting feedback and communication to the individual Why consistency beats trying to force one exceptional session Find Stephen: Instagram: @stephen.pelkofer Threshold Lab: https://www.thresholdlab.co/ Join the WDM Complete HYROX & Fitness Racing System: https://wdm-coaching.fitr.training/pa/WDM_Complete Subscribe to HYROX Coaching Notes: https://www.wdmcoaching.com/newsletter

  3. Sep 18

    Linda Meier: Winning, Pressure and Finding the Joy in Racing Again

    Each week, I take one of the most useful ideas from the podcast and turn it into practical coaching notes you can apply to your own training and racing. Sign up here: ⁠https://www.wdmcoaching.com/newsletter⁠ In this episode of the HYROX Coaching Podcast, Aaron and Chris are joined by Linda Meier to talk through the period after becoming HYROX World Champion, how that success changed the expectations she placed on herself, and why objectively good performances can start to feel disappointing when they are constantly compared with your best day. Linda reflects on the training block that led into Chicago, where consistency, structured training and small improvements in movement efficiency all added up over time. Rather than describing one breakthrough session, she talks about finally training with a clear schedule, tracking progress and building confidence from seeing the work move in the right direction. The conversation then moves into what changed after winning the title. Linda explains how she began to feel that every race had to prove she was still capable of performing like a world champion. Good results became harder to enjoy, and the pressure shifted from improving her own performance to feeling she had to justify what she had already achieved. Aaron and Chris also discuss how this kind of pressure can affect athletes at every level. A PB, podium or qualification can become something athletes feel they need to defend, rather than a performance they can use as evidence of what is possible. Linda talks openly about working with a sports psychologist, trying to focus less on expectations and more on possibilities, and rebuilding the enjoyment and freedom she previously felt when racing. She is clear that this is still a work in progress rather than something she has already solved. The episode also covers how Linda balances elite-level training with a full-time career, why having an identity outside sport has helped her maintain perspective, the challenges of managing coeliac disease while travelling and training, and why doubles racing has given her a more positive racing experience during a difficult period. Linda’s training block before winning the World Championship Why consistency mattered more than one breakthrough session Improving movement efficiency and station execution Introducing more structured threshold and VO2 max training How winning changed the expectations Linda placed on herself When a personal best becomes a standard you feel you have to defend Why good performances can still feel disappointing The difference between focusing on execution and focusing on proving yourself Balancing elite training with a full-time career Why work outside sport can provide perspective and identity Managing training around flexible working hours Linda’s experience of managing coeliac disease as an athlete How health disruptions can affect recovery and training consistency Working with a sports psychologist Rebuilding confidence and enjoyment in racing Why positive doubles experiences have helped The value of giving different races different purposes Looking ahead to the rest of Linda’s season

  4. Sep 11

    STOP WASTING YOUR FITNESS IN HYROX

    This week, Aaron and Chris review a huge weekend of HYROX racing before getting into the main coaching discussion: the difference between fitness, conditioning and pacing, and why being fitter does not automatically mean you will race better. Fitness is the individual physical qualities you possess. Conditioning is your ability to express those qualities across the complete demands of HYROX. Pacing is how you decide to spend them on race day. Get that final part wrong and a station that looks like a weakness may simply be the point where poor decisions earlier in the race finally catch up with you. Each week, Aaron takes one of the main ideas from the podcast, expands on it properly and turns it into something practical you can apply to your own training. Subscribe here:https://www.wdmcoaching.com/newsletter Make sure you confirm your email after signing up, otherwise the newsletter will not arrive. The major results and talking points from Athens, Washington, Tenerife and Acapulco Why racing conditions have to influence your pacing strategy Why a slower result in difficult conditions does not necessarily mean poorer fitness The difference between fitness and conditioning Why good individual station tests do not guarantee a good HYROX race How running fitness can fail to transfer when the athlete lacks event-specific conditioning Why a station that falls apart late in a race may not actually be your weakness How to identify genuine limiters from training rather than simply looking at race splits Why full HYROX simulations are not always the best way to develop race conditioning Using overload intervals and targeted race-specific work instead Why the first 10–15 minutes of HYROX should feel controlled How going too hard on the SkiErg creates problems that appear much later in the race Why saving a few seconds early can cost minutes later Using the runs to regain control between stations Strategic breaks versus being forced to stop because you are already cooked What the spread of runs 2–7 can tell you about race execution How race experience helps you learn when restraint can finally give way to racing Why pacing is ultimately a decision about how to express the fitness you already possess HYROX performance is not simply a collection of eight station abilities plus a running time. You can possess excellent fitness in isolation and still fail to put it together across the complete race. Training needs to develop those qualities individually, condition you to combine them under fatigue and then teach you how to pace the event so that you can still access them at the back end. A well-paced race should not feel desperate from the opening minutes. The objective is to reach the finish line as quickly as possible, not to prove how hard you can work in the first fifteen minutes. If your wall balls, lunges or row repeatedly collapse late in races despite being strong in training, look further upstream before deciding they need more work. The real limiter may be conditioning, pacing, or both.

  5. Sep 4

    How hard should Hyrox training be?

    In this episode of the HYROX Coaching Podcast, Aaron and Chris look at how much intensity HYROX athletes actually need, and why simply making more of the week hard is rarely the answer. They start with the commonly quoted 80/20 rule and discuss where it came from, why it can be useful as a broad principle, but also why getting obsessed with exact percentages misses the point. HYROX has running, strength work and eight different stations creating different types of stress, so the real question is whether the athlete can recover from the work well enough to adapt to it. The conversation then moves into easy running and whether heart rate, pace or perceived effort should lead. Aaron and Chris discuss why RPE and breathing are often the best guides, why there is no meaningful prize for running the top of Zone 2, and why easy running needs to remain genuinely easy when the rest of the programme contains a lot of quality work. They also look at the role of tempo and sub-threshold running in HYROX, how much threshold work an athlete can realistically absorb each week, and why more total training volume does not automatically mean you can tolerate more high-intensity work. Finally, they discuss when training above threshold can be useful, why a small amount of VO₂-max work can make sense closer to an A race, and where heavier-than-race-load training helps with sleds, lunges and wall balls before it starts changing the movement so much that it loses specificity. Each week, Aaron takes one of the main ideas from the podcast and expands on it with practical coaching advice you can apply to your own training. Subscribe here:https://www.wdmcoaching.com/newsletter Make sure you confirm the email after signing up or the newsletter will not arrive. GET THE WDM HYROX COACHING NOTES

  6. Aug 28

    How to Run Faster Without Breaking Down

    This week, Aaron and Chris are back with a race recap from Perth before getting into a set of questions around running development for HYROX athletes. The main discussion looks at how to improve running when time, running volume or impact tolerance is limited, why simply adding more speed work is often the wrong answer, and how frequency, volume and intensity should be progressed if the goal is to run faster without repeatedly breaking down. They also cover heavier athletes and running durability, using 5K and 10K races inside HYROX preparation, combining football with HYROX training, returning to running with Achilles tendinopathy, and whether true top-end running speed actually matters for HYROX performance. Each week, Aaron takes one of the main ideas from the podcast, expands on it properly and turns it into something practical you can apply to your own training. GET THE WDM HYROX COACHING NOTESSubscribe here:https://www.wdmcoaching.com/newsletter Perth HYROX Pro Solo and Pro Doubles results How to improve running when impact tolerance is limited Why faster running is not always the best “bang for buck” Building running in the order of frequency, volume and then intensity Why easy running still improves running performance Using strides without turning easy days into hard sessions Moving aerobic work onto the bike, ergs or other low-impact modalities How heavier athletes should approach running progression Why body composition and morphology affect running load differently Returning from shin pain and rebuilding running frequency gradually Where 5K and 10K races can fit into HYROX preparation Why shorter road races may be more useful than full HYROX simulations Why marathons need considerably more respect inside a HYROX season Treating football training and matches as genuine training stress How to organise HYROX quality work around another sport Running with Achilles tendinopathy and other impact limitations Why complete rest is not normally the answer for tendon problems Using bikes and other modalities to maintain aerobic fitness while running is restricted Does true top-end running speed matter for HYROX? Why most athletes have a capacity problem rather than a speed problem The opportunity cost of repeated 400 m and 800 m speed sessions Why raising your sustainable pace matters more than continually raising your maximum speed When faster running can still have a place during the season For most HYROX athletes, the biggest running gains will not come from continually trying to run faster in training. The priority is developing enough running frequency and volume to build tissue tolerance, economy and durability, then layering intensity onto that foundation. Most athletes can already run considerably faster for one kilometre than they ever need to during a HYROX race. The challenge is being able to sustain a much higher proportion of that speed across eight kilometres while repeatedly completing the stations in between. Build the capacity first. Then worry about moving the ceiling.

  7. Aug 21

    How to Build a HYROX Week You Can Actually Recover From

    In this episode of the HYROX Coaching Podcast, Aaron and Chris discuss how to organise a training week that produces adaptation rather than simply accumulating fatigue. They begin with double-training days: whether they are physiologically superior or mainly a practical way to organise greater volume while preserving the quality of each session. The key point is that a double day should be treated as one training unit. The first session cannot be so hard that the second becomes a tired attempt to complete the programme. The conversation then moves into the cost of placing two or three hard sessions on consecutive days. Aaron and Chris explain why later sessions can still feel difficult while producing less useful work, and how repeatedly layering stress can turn the whole week into one grey block of moderate fatigue. They also cover what to do when a session cannot be completed as written. The right adjustment depends on the purpose of the session. Sometimes intensity should be reduced so the intended volume can be preserved. In other situations, the intensity is correct and the volume should be cut before technique, output or movement quality deteriorates. The episode also looks at when complete rest is more useful than another easy aerobic session, and how long working hours, poor sleep, commuting and cognitive stress should alter training load. Six to eight hours per week can still be too much if the athlete does not have the recovery capacity to absorb it. The main principle is simple: the best training week is not the hardest one you can survive. It is the highest-quality workload you can recover from and repeat consistently. Get the WDM HYROX Coaching Notes Each week, I expand on the main ideas from the podcast and turn them into practical coaching notes you can apply to your own training. Sign up here:https://www.wdmcoaching.com/newsletter

  8. Aug 14

    How to Build a HYROX Programme That Actually Works

    In this episode of the HYROX Coaching Podcast, Aaron and Chris work through the first batch of listener questions on coaching principles, programme design and what actually drives progress in HYROX. The main theme is simple: one hard session does not make you fitter. Progress comes from the whole body of work, with enough aerobic volume, threshold development, strength capacity, movement practice and recovery to keep the programme moving forward. They discuss why so many athletes start with intensity instead of building the foundations, why hard and easy days need to stay clearly separated, and why maximum recoverable volume matters more than copying someone else’s training week. There is also a wider discussion around consistency, movement efficiency, training frequency, four-day training weeks, HYROX classes, repeating sessions and why good programming does not need to reinvent itself every Monday. Each week, Aaron takes one of the main ideas from the podcast, expands on it properly and turns it into something practical you can apply to your own training. Subscribe here:https://www.wdmcoaching.com/newsletter Make sure you confirm your email after signing up, otherwise the newsletter will not arrive. One click was apparently too uncomplicated.

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HYROX racing and no-nonsense coaching insights. Training breakdowns, race reviews and real talk from the sharp end with Chris Bayens and Aaron Woodman

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