Nothing beats HYROX training if you really want to get a sweat on and push your cardiovascular endurance to breaking point.

To compete at a high level and smash your personal bests, a diet with 45% carbs, 30% protein, and 25% healthy fat is perfect.

A HYROX event consists of:

•         8 x 1km runs.
•         8 x functional workouts (including exercises like sledge push/pull).

You need carbohydrates to deliver fast and slow-release energy during the event (energy drinks are no good), plus protein and fats to fuel muscle recovery.

HYROX's workout combo makes you suffer beyond the most intense HIIT classes because it goes on well beyond an hour. The average finisher hits 1:32, and those taking it a bit slower easily burn up two hours on the go.

A perfect diet might not make you a World Record breaker - the official World Record in the Pro Division is 55:09 and 60:00 minutes, respectively, for men and women – but it will deliver the foundation you need to put in a PB.

The perfect HYROX shake

vybey Complete Meal Powder is ideal for HYROX training with:

•         31% protein
•         24% fat
•         45% carbs

This is based on the following nutritional info per 100 g (Chocolate Caramel Flavour):

•         29 g protein
•         9.9 g fat (5.1 g saturated, 1.9 g polyunsaturated)
•         41.2 g carbs
•         9 g fibre

One serving delivers 390 Kcal, which is the perfect amount to top up your calories for HYROX and the ideal amount to replace one or two meals per day.

You can count calories easily and benefit from other health boosters, such as vitamins, minerals, and probiotics, that replicate a healthy meal.

vybey Complete Meal Powder contains 100% natural ingredients with no artificial nasties. The chocolate version is vegan-friendly, and meal replacement shakes like vybey can also help you lose weight safely.

Whole foods

Your calories must come from whole food sources or, at the very least, minimally processed foods without added sugars.

We're talking lean meats like fish and chicken breast, clean carbs like wholegrain rice and bread, and healthy fat sources like almonds and olive oil.

Leafy green vegetables and fresh fruits (with the skin attached to apples) are your best natural vitamin and mineral sources.

Cheat meals during HYROX training are acceptable, providing they don't have a shedload of unhealthy fats (trust us, you'll suffer if you eat them).

HYROX vitamins and minerals

Although a 45% carb, 30% protein, and 25% fat ratio is ideal for HYROX training, it doesn't tell the whole story of your nutritional requirements.

You also need vitamins and minerals to help your muscles, nervous system, bones, and brain recover from intense workouts.

The important vitamins:

•         Vitamin A is an antioxidant that helps combat oxidative stress during intense exercise and events like HYROX.
•         Vitamin E helps reduce muscle damage and inflammation after exercise.
•         Vitamin C is essential for collagen production, which is crucial for healthy joints, tendons, and ligaments and for injury prevention and recovery.
•         Vitamin B1 - is crucial for converting carbohydrates into energy.
•         Vitamin B2 - aids in the production of red blood cells.
•         Vitamin B5 - helps regulate cholesterol production, essential for hormone balance and overall cardiovascular health.

And now the minerals:

•         Calcium for maintaining strong bones and nerve function.
•         Chromium enhances insulin sensitivity, improving glucose uptake.
•         Copper for ATP synthesis.
•         Iron for haemoglobin to carry oxygen to muscles.
•         Magnesium for over 300 enzymatic reactions, including ATP synthesis.

vybey Complete Meal Powder contains all these, plus biotin, B6, B9, B12, vitamin D, zinc, selenium, potassium, and manganese to support your overall health.

Another way to get your vitamins and minerals from natural sources is vybey Braincare Smart Greens. Athletes and personal trainers drink smart greens to get their daily dose of fruits and vegetables without actually eating any.

HYROX recovery

Recovering from HYROX training requires adequate carbs before and during long training sessions, 1.6-2.2g per kg of body weight daily to support recovery, and a decent hydration strategy, including during workout stations.

Sleep is another critical component, with most adults needing between 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night. Skip this, and you'll suffer big time.

Building your fitness

Nutrition and adequate recovery can only go so far in building your HYROX fitness levels and achieving personal bests.

Running

Running forms a significant portion of HYROX, making the development of your aerobic capacity essential.

Gradually increase your weekly mileage, incorporate interval training to improve speed, and practice running on a treadmill, as HYROX events are typically held indoors.

Remember to include some longer runs (5-10km) to build stamina. You'll be running 8km in total during the event, broken up by the functional exercises.

Strength and functional exercise training

Do exercises that mimic the movements you'll perform on race day.

These include sledge push and pull, lunges with sandbags, burpee broad jumps, wall balls, rowing, and SkiErg.

Add some of these exercises into your strength training sessions, gradually increasing the weight and volume as you progress to build the specific strength and endurance required.

HIIT

HIIT workouts are excellent for simulating the intense bursts of effort required during HYROX with circuits that combine running with functional exercises.

A sample circuit might include a 400m run, 10 burpees, 20 kettlebell swings, and a 30-second plank. Repeat this circuit 4-6 times, resting as needed between rounds.

HIIT will improve your ability to perform high-intensity efforts and recover quickly -- crucial skills for smashing your HYROX event.

Summing up

The perfect diet for HYROX doesn't overload you with protein or carbs.

You want around one-third of your daily calorie requirements to come from protein, one-quarter from fats, and 45% or so from carbs—these ratios support massive energy release while supporting your recovery.  

You also need vitamins and minerals—which vybey Complete Meal Powder provides—but if you would rather not go down the meal replacement shake route, check out Braincare Smart Greens, which has a super fruit and vegetable complex.