HYROX Heart Rate Zones: How to Train Smarter, Pace Better, and Recover Faster

One of the biggest keys to success in HYROX is recovering while you continue to move. And although simply using a heart rate monitor won’t help you improve, training in your HYROX heart rate zones is a surefire way to get there faster.

Going out too hot—and then not being able to recover fast enough—is a common mistake for HYROX athletes. And that’s why knowing which zones matter, how to set them without overcomplicating it, and how to focus on your heart rate during race day can all be game changers.

Check out this practical guide to knowing and using your HYROX heart rate zones for optimal performance. This is where the science meets coaching, to help you perform your best on race day.

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Why Heart Rate Monitoring Matters in HYROX

HYROX training is a cycle of heart rate spikes and settles. Stations like sleds, burpees, wall balls, and carries are designed to spike your heart rate. After that, you’ll do best by settling into the run while still being able to keep moving.

And that’s where many athletes miss the mark—they’re efficient at going hard, but not great at quick recovery afterward. As a result, the running sections of a race are inconsistent.

That’s why knowing and training your HYROX heart rates zones can help you:

• Make sure your “easy” training is actually easy, to improve your engine
• Pace your hard training to make it repeatable without destroying you
• Protect yourself on race day so you don’t get cooked early

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The HYROX Heart Rate Zones You Need (and How to Use Them in a Training Week)

It’s easy to get analysis paralysis by researching HYROX heart rate zones, charts, and expert opinions. Instead, here’s a simple overview to help break it down:

Zone 2—The Easy Engine Zone

Zone 2 is the one that builds your engine, letting you recover between spiked efforts. In this zone, you can breathe through your nose most of the time and hold a conversation. If you finished a race in zone 2, you’d have the feeling that you could keep going if you needed to.

If you’ve competed in HYROX before and fell apart later in the race, zone 2 should be your focus.

Zone 3 – Keep it Steady

Zone 3 is slightly more intense, making you feel the fact that you’re working, but not fighting for your life to keep going. In this zone, you should still be able to talk, but just in shorter phrases.

When training, use this zone on purpose, not accidentally. Meaning, this is one of the most likely HYROX heart rate zones where athletes spend too much time each week. And while this “kinda hard” zone should show up in longer training efforts, you don’t want it to take over as the majority.

Zone 4 – Hard but Repeatable

This is where your race strength comes from. Zone 4 will build your ability to work hard when you need to during the race. It will help you prevent both spiraling and crushing a station but without being able to recover afterwards.

In zone 4, you won’t be able to hold a conversation. However, the work won’t be so hard that you can’t maintain proper form or repeat a similar effort again.

Zone 5 – The Redline Zone

One of the toughest—but uniquely motivating—things about a HYROX race is the moments that push you to zone 5. Redlining is not a sustainable zone, but training here in short bursts is extremely beneficial.

Your goal is not to avoid zone 5 completely. It’s important to be prepared with what this zone feels like for when it shows up in a HYROX race. And the better you train this zone, the easier it will be to prevent it from showing up too early on race day.

Using These Zones in a Training Week

To keep it simple, think of your week as three training buckets, each one representing one or more of the HYROX heart rate zones:

• Build Your Base (Zone 2)—Develop your engine to keep you from falling apart later in the race. Remember, a common mistake is making zone 2 too hard. If your “easy” run is actually a sweaty grind, you’re not in zone 2 and just adding fatigue.
• Improve Race Strength (Zone 4 / threshold)—This training will allow you to hold strong under pressure, which is crucial during HYROX races. The focus here is to make this training repeatable. You should finish feeling tired, but not wrecked.
• Practice HYROX Spikes and Settles—This training “bucket” combines the two above. This will allow you to simulate the needs and associated feelings of both stations and running in a HYROX race.

Pro Tip: Most HYROX athletes spend too much time in the middle zones. Stations will spike you, so set a goal of building more in Zone 2 and adding specific Zone 4 work. This is when you can practice “spike then settle” to settle quickly on the run and keep moving at a solid pace.

HYROX Race Pacing: A Simple Strategy

On race day, it’s easy to get excited and unintentionally ditch the HYROX heart rate zones you worked so hard to dial in. You race the first 10 minutes like it’s a 10-minute workout, and then spend the remainder of the race trying to survive.

If that happens, don’t beat yourself up—it happens to even the best athletes.

Your best strategy is to try to stick to this simple, heart rate-based pacing plan:

• Start controlled for the first 10-12 minutes. It should feel like you’re holding back a bit, which should feel intentional because it is. It’s a long race.
• Expect heart rate spikes during stations. It’s normal for your heart rate to spike during sleds, burpees, wall balls, etc. When you expect it, it won’t be a surprise.
• Use the run to settle your heart rate. During the 60-90 seconds following each station, aim to bring your heart rate down while you’re still moving. This can be done through finding a comfortable stride and trying to control your breathing.
• Save your redline for the end. Remember that Zone 5 is meant to be at the end of the race, not the beginning.

Common Mistakes in HYROX Heart Rate Zones

Here are just a few helpful tips related to common mistakes, to keep you from derailing your HYROX training sessions:

• Every session does not need to be a test. This is the primary reason for knowing and using your HYROX heart rate zones in training. In the same way you wouldn’t max out your lifts during every CrossFit class, there’s no need to run a full race or redline each HYROX session.
• The goal is progress, not fatigue. Some sessions will be tougher than others, but you shouldn’t feel wrecked after each one. In the words of the great Ice Cube, you want to “check yourself before you wreck yourself.”
• Your watch shouldn’t bully you. On the days where your body is giving you different info than your heart rate monitor, trust your gut over your watch data. Remember, your HRM is a helpful tool, but it doesn’t know you as well as you know yourself.
• Practice both kinds of running. There’s a big difference between practicing running in general, and practicing running after stations. One is steady-state cardio. The other is mastering the skill of settling your heart rate after a big spike. Both are important.

HYROX Heart Rate Zones FAQ

What Heart Rate Zone is HYROX Raced In?

Most HYROX athletes spend a lot of time in high aerobic zones with frequent spikes above that. However, heart rate zones during a race will vary by fitness, pacing, and efficiency at settling during the runs.

Is Zone 2 Training Enough for HYROX?

Training in Zone 2 is necessary, but not sufficient for competition. It builds your engine, but you will also need threshold work and HYROX-specific sessions to practice spikes and transitions.

Should I train for HYROX by Heart Rate or Pace?

It is recommended that HYROX athletes use both heart rate and pace during training sessions. Heart rate helps you control effort and recovery, while pace helps you build race-specific running.

What if My Heart Rate is Unusually High When Training?

Similar to any type of training, if your heart rate is usually high, check the basics. Oftentimes, it’s due to lack of sleep, increased stress, dehydration, or even caffeine consumption. If your heart rate is high without these attributes, adjust your session accordingly by going easier or shortening the length. One small pivot beats forcing a bad workout.

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