So Your PT Just Did a Hyrox...

Questioning life choices during the burpees.

I signed up, I persevered, and I did it. I gained the experience of racing my first Hyrox in Las Vegas on February 22, 2026.

First off, congratulations to all of the competitors. After having done it and at the time of writing this, my legs are reminding me of the experience, and a tough experience, it was.

For those of you who don’t know, a Hyrox is an 8k run with 8 different workout stations in between each kilometer.

The format is as follows:

1. 1 km run

2. 1,000 meter ski erg

3. 1 km run

4. 50 m sled push (the weight depends on your division)

5. 1 km tun

6. 50 m sled pull (weight depends on your division)

7. 1 km run

8. 80 m burpee broad jump

9. 1 km run

10. 1,000 m row

11. 1 km run

12. 200 m farmers carry (weight depends on your division)

13. 1 km run

14. 100 m lunges (division-dependent weight)

15. 1 km run

16. 100 wall balls (division-dependent weight)

    
    

In other words, it is a nice slap in the face of some type 2 fun!!

The Venue

The race was held inside of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Each station was numbered and placed inside of a loop which served as the run. You had to run 2 loops before branching off to whichever station you needed to complete.

I will say that the venue was very spectator-friendly and I am very impressed with how Hyrox makes use of the space. As a spectator, there were areas set up to watch your athlete, check out vendors, and also sit and have something to eat and hang out. I thought that was super intelligent on their part because it allowed the spectators to essentially, be a part of the event. You could basically follow your athlete from start to finish.

Race Day

I am going to break this down station by station from both an athlete, and Physical Therapist perspective:

Note: It is not recommended you undergo any new exercises or a new program until you consult with a medical professional. This is for information purposes, only. Some of you may have conditions that render these techniques, contraindicated. Read the full disclaimer at the bottom of the newsletter.

1. The first run:

   Athlete - I started inside of this corral with others who were assigned the same start time. Like other races, the adrenaline was high and I was shaking my head and laughing at myself for getting involved in another one of these adventures. “Don’t go out too fast,” I told myself. Unlike longer distance events, there would be less cruising during this one and a lot more high intensity.

   
   

   Finally, the clock counts down and off we go!! I couldn’t feel my legs. I think the adrenaline was way too high, especially because there were so many people and it was loud. Unlike events which take place outside, this was entirely inside which augmented the sound for me. I tried to pull the pace back a little but considering my watch wasn’t keeping track, I have no idea what I was doing. Not knowing what I was doing was basically the theme of the entire race LOL.

   
   

   They had a monitor which showed your name and which workout you had next. All I can say is "Thank god." There were so many times where I forgot which lap I was running. You would think that it’s not that difficult to count two laps but when you are in the zone and the blood is being diverted to your legs, everything becomes a blur and counting numbers goes out the window.

   The lap was over, and it was time to hit the ski erg.

   
   

   As a PT - WARM. UP. This race is a high intensity race and if you were born before the year 2000, the warm up is no longer an option. 

   
   

   Considering this race had a lot of high intensity workouts in between the run, I recommend learning how to run efficiently. Over-striding and heel striking put more load on the quads and trust me… my quads were worked ENOUGH between the running, rowing, burpees, lunges, and wall balls.

   
   

   If you want to improve your running, check this out this blog to to learn more about what a running analysis can do for you!

2. Workout #1: The ski erg

   

Athlete - I practiced this a whopping one time before the race. Why? Because it felt pretty easy to me. I have a strong core and upper body strength. 

And it was easy… a little too easy. 

I adjusted the damper to 4.5 and got into an easy rhythm. I kept my heart rate under control.

When you’re in the middle of a race it’s hard to stop and adjust as necessary because you’re just in the zone. In hindsight, I should have adjusted the damper a little higher. At 60 rpm I felt like I was hardly putting any meters on the rower, but it is what it is. That’s what happens when you practice something, once. You don’t get enough experience to figure out what works for you. Oh well!

PT - strong lats and a strong core will help. This can shift some of the load from the lower body (which will be getting trashed in the later stages of the race) to the upper body (which will also be trashed, just not as much). Here are two exercises that I’ve used to help with that:

Lat pull downs

Run #2

Athlete: the crowd was cheering, and my run felt pretty strong. I got passed by a few, but also passed a few. I heard people shouting my name but honestly, I was in robot-Jade mode. There was a mission, and the focus was dialed in. I started thinking about the sled push: another workout I had only practiced a few times. Here we go.

Workout #2: The sled push 

Using my head!

This consisted of a 4x12.5 meter sled push, weighing 102 kg. As I had mentioned before, I had literally practiced this three times. 

Was it hard? Of course it was! All of this was hard. For once, I think my compact shape helped me with this one. It allowed me to get low on the sled which prevented any bowing of the carpet. I was literally able to use my head by pushing it against the center pole. I’ve have been told that I am hard-headed.

I had a couple of “f**** this sh**” moments, but that's to be expected when you are doing something hard.

Apparently the racing turf was not as smooth as the carpet in my Physical Therapy office, because these 102 kg felt A LOT heavier than mine!

PT - calves and glutes, 1,000% with this one.

When driving the sled forward, a lot of the power actually comes from the calves. It is imperative to have strong calves and Achilles tendons for the sled push and to also keep your ankles happy for the rest of the running.

Weighted heel raise

The hips are also working super hard here, since the primary source of forward motion is due to the hip extensors.

Kickstand deadlifts 

Run #3

This is where my legs told me “running is harder after you pushed a lot of weight.”

Duh.

It took a minute before my legs recovered and felt good for the run. I guess I have those ultramarathons and Ironmans to thank for that.

Workout #3: the sled pull

This is where I had a major EFF THIS SH** moment.

I had practiced the sled pull, twice. Why? Because it felt so easy!! I had loaded the sled in my office with more than the necessary weight and was able to upper body, muscle it.

It even felt pretty easy in the warm up area at the race. I figured I was going to crush this station.

WRONG.

This. Workout. Felt. Like. For. Ever.

Riding my trainer for two hours felt faster than this. 

I had to revert to the “walking it back” strategy, as opposed to the “pulling it back” one. This meant I had to use my back and legs much more.

What made it last forever was the fact that you only had a small rectangle that you could stay in, meaning you couldn’t step out of the lines and I could only move the sled a couple of feet or so before I had to drop the rope, walk forward, bend down, pick it up again, and pull. That, and you also had to be careful to avoid tripping over the rope. Do this for 50 meters and it feels like forever.

Just writing about this is making me roll my eyes, since that’s basically how I felt the entire time I was at this station. 

I can only describe this station as “annoying.” It wasn’t super hard from a physical standpoint (minus my grip getting tired), but it just felt like it lasted forever.

Should have trained this one a little more. Whoops!

PT - grip endurance and back and quad strength was important for this one. The grip to keep control of the rope and the back and quads to brace yourself as you pull the sled.

Farmer's carry with a towel

Back squats

Run #4

I was relieved to be done with the sled pull, but as I started my second lap of the run, it dawned on me that the burpee broad jumps were next. I was happy to be running, but the impending suffering was inevitable unless I DNF’d, and that wasn’t going to happen.

Workout #4: burpee broad jumps

If that look doesn't say "I'm having fun," I don't know what does.

Unlike basically everything else, I had practiced these because I knew they were going to be horrible. I practiced them around a track, between weight lifting sets, and between running intervals.

Man, was I happy I did that. It was one station where I managed to pass some people and make up for lost time. Ironic, considering how much I was dreading them.

But when you practice things, they get better! What a concept!

Would I call it a technically perfect burpee? Absolutely not, but it met all of the Hyrox standards and rules. It was a time where I wanted to be as energy-efficient as possible. Will I be a social media burpee influencer? Oh gawd I hope my life never comes to that so no, but I am obviously happy with that and my performance.

PT - I used my shoulders and hip extensors quite a bit for these because I neither jumped back nor forwards for the burpee. For the jump, obviously I jumped forward but kept the length at a reasonable distance so that it wouldn’t gas me out.

Squat Jumps

Run #5

Here is where I was starting to feel pretty good about how I was doing. The burpees went well, my run was decent (I also ate a gel), and the next workout was the rower with which I am very comfortable. I knew I could recover a little on the rower.

Workout #5: 1,000 meters on the rower

I had rowed on my college rowing team and unlike the sled pull, had practice this a handful of times before the race. I was nowhere near as fast as I used to be (rowing was half my lifetime ago) but I knew my technique would give me a somewhat decent time and not burn me out. I also remembered that I was doing this race for the experience and didn’t care about my standings. When you have two Ironmans on the calendar for the same year, you get more familiar as to when to push harder or pull back.

PT - rowing requires a lot of technique and strength through the legs. Unlike what many people think, the back should not be doing the majority of the pulling. Most of the power comes from the quads.

Front squats 

Run #6

Feeling good after the rower, I was relieved that the next workout was the farmers carry. My legs would get a little reprieve. 

Workout #6: 200 meter farmers carry

Athlete - 16 kg in each hand can get a little tiring. My grip got a little taxed from the sled pull and I was feeling it, here.

What I felt more was my shoulder. When doing a farmers carry, the shoulder is doing a lot to stabilize the kettlebell to prevent it from swinging all over the place.

Somewhat reluctantly, I had to put the kettlebells down a few times to give my shoulder a break. At the same time, I was okay with it because I remembered that I didn’t have to crush myself for this race. That is in store for me later on this year.

PT - grip and shoulder stability are important here and to be honest, a farmers carry is a good exercise in and of itself.

Farmer's Carry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPveBFFfkV8

Run #7

Athlete: This is where I started to have some issues during the run. Physically, my hamstring was starting to cramp. Usually, I stay way more hydrated than this but we are not allowed to have out own bottles on the course and I was not going to do all of this craziness with a hydration vest. The workouts and running were also putting a lot of load into my hamstring.

Mentally, I thought that the hardest parts of the race were ahead of me: the weighted lunges and the wall balls. I was getting relieved that the race was almost over but also slightly dreading what was to come.

Workout #7: 100 meters of 10 kg weighted lunges.

Athlete - The lunges weren’t too bad!

Until #70.

This likely because I had trained these and have time on the bike, doing hard intervals. 

By #70 or so I did have to stop for a little break. This also happened around #90 or so but who was counting?? It took me about 98 lunges to get done. Not bad, but I definitely felt them get tight. That’s when I knew that my legs were going to feel it tomorrow and yes, they absolutely do remember the lunges.

PT - lunges are another great lower body exercise. I used more of a hip dominant lunge, but they can also be more quad-dominant.

Quad vs Hip Dominant Lunge

Run #8

THE LAST RUN. I wish I could tell you that I had a sense of relief but that’s not how it goes. It’s because Hyrox decides to leave 100 wall balls at the very end for you. This is what I had been dreading the most. I wish I could tell you that I was feeling good and my legs weren’t too bad, but all of those Ironmans doesn’t make you better at sled pushes, sled pulls, rowing, burpees, etc…they are all still super hard and taxing.

I can say however, that Ironmans do help you push through when it gets tough. 

The last workout: 100 wall balls x 4 kg

The home stretch!

Athlete - 4 kg may not seem that heavy, but you also have to squat all the way down past parallel and throw it 9 feet up in the air to hit a target. Otherwise, it doesn’t count. 

You also have to do it 100 times.

After all of the other craziness.

I don’t know how many reps I did between breaks. All I can say is that I couldn’t allow myself to get in my head. When you’re tired, it’s easy to look at the counter and psyche yourself out that you still have 83 wall balls to go.

I think what helped was all of the miles I had run over the past 4 years. When you have a 28 mile long run and you’re already tired at mile 7, it’s easy to get upset.

What helped was remembering one rep and one step at a time.

PT - wall balls really work the quads. Front squats were super helpful for these bad puppies!

Reaching number 100 and finishing the race was pretty cool, to say the least. I was definitely relieved. It was about 95 minutes of high intensity racing that I was not accustomed to. To be quite honest, there were a few times where it felt pretty miserable but overcoming those challenges is what makes it so appealing.

How does this compare to other forms of racing? All I can say is that it is different. There was a time where I thought to myself that I’d rather be racing an Ironman (I surmise my heart rate was about 190 at that time) but in hindsight, the fact that I was done in under 2 hours and not at 15 hours was a relief.

It was also less physically painful, but much more demanding from an anaerobic perspective.

I think that people should just do what they want to do, and that nothing is more impressive than others. It just depends on what your own goals are and how you want to live your life.

Am I glad I did it? Absolutely. I got to experience something challenging with my friends. Would I do it again? All I can say is maybe.

Needless to say, I have a lot of respect for the athletes who go through the training and push themselves.

That's what we are about: Doing hard things that help us become better people through the support of, and by supporting, other people. When you are out there putting it on the line and you have a group of people who have your back, it really is something special.

When people ask why we do these things, I guess I can say that it's because they can make us better people. They've certainly done that for me.

Thanks for reading!

Do hard things.

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