As a soldier and physical coach of the British army, Danny Rae thought he would find the Hyrox buzzing fitness competition a piece of cake.
Being part of a growing contest of competitions designed to be accessible to lovers of medium gymnasiums and elite athletes, competitors work in pairs or individually to do functional exercises, such as murals, sled pushes and rowing. These movements are sandwiched between eight one kilometer races. You win by finishing first.
In 2023, Rae watched his first event Hyrox, in Manchester, in the United Kingdom, and saw many parallels with the military physical form.
“It was probably very naive on my part, but I saw people doing it and I thought:” I could be good in this area “, then I did it and I immediately humiliated myself,” Rae, 29, told Business Insider.
However, Rae hung on to the fitness race. He used his first competition to determine what he needed to improve and modify his training accordingly.
17 months later in February 2025, Rae became the Champion of the United Kingdom Hyrox Open Hyrox during an event in Vienna. He holds Hyrox’s record both as an individual and a male double, and participated in more than 25 of the events.
Danny Rae runs in a Hyrox race. With the kind authorization of Danny Rae
“He gave me something to focus on, it’s measurable,” said Rae. “I know where I can improve, I can perished training, so I focus on the strength for a game and I run the next.”
Rae shared what he learned about the success of fitness competitions like Hyrox, including how to train your body unknown movements Quickly but safely.
1) Build a solid fitness base
Rae comes from a military family and was an active child. When he joined the British army at the age of 18 in 2013, he quickly became responsible for keeping the soldiers in his fit regiment. But that does not mean that he has a hardcore state of mind unnecessarily.
In general, Rae thinks that it is a mistake to train hard every day because you will probably injure yourself or see the progression tray because your body will not have time to recover.
Danny Rae balances his military career with training for Hyrox Races. With the kind authorization of Danny Rae
He recommends aiming to make low or moderate intensity movements most of the time, then increasing the intensity once a week to build your physical form while allowing you to recover.
This establishes the basics of building competition in events like Hyrox.
2) Familiarize yourself with movements
“These are functional and holistic movements that integrate all muscle groups, so if you train regularly, you have no trouble doing them,” said Rae.
But you have to learn moving standards so that you are not penalized to, say, do not crouch enough for a account representative, he added.
For example, a representative of the wall balls implies a crouching over 90 degrees at least.
3) Get familiar with being uncomfortable
Rae said that his stay in the army had made him more resilient and capable of working through discomfort. It was useful to run on tired legs during Hyrox or when he needed to train despite not having time or motivation.
Danny Rae participated in Hyrox events with his wife, Zoe. With the kind authorization of Danny Rae
Rae is deployed worldwide, jungles from Brunei to Poland, and his working hours are still changing. This can be difficult to engage in a regular training calendar, but staying in good shape is part of your work.
“When we are busy, you really have to find time,” said Rae. “Whether it means defining your alarm earlier or getting someone helping you do the job faster.”
He added: “When it is 5:30 am and is cold and windy outside, no matter, you must find a way to do it.”
4) Do not think about it
Although you need to familiarize yourself with the movements, you don’t need to be an elite athlete to try a hyrox. Just try and you will learn what you need to work on.
“I know that some people think they are not yet ready to do one, but they are most likely,” said Rae.
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