Hyrox has exploded. Two years ago almost no one in Portugal knew what it was; today there are sold-out events in Lisbon and more and more people asking “how do I prepare for this?”. This article is the honest answer — what the race actually demands, what you need to train before signing up, and how Be Water fits into that preparation (without selling you a promise we don’t deliver).
What Hyrox is, in two sentences
Hyrox is a fitness race in a fixed format: eight 1km running blocks alternating with eight functional stations. The order is always the same, in any city in the world, which makes it a measurable race — you can compare your time at Lisbon 2026 with Berlin or London.
The 8 stations and what each one demands
- SkiErg 1000m — arm strength and endurance, pulling pattern.
- Sled push 50m — explosive leg and core strength, ability to sustain power under fatigue.
- Sled pull 50m — pulling strength with posterior chain in horizontal pull.
- Burpee broad jumps 80m — plyometrics + metabolic conditioning in the red zone.
- Rowing 1000m — hybrid endurance, posterior chain, technique.
- Farmer’s carry 200m (2x 24kg men / 16kg women) — grip strength and core stability.
- Sandbag lunges 100m (20kg / 10kg) — hip mobility and unilateral strength.
- Wall balls 100/75 reps (6kg / 4kg) — aerobic capacity + technical squat.
Between each station you run another 1km. Total: ~8km of running + 8 functional stations. Average times range between 60 and 110 minutes.
The decisive factor: the running
Most beginners underestimate the running. They think Hyrox is “a strength race with running in between.” It’s the opposite — it’s a running race with functional stations in between. If you can’t run 1km at a decent pace already tired, you’ll suffer 8 times.
The good news: Hyrox running isn’t a sprint. It’s a sustainable pace you can hold even after 100 wall balls. The bad news: training that requires running mixed with functional loads, not fasted treadmill running.
What you need to train before signing up
Before paying €99 for the entry, make sure you’ve got:
- Squat with technique — the base for wall balls, sandbag lunges and sled push.
- Hinge pattern (deadlift, kettlebell swing) — the base for sled pull and farmer’s carry.
- Ability to run 5km non-stop — non-negotiable. If you can’t do 5km continuous, you’re not ready for Hyrox.
- Strict pull-up or technical rowing — for SkiErg and rowing you need decent pulling technique.
- Burpees in sets — ability to keep heart rate high without folding.
If this sounds intimidating: good, that’s the signal you need a base phase before thinking about races.
How Be Water covers that base
We’re not a Hyrox affiliate. We don’t have a competition sled with the official surface. We don’t simulate the full race every week. What we have is the engine Hyrox demands:
- Progressive functional strength with squat, deadlift and press, in repeated weekly programming — so you’re measurably stronger month over month.
- Conditioning under fatigue with low-skill, high-cardio circuits — exactly what you’ll feel between Hyrox stations.
- Running with technique work — sets, footwork, aerobic capacity integrated into the plan.
- Plyometrics and power — jumps, throws, sprints. What makes the difference on burpee broad jumps and sled push.
- Physiotherapist on staff — because walking into Hyrox with bad ankle or hip mobility is a recipe for injury on the lunges.
Our programming is described in detail on the Be Water method page. It’s not a Hyrox programme. It’s a complete training system from which Hyrox preparation falls out naturally.
Beginner vs already-raced: different routes
If you’ve never done Hyrox and want to start: your first step isn’t signing up for a race, it’s building 3-6 months of base in functional training. At Be Water you’ll learn the movements, build aerobic capacity and figure out if this is really for you — without the stress of a clock counting against you.
If you’ve already done a Hyrox and want to come back stronger: you already know what you’re missing. It was probably sled push strength, lunge mobility or holding pace on the final run. Our repeated weekly programming solves exactly those gaps — because you can measure progression objectively, week after week.
What Be Water doesn’t give you
Honesty first: if your goal is an elite time, or simulating the full race twice a month, you’ll want an official affiliate in Lisbon with a calibrated sled, certified Hyrox equipment and regular simulations. We’re not that place.
What we are is the place where you build the solid base that makes your later affiliate training productive instead of catastrophic — and where, if you decide Hyrox isn’t for you, you still walk away stronger, more resistant and more mobile than when you started.
Next step
If you want to find out whether Be Water fits your preparation: come to a free trial class, bring training clothes and shoes you can run in. In 60 minutes you’ll know if the methodology makes sense for you. No commitment, no hard sell.
Be Water Lisbon — Av. do Brasil 7, Campo Grande. Monday to Friday 06:30–22:00, Saturday morning.
— Bruno Salgueiro, Founder
