Online HYROX
Coaching
Run faster. Get stronger. Race HYROX better.
Personalised HYROX coaching that brings structured running, strength, conditioning, station work and race strategy into one plan. Your programme is built around your current fitness, experience, available training time, strengths and weaknesses, and the race you are working towards.
Individual & Doubles Coaching • Personalised Programming • Direct Coach Support
The problem
HYROX isn't just running. And it isn't just strength.
A HYROX result comes from eight qualities working together: running speed, aerobic endurance, strength, muscular endurance, compromised running, efficient stations, pacing and fatigue management. Neglect one and it shows up in the second half of the race.
Most athletes plateau because their week is a series of hard, unrelated workouts. Random circuits build tolerance for random circuits. They rarely build a faster 1km split or a sled push that leaves your legs able to run.
Good HYROX training is structured and progressive: qualities developed in the right order, at the right intensity, then integrated as your race approaches. That is what coaching is for.
- Running speed
- Aerobic endurance
- Strength
- Muscular endurance
- Compromised running
- Efficient stations
- Pacing
- Fatigue management
What we train
Everything your HYROX performance depends on
Running performance
Aerobic capacity, threshold, speed and running economy — the qualities behind faster 1km splits.
Compromised running
Running efficiently after sleds, lunges, burpees and wall balls, when form and rhythm are hardest to hold.
Strength
The force and durability required for sled push and pull, carries, lunges and wall balls.
HYROX stations
Technique, efficiency and station-specific capacity, so each station costs you less time and less energy.
Race pacing
A realistic plan for run splits and station intensity, rehearsed in training rather than guessed on the day.
Endurance
Aerobic durability so your performance in the last four stations resembles the first four.
How coaching works
Your training. Built around you.
Tell me your goal
A questionnaire and consultation covering your race, training history, current fitness and weekly schedule.
Your programme is built
Personalised running, strength and HYROX programming that fits the days and equipment you actually have.
Train & give feedback
Complete your sessions and tell me how they felt. Data plus context beats data alone.
Your training adapts
Programming evolves with your progress, fatigue and life — including the weeks that do not go to plan.
Race with a plan
Arrive with clear pacing targets, a station strategy and a warm-up you have already practised.
Included
What's included in HYROX coaching
- Personalised HYROX training programme
- Structured running sessions
- Strength and conditioning programming
- HYROX station-specific work
- Compromised running sessions
- Training load management
- Direct WhatsApp support
- Regular programme updates
- Session-by-session feedback
- Race pacing strategy
- Race-week and race-day preparation
- General fuelling and recovery guidance
- Training adjusted around niggles and setbacks
Coaching covers training, performance and preparation. It does not include medical assessment, injury treatment or individual dietetic prescription — where those are needed, I will point you towards the right professional.
Formats
Individual & HYROX doubles coaching
Individual HYROX coaching
Built entirely around one athlete: your fitness, your schedule, your weak links and the finish time you are chasing. Everything is prioritised by what will move your result most.
- Personalised running and strength programming
- Work targeted at your strengths and weaknesses
- Individual race pacing plan
- Station-by-station strategy
- Direct coach support between sessions
HYROX doubles coaching
Two athletes following two separate plans is not a doubles strategy. Doubles coaching programmes the pair as a team, so your strengths cover each other's weaknesses and your race plan is one plan, not two.
- Shared race strategy
- Station allocation and work splits
- Pacing built for two engines
- Complementary strength and running focus
- Team-specific sessions and transitions
- Race-day rehearsal for the pair
Who it's for
HYROX coaching for every level
First-time HYROX athletes
Build the running fitness, strength foundations and structure you need to reach your first start line prepared rather than hopeful.
Intermediate athletes
Fix the weak areas holding your time back and become more efficient across the full event, especially in the back half.
Competitive athletes
Sharpen running speed, station performance, pacing and race-specific conditioning when the margins are small.
You do not need to be elite, or already fit, to be coached. You need a race you care about and the willingness to train consistently.
Your coach
Meet Marcus
Marcus Sladden is the founder and coach behind Ryse — a running and HYROX performance coach with an applied sport science background, HYROX Level 1 qualification and over 15 years in training and coaching, from personal training and strength coaching through to endurance performance.
A former sprint athlete who moved into endurance sport and now runs a 2:54 marathon, Marcus works across both sides of HYROX rather than specialising in one. That matters in a race that rewards athletes who can run fast and still move a sled.
Coaching that makes you a better athlete — not a more dependent one.
Marcus has coached complete beginners and experienced endurance athletes, and the philosophy is the same for both: you should understand your training, not simply complete it. More on his background on the coaching page.
Philosophy
Understand your training, not just your programme
Anyone can send you sessions. The athletes who keep improving are the ones who know why a session is prescribed, how hard it should feel, when to push and when to back off, and how their running and strength work fit together.
So every block comes with the reasoning behind it. Over a season you stop guessing — and you keep making decisions long after the coaching ends.
Results
Coaching built around progress
HYROX coaching is the newest part of Ryse, so the results below come from Marcus's running and endurance athletes — the same coaching approach that underpins the HYROX programmes.
“Marcus is knowledgeable, approachable and an experienced coach. Since training with Marcus I have knocked 4 minutes off my 10k time, improved in technique and confidence and he is now helping me prepare for my first marathon. His thought process behind each session is thoroughly explained.”
“I have shaved off almost 4 minutes from my 5K in the last 3 months and feel that I understand how my body adapts to each run, whether that's interval training or easy runs. Marcus explains every session as well as how it fits the overall programme.”
“If you are looking for a coach who will adapt your training to fit into your lifestyle then he is your man. I was living overseas at the time, which didn't cause any issues as we communicated virtually. Knowledgeable, approachable, and he makes you feel like an athlete.”
HYROX training explained
What does HYROX training actually involve?
A properly structured HYROX training plan balances eight ingredients across the week: easy running, threshold running, intervals, strength, station work, compromised running, race-specific sessions and genuine recovery. Each one develops something different, and each one competes for the same energy.
Not every session should replicate a full race. Simulations are useful occasionally — for pacing, transitions and confidence — but they are a test, not a training method. Test too often and you never build the qualities being tested.
Early blocks develop individual qualities: aerobic base, strength, technique on each station. As your race gets closer, those qualities are integrated — running paired with sleds, wall balls before a 1km, longer race-specific blocks — so the work you have done shows up on the day. Read more in the Ryse blog.
Why running matters
HYROX is a running race too
You cover 8 x 1km on the way round, which for most athletes is the single largest share of their finish time. Improving running economy, threshold pace and durability under fatigue tends to pay back across every one of those splits — and it makes the stations feel easier, because you arrive at them under less stress.
That is why HYROX running training carries real weight in every Ryse programme. Not endless mileage, and not only intervals: a structured mix of easy volume, threshold work and compromised running, sized to the time you have and progressed in a way your strength training can survive.
If running is your weakest link, that is usually the fastest place to find time. If it is already strong, the job is protecting it while you build the strength the stations demand. Ryse also offers dedicated online running coaching if a race on the road or track is your main goal.
FAQs
HYROX coaching questions
What is online HYROX coaching?+
It is remote, personalised coaching built around your race. You get a structured HYROX training plan covering running, strength, conditioning and station work, delivered to your phone, with direct support from your coach. Your programme is reviewed and adjusted from your session feedback rather than staying fixed for months.
How many days per week do I need to train for HYROX?+
Most athletes progress well on three to five sessions a week. Consistency matters more than volume, so your plan is written around the days you can genuinely commit to. With more time available we add quality and specificity, not simply more hard sessions.
Is HYROX coaching suitable for beginners?+
Yes, and a good number of Ryse athletes start there. First-time athletes usually need running fitness, sound strength foundations and familiarity with the stations, which is exactly what the first block builds. You do not need to be elite or exceptionally fit to begin.
Do I need access to every HYROX machine?+
No. Very few gyms have a full HYROX setup, so your programme uses effective substitutes for the ski erg, sled and rower. Where you do have occasional access, we schedule the station-specific work for those days so the equipment time is well spent.
Can you coach HYROX Doubles teams?+
Yes — HYROX doubles coaching is programmed for the pair rather than as two separate plans. Station allocation is set around your relative strengths, pacing and transitions are planned together, and team-specific sessions mean race day feels rehearsed rather than improvised.
How much running should I do for HYROX?+
Enough that 8km of running under fatigue is not the thing that decides your race. For most athletes that means two to three focused running sessions a week plus compromised running, balanced against strength work and recovery. The exact split depends on your background and where your time is being lost.
Will I still strength train?+
Yes. HYROX strength training is central, because sleds, carries, lunges and wall balls demand force and durability. Lifting is programmed to support your running rather than compete with it, so heavy days and hard running days are placed deliberately.
Can HYROX coaching work around my existing gym schedule?+
It can. If you train at set times, in classes, or with a strength coach already, your programme is written around that. The aim is to turn what you already do into a coherent plan rather than ask you to abandon it.
How far ahead of my HYROX race should I start coaching?+
Twelve to sixteen weeks is ideal: enough time to build fitness, then sharpen race-specific work. Shorter runways still work — the focus shifts towards pacing, station efficiency and race preparation rather than building new capacity. If your race is further out, we use the extra time for base and strength.
Ready to perform better at HYROX?
Whether you are preparing for your first HYROX or chasing a faster finish time, your training should be built around you.
Tell me where you are now, where you want to get to and when you're racing.