Hyrox - London, Manchester & Olympia Wins!

Natalie Lawrence, Profeet Ambassador, Mum of Four and former Professional Triathlete shares her newly found passion for HYROX.

The triathlon season is a long one…

Not surprisingly, the monotony of training can kick-in frequently throughout the year – there’s no getting away from it. As a way of encouraging both myself, and the athletes that I coach, to stay fresh and motivated in the off-season (winter months), it is a cool idea to focus on different sports and challenges. HYROX is a great way to supplement the usual triathlon training.

For those who are not familiar with HYROX (which stands for Hybrid Rockstars), the format is a 1km run followed by a ‘functional station’ x 8 times! The functional station includes: SkiErg (simulating skiing), Sled Push, Sled Pull, Burpee Broad Jumps, Rowing, Farmer’s carry with kettlebells and Sandbag lunes. It is a high-octane mix of challenge and brutality!

It encompasses both aerobic fitness with strength and power. A perfect mix to cater for all levels of abilities and to enable the participant to get fitter in both their cardiovascular and muscular strength/endurance.

To get HYROX fit…

I do strength and conditioning 4 – 5 times weekly anyway to ensure that I remain injury-free. In these sessions, I aim to home-in on the weaker muscle groups that are not always focussed on in other training. This also helps to maintain bone strength and muscle tone – especially important as I head nearer and nearer to my 40s and perimenopause!

So for me, adopting HYROX training was a great short-term focus as well as a challenge into an unfamiliar arena. As I say to my athletes “Do something that almost scares you a little” to get out of your comfort zone and learn a new sport or something that will push you.

Lets talk about footwear

I will never do a gym session or a run without the custom insoles that I have had made for me at the Profeet Lab. I have a history of stress fractures and shin splints due to the nuances of my ‘podiatry’, so it is without question that I will only train with the insoles in each trainer.

The trainers that I use for my everyday runs and Parkruns are the Adidas Boston – I like these trainers beacuse they are lightweight, stable, but still offer some bounce and support with their Custom Triple Carbon Rods on the sole. They are a great all-rounder shoe without breaking the bank.

For some gym sessions and shorter runs, both on road and treadmill, I have been using the New Balance FuelCell Rebel V5, which are a cushioned and lightweight shoe without the carbon plate. It is important to stress that most  training should be performed without carbon-plated trainers. This is for a few reasons: mostly because it can lead to musculoskeletal weaknesses, injury from altered mechanics, and the reduced durability of the shoes. Carbon-plated shoes are generally more expensive and have a shorter shelf life than most trainers – it becomes an expensive hobby!

Race day footwear…

Without fail, my race trainer of choice, whether it is HYROX or marathon, is the New Balance Supercomp Elite V5 carbon plated trainer. I chose these trainers for HYROX because they are lightweight, springy (especially useful on the burpees and the lunges), and also fairly easy to get in/out of the foot plates on the rower. The slight disadvantages are that the grip on the sole is not very strong, so on shiny or wet surfaces such as the water areas, you can run the risk of slipping. Due to the heel depth and design of the shoe itself, the Wall Balls can be a little more challenging as they can rock when performing the squat, however, the rules do state that you can take your shoes off for wall balls!

Both the Adidas Boston and the Fuel Cell Rebel V5 trainers come up true to sizing. I find that you need to add an extra half a size when buying the Supercomp Elite V5 carbon shoe.

What’s next

My next focus is the Marathon, returning to Triathlon thereafter with Ironman Portugal on the horizon in October, with the aim to qualify for the World Champs in Kona 2027.

From all of us at Profeet: thanks, Natalie for your expert knowledge, tried and tested in the field,Look and good luck with your next challanges!

Action Mum, Natalie, successfully combines sports competition with family life!