Our First Hyrox: Two Coaches Over 40 Take On Ottawa Open Doubles
In January, I was sick on the couch scrolling through Instagram when I made a decision that would haunt me for 12 weeks. I signed myself and Sean up for Hyrox Ottawa — Open Doubles.
Neither of us had ever done a Hyrox. We're both over 40. We both train about 3 days a week. And we both have careers that don't involve being professional athletes.
So why sign up?
A lot of our Fight Fitness members have been competing in Hyrox events over the past year, and we kept hearing the same thing: "You guys should try it." We figured if we're going to coach people through it, we should probably experience it ourselves first.
I picked Ottawa because it was the soonest available event. Toronto wasn't until October, and I knew if I gave myself that much time, I'd talk myself out of it.
Here's the full race recap — every station, every mistake, and everything we learned along the way.
How We Trained
Once we committed, we built a 12-week hybrid training program. The approach was simple: take our existing 3-day-per-week strength training schedule and layer Hyrox-specific conditioning into it.
We didn't add extra training days. We didn't overhaul our routine. We just made the programming smarter.
Each week included sled work, rowing intervals, wall ball practice, sandbag carries, and burpee broad jumps — all built into our regular training sessions. The idea behind hybrid training is that you don't need a separate program for strength and endurance. You need one program that covers both.
That philosophy is what we teach at Fight Fitness, and Hyrox was the ultimate test of whether it actually works.
HYROX Engine & Armor - 12 Week Program
https://www.trainerize.me/profile/fightfitness/Joe.Hsiung/
Race Day: The Good, The Chaotic, and The Humbling
We drove to Ottawa Thursday evening and stayed at a hotel near the airport. Our start time was Friday.
Pro tip: if you're staying near the Ottawa airport, just walk to the EY Centre. It's about 15 minutes. We didn't know that and paid $10 for parking. Save your money for the post-race meal.
When we got to the venue, the energy was immediately electric. Hyrox events are well-organized, the music is loud, and everyone is either hyped up or quietly terrified. We were both.
Then we went to check in and hit our first problem — they couldn't find our names. Turns out one of us didn't personalize our registration early enough (it was Sean, but we're not pointing fingers). After about 20 minutes of sorting it out with the organizers, they got us a start time.
Lesson #1: Personalize your registration the moment you sign up. Don't wait.
The warm-up area was impressive. They had all the competition equipment available to practice on, which was incredibly helpful for getting a feel for the sled weight and wall ball targets before the actual race.
When they called our wave, we lined up in the start tunnel. The music, the lights, the announcer hyping the crowd — and then you burst out onto the course. That moment alone was worth the entry fee.
Station-by-Station Breakdown
Hyrox consists of 8 workout stations with a 1 km run between each one. At the Ottawa venue, the running loop was about 250 metres, which meant counting our own laps. Having a GPS watch set to running mode was essential for tracking distance.
Quick note: I accidentally started my watch on functional training mode, which doesn't track pace. Switched it to running immediately. Set your watch correctly before you start.
Station 1: Ski Erg — 3:52 (Top 65%)
Started strong. I was fresh, fired up from the start tunnel, and pulling a 1:30 pace. We switched every 250 metres. Coming out of this one feeling warmed up and confident.
Maybe a little too confident.
Station 2: Sled Push — 2:46 (Top 97.6%)
This was our worst station. By far.
I trained sled push during our 12-week program, but I clearly didn't load it heavy enough. The competition surface — a carpeted track — creates way more friction than a gym floor. The sled would slip and stutter instead of gliding smoothly. We switched every lap.
Coming out of the sled push, my calves started cramping. Not a full lockup, but enough to know the race had just gotten real. We were two stations in and my body was already sending warning signals.
Lesson #2: Train your sled push 20% heavier than you think you need to. And if possible, practice on carpet or turf — not smooth gym floors.
Lesson #3: Start your electrolytes early. Don't wait until you're cramping.
Station 3: Sled Pull — 3:53 (Top 85%)
Pulling was actually easier than pushing. The technique is more about finding a rhythm than brute force. One important thing to watch: keep your rope in your own lane. If it drifts into the neighboring station, you can get penalized. Same goes for stepping outside the designated box.
We switched every lap, though I took over the last section so Sean could recover before the next run.
Station 4: Burpee Broad Jumps — 2:37 (Top 34%)
This was our best station, and where being shorter actually paid off. Lower to the ground, quicker turnover, less distance to cover on each rep. I took on most of this station so Sean could bank some recovery.
However, I learned a rule the hard way: your hands have to land within 30 centimetres of your feet on the way down. I was reaching too far forward and got called out by a judge. If you mess up the form, they make you go back and redo the rep. That costs time and momentum.
Lesson #4: Practice proper burpee broad jump form before race day. The 30 cm hand placement rule is strictly enforced.
Coming out of this station, my heart rate was through the roof. This is where the transition zones become important. There's water, electrolytes, and Red Bull available between every station. Our suggestion: walk through the transition and drink. Don't waste time standing around, but don't sprint through either. Use it as active recovery.
Station 5: Rowing — 4:11 (Top 50%)
I jumped in first and pulled 750 metres. Sean jumped in for 250. I brought us home. In hindsight, we should have done one clean switch instead of two — the transitions cost time. But for a first Hyrox, the extra mental break between switches was worth it.
Station 6: Farmers Carry — 1:47 (Top 85%)
Sean took the first half, which was clutch because my heart rate was still spiking from the row. I goofed off a bit while he carried (you'll see it in the video), then picked it up for the back half.
The farmers carry isn't technically difficult, but when your grip is fatigued from 5 previous stations, those handles feel a lot heavier than they should.
Station 7: Sandbag Lunges— 3:19 (Top 49%)
First thing: the sandbags stink. They're soaked in everyone else's sweat and they clearly don't get wiped down between waves. Just prepare yourself mentally for that experience.
I started, we switched in the middle, and I took the last section to bring us home.
Station 8: Wall Balls — 5:31 (Top 90%)
A few important things about wall balls at Hyrox.
First, the entrance to the wall ball station was in a completely different spot than we expected. Pay attention to course markers as you come in from the run. Also, you can't run through the wall ball transition area — we almost got flagged for that.
Second, there's a screen with a digital rep counter that tells you whether each rep counted, whether you hit the target, and whether you squatted deep enough. This is incredibly useful — but only the person throwing can see it. Your partner standing behind you has no view of the screen.
This caused problems for us. I did the first 30 reps. Sean jumped in, but because he couldn't see the counter, a lot of his reps didn't register — either not deep enough or missed the target. On his internal count we should have been at 50, but the screen told a different story. I took back over to get us to the real 50, Sean did another 20, I pushed us to 90, and he finished us out to 100.
Lesson #5: On wall balls, the thrower watches the screen. Always. Your partner counts nothing.
The Finish
We sprinted to the finish line.
Final time: 1:29:52. 284th out of 387 teams overall. 30th in our age group (40-44). Zero penalties.
There's no medal for the open division, but you get a finisher patch — which honestly feels more earned than any medal I've received.
Breaking Down the Numbers
Our station-by-station data tells an interesting story:
Where we were strong:
Burpee Broad Jumps: 2:37 — faster than 86% of teams
Ski Erg: 3:52 — faster than 65% of teams
Sandbag Carry: 3:19 — faster than 51% of teams
Rowing: 4:11 — faster than 50% of teams
Where we struggled:
Sled Push: 2:46 — slower than 97% of teams
Wall Balls: 5:31 — slower than 90% of teams
Running (total): 53:31 — slower than 90% of teams
The takeaway: our workout time was 27:56, which put us in the top 70% of all teams. The stations weren't the problem. Our running and one catastrophic sled push dragged our overall time down by about 200 places.
That's actually encouraging. Running is the most trainable element, and the sled push issue was a surface/preparation problem, not a strength problem. With targeted improvement in those two areas, our next time drops significantly.
What We'd Do Differently
Three things:
1. Train the sled push on competition surfaces. We were 370th out of 387 on this station. The carpet creates friction you can't simulate on a smooth gym floor. Next time, we're loading heavier and practicing on turf or carpet.
2. Run more between training sessions. Our running was bottom 10% while our stations were top 70%. That gap is entirely fixable with 2-3 steady-state runs per week added to the training program.
3. Develop a wall ball communication strategy. One person throws and watches the counter. The other person rests and counts completed sets. No more guessing. No more lost reps.
10 Tips for Your First Hyrox
If you're thinking about signing up, here's everything we wish we knew going in:
Personalize your registration immediately. Don't wait. We almost didn't race because of a registration issue.
Check your parking situation. If the venue is walkable from your hotel, save the parking fee.
Train the sled push heavier than you think. The competition surface creates more resistance than your gym floor.
Set your watch to running mode before the race starts. You need to track your own laps. Functional training mode doesn't track pace.
Use the transition zones. Walk, drink water or electrolytes, and recover. Don't waste these opportunities, but don't stand around either.
On wall balls, the thrower watches the rep counter. Your partner can't see it. Don't rely on internal counting.
Burpee broad jumps have a 30 cm hand placement rule. Hands stay close to your feet on the way down or they'll make you redo the rep.
Start your electrolytes early. Don't wait for cramps. Once they start, it's hard to recover mid-race.
Do doubles for your first Hyrox. It's more fun, more forgiving, and you'll actually want to do it again.
You don't need to train 6 days a week. We trained 3 days a week with a hybrid program. It was enough to finish with zero penalties and competitive station times. Smart programming beats volume.
Would We Do It Again?
Without question. We're already looking at Hyrox Toronto in October.
The event itself is incredibly well-organized. The energy from the crowd, the other competitors, and the volunteers is contagious. The format is challenging but manageable — especially in doubles where you can trade off and recover.
If you're a Fight Fitness member and you've been curious about Hyrox, talk to us. We've now been through it, we know what to train for, and we can help you prepare. We're also developing Hyrox-specific programming that you can follow at the gym.
And if you're not a member yet — we're always welcoming new people. Whether your goal is Hyrox, fat loss, martial arts, or just staying fit enough to keep up with your kids, our door is open.
Watch the full video race recap: https://youtu.be/2PUiXv8JnDE
