Hyrox is one of the most masters-friendly fitness races in the world. The race format doesn't change with age; the weights and the finish categories do. That means a 52-year-old can train for the same event their 28-year-old training partner is doing, and finish on the same start line.
But the training has to change. Aerobic capacity, recovery rate, and muscle protein synthesis all decline with age. The athletes who race well at masters do less of the wrong work and more of the right work.
The masters categories at Hyrox
HYROX uses five-year age bands throughout, not only for masters: Under 24 (16-24), then 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59 and onwards in five-year increments to 85-89. Each band has its own ranking, so you are placed against others within your own bracket rather than against the overall field.
| Age band | Ranked against | Loads | |---|---|---| | Under 24 (16-24) | Others in the band | Division standard | | 25-29, 30-34, 35-39 | Others in the band | Division standard | | 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59 | Others in the band | Division standard | | 60-64 and up, in five-year steps to 85-89 | Others in the band | Division standard |
The third column is the point of the table: it never changes.
Masters weights are not scaled. This is worth stating plainly because it is widely believed, and an earlier version of this page repeated it. The 26/27 singles rulebook contains no age-based weight schedule of any kind. A 62-year-old in Men's Open pushes the same 152 kg sled, carries the same 2 x 24 kg kettlebells and throws the same 6 kg wall ball to the same 3.00 m target as a 25-year-old in Men's Open.
Age groups decide your ranking, not your loads. Two age rules do exist: athletes may race the Pro divisions up to and including the 80+ brackets, and for World Championship qualification athletes aged 60 and above qualify via the Open division only.
The training consequence is the real point of this page. Since the race does not get lighter, absolute strength matters more with each year, not less. See HYROX age groups for the full bands.
The practical upshot: a strong 55-year-old isn't competing against 25-year-olds. They're competing against other 55-year-olds with similar weights and similar pacing standards.
What changes after 40
Three physiological shifts that matter for Hyrox training:
1. Aerobic capacity declines with age if you do nothing about it. Training slows that decline substantially, and the good news is that most of your engine is preservable well into your sixties. The training that does it is intense, brief and infrequent rather than long and constant. We are not going to put a number on the rate here, because the honest answer is that it varies enormously between individuals and the tidy figures quoted online do not survive contact with the research.
2. Recovery time between hard sessions extends. A 28-year-old can do hard sessions back-to-back. A 48-year-old needs 48-72 hours between similar efforts. Stacking hard days is the fastest way to get hurt.
3. Connective tissue (tendons, ligaments) adapts slower than muscle. Strength comes back faster than tendons can support it. A common masters injury pattern is tendinopathy from a programme that loaded muscle correctly but underestimated tendon adaptation time. Build slow.
The masters training week
For most masters athletes targeting a finish (not a podium), 4-5 sessions per week is the sweet spot. Sample:
- Mon: Hyrox-specific intervals: 4×500 m run + sled push between. 50 min.
- Tue: Easy aerobic run or cycle, 40-60 min. Heart rate < 140 bpm.
- Wed: Strength: trap bar deadlift, single-leg work, push-press, accessory pulling. 50 min.
- Thu: Active recovery: mobility, walk, easy swim, or full rest day.
- Fri: Wall ball + farmer carry combo session, 35-45 min.
- Sat: Race simulation OR long easy aerobic (75-90 min). Alternate weekly.
- Sun: Rest or easy walk.
Compare that to a typical 30-year-old plan: same number of sessions, but the rest days are properly off rather than active. The hard sessions are spaced two days apart minimum.
Strength training matters more, not less
After 40, sarcopenia (muscle loss) starts to compound. The single most protective intervention is heavy strength training, twice per week, year-round. For Hyrox masters specifically:
- Heavy hinge. Deadlift or trap-bar deadlift, 3-4 sets of 3-5 reps, twice per week. This protects your sled push, your wall ball, and your spine.
- Single-leg work. Bulgarian split squat, step-ups, lunges. Asymmetries get worse with age; single-leg work catches them.
- Pulling. Pull-ups (assisted or unassisted), rows, face-pulls. The pull volume in Hyrox racing exceeds most masters athletes' baseline; you'll feel it during the sled pull station otherwise.
What to skip: max-effort lifting (anything above 90% of 1RM). The return is small; the joint cost is high.
Recovery is the limiter
The single most-asked question at our coaching calls from masters athletes: "Should I train through this tiredness or rest?"
Rule of thumb: if you wake up two consecutive mornings with a resting heart rate 10+ beats above baseline, rest for two days. If you wake up with a sore joint that wasn't sore before, rest the joint for three days minimum (cross-train other body parts).
Sleep is the recovery lever. Eight hours is the target for a masters athlete in a hard training block, and short sleep is the single most reliable way to train hard and adapt badly. If you have to choose between an early alarm for a session and another ninety minutes in bed, in a heavy week the sleep is usually worth more.
Nutrition shifts
A few quiet truths for the masters athlete:
- Protein needs are higher per kg of body weight. Aim for 1.6-2.0 g per kg per day during a training block. Most masters athletes are under-eating protein.
- Carbohydrate around training is still high-value. Don't go ultra-low-carb during a Hyrox build; you'll under-recover.
- Alcohol becomes more expensive. A night's drinking costs you more of the following day's session than it did at twenty-five, and it costs you more of the night's sleep as well. That is worth planning around in a build rather than discovering in week nine.
Race day for masters
Pacing matters more than at any other age. The masters athletes who blow up at race-day are the ones who started station one at 90% effort. The masters athletes who finish strong started at 75% and held it.
Mental shift: you're racing the back half. Save legs for the wall ball, save grip for the farmer's carry, save lungs for the last 1 km run.
The honest summary
You can race Hyrox at any age the federation will admit you to (it's wide). The training is different from what worked at 28. Less volume, more sleep, more strength, fewer all-out sessions, more disciplined recovery.
The masters athletes who race best are the ones who treat the training as a long game. Eighteen months of sensible work outperforms twelve weeks of trying to feel young again. Your future self at 60 thanks you for the boring base sessions.
Related
[ FAQ ]
Frequently asked
Is Hyrox safe over 50?
For most healthy adults with a base of regular training, yes. Get a GP sign-off if you have heart, joint, or metabolic conditions. The masters categories are designed to make race-day weights manageable so most age-related injury risk comes from over-training in the build, not the race itself.
What's the difference between Masters and Open?
The race is identical and so are the weights. There is no age-based weight scaling in the rulebook at all. What age groups give you is a separate ranking: five-year bands running from Under 24 up to 85-89, with your band set by your age on race day.
How many days a week should I train at 50+?
Three quality sessions plus two easy aerobic days works for most. Four hard sessions per week is the point most masters athletes start over-training. Sleep matters more than the extra session.
Do I need a coach?
Not strictly. A structured 12-week plan plus a willingness to skip a session when you're tired will out-perform a hard-driving coach who pushes you when you should be resting.
Written by
The Suth Performance teamCoaches and editors
The Suth Performance programming team, led by HYROX Elite 15 athlete Ben Sutherland. They write the training, technique and race-day guides on this site, and Ben reviews every one before it is published.
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