How To Become An Elite Hyrox Athlete with Greg Williams
The Progress Theory
Exploring Hyrox Fascination and Elite Athlete Interviews
Delve into the speaker's journey from fascination with Hyrox to starting a podcast, interviewing athletes, and discovering the appeal of Hyrox as a data-driven running event with global growth.
Hello and welcome to the progress theory, where we discuss scientific principles for optimising human performance.
In this episode, we are joined by Hyrox athlete and the host of the Roxlyfe podcast, Greg Williams. Now, Hyrox is a functional fitness event which is gaining massively in popularity. It involves running and functional fitness stations and seems to be very popular with the hybrid, crossfit and running communities. Greg on his Roxlyfe podcast has interviewed many of the elite athletes, so I wanted to speak to him to find out exactly what it takes to reach the elite level of Hyrox.
In this episode, we discuss:
- 2:13 - The genesis of the RoxLyfe podcast
- 4:20 - What is Hyrox?
- 11:05 - How Greg Trains for Hyrox
- 13:18 - How much strength do you need?
- 14:27 - transitioning from being a sprinter to Hyrox
- 17:30 - What separates the elites from the rest
- 24:40 - Mindset & pressure is a privilege
- 31:37 - Importance of structuring your year
- 37:50 - Where to start training for hyrox
- 42:58 - The future of Hyrox
Key Thoughts
- Elite Athlete Performance: "I think there's some people that just don't deal with that very well. And the elites of the sport do."
- Taking Risks in Sport: "You've got to take risks. And like you said, you can convince yourself you're pushing yourself hard, but not going quite as hard as you can."
- Overcoming Fear in sports: "I think it can be taught or practised. And I think some of it is just like not tying yourself or your happiness to the outcome or the final time or your position."
- Race data analysis: "Often it's the running, because that's essentially 50% of the race. That is a major factor."
- Elite Athletes' Season Structure: "I think there's a level of maturity in someone like Hunter and some of the other experienced athletes with how they structure their season."
- Elite Racing Strategies: "He knows he can probably run one race and qualify, whereas there's others that are trying to get a time in a regular race to qualify for those majors to then try and qualify for the world championships through those majors."
- Quote: "But certainly running is the critical element for most people in the race. Compromise running, I should say. So getting to a point where they're comfortable with that over that sort of time domain as well, is the most important thing."
- The Importance of Experience in Endurance Racing: "And there is a huge amount to be said for experience and pacing properly, all that sort of stuff. Most people vastly overestimate their ability in a race."
- The Global Expansion of Functional Fitness Events: "From a business perspective, it seemingly is continuing to grow rapidly, and I think that's deliberate. I don't know how they're doing profit wise, but I think they're really trying to make an imprint in as many countries as possible."
- Professionalising a Sport: "They want them to become professional, they want them to be able to get their own sponsorship, and they're facilitating that through a doing quite high quality, in theory, like broadcast and live streams of those elite races."
Follow our Host / Guest
For all our other episodes and to get in touch, please visit www.theprogresstheory.com.
Thanks for listening!
All rights reserved. © The Progress Theory & KULT Media LTD 2025
Mentioned in this episode:
Progress Theory Newsletter
Do you want the latest information on how to optimise human physical and mental performance sent straight to your email? Subscribe to the free Progress Theory newsletter on Substack where you will receive the latest research and recommendations on how to optimise your performance each week. Head to the show notes and click the link where you can sign up today. https://theprogresstheory.substack.com/ Don’t miss out.
HMN24 HYDRATE
Hydrate by HMN24, Hydrate is a fast and effective formula to improve hydration by replacing fluid and body salts after an intense training session or after a long night’s sleep. Each sachet contains an optimal ratio of sodium, potassium and magnesium to improve cellular hydration. I highly recommend the citrus flavour, which I always take immediately upon waking. It really sets my day up perfectly. Head to HMN24.com where you can get a month’s supply of 30 sachets and use the code PHIL10 at checkout for 10% off.
Podcast Produced By KULT Media
Before we wrap up, I want to give a shout-out and my thanks to my production partner, Kult Media. If you are thinking of launching a podcast or want to grow your audience, head to www.kult.media to get started today.
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
