Last Friday morning, the outdoor track at Aberdeen Sports Village looked a little different.
Two of our ASV instructors, Sarah Simpson and Tracy Stainer, took on a HYROX-style endurance test with Total Endurance coach Kevin Watson, ahead of this weekend’s HYROX 2.0 simulation event at ASV.
Over the course of the morning, they completed progressive running efforts on the track, while key endurance markers such as VO₂ max, sustainable pace, and recovery response were measured and analysed.
Small blood samples were taken after each effort to assess how their bodies produced and cleared lactate, helping build a clear picture of aerobic capacity, energy use, and sustainable race pace.
This was followed by a breakdown of what their results revealed about performance, pacing, and recovery in hybrid racing.
It offered a real insight into what HYROX demands and why success depends on more than strength alone or simple running speed.
HYROX performance is about balance
HYROX blends running with challenging workout stations such as sled pushes, lunges, and wall balls. Athletes repeat this pattern again and again across the race.
It means the body must manage effort over a long period, recover quickly between stations, and hold a steady pace under fatigue.
Kevin explained that while many people train HYROX as a short explosive event, it behaves much more like an endurance race with strength built in. Athletes who perform best are usually those who can stay close to their sustainable pace for the majority of the race rather than starting fast and fading.
What Sarah and Tracy’s testing revealed
Both Sarah and Tracy train regularly and have strong fitness levels. Their results showed how differently the body can respond to HYROX-style demands.
Sarah showed strong power and a solid aerobic base but tends to fatigue quicker when efforts start too hard. With targeted endurance work, she has plenty of room to raise her sustainable race pace and recover more effectively between stations.
Tracy showed excellent efficiency and consistency across efforts. Her body manages energy well, allowing her to hold pace comfortably. Building overall aerobic capacity would help unlock more speed while keeping that strong efficiency.
The session highlighted that two athletes can be equally fit yet need very different training approaches to improve performance.
Turning effort into smarter training
The biggest lesson from the morning was the value of understanding how the body works under hybrid demands.
Rather than guessing pace or pushing every session to exhaustion, athletes can:
- Train with clearer purpose
- Pace efforts more consistently
- Recover better between hard blocks
- Progress without burning out
It shifts training from simply working hard to training with intention.
The value of specialist insight
The work of Total Endurance focuses on helping athletes understand how their body responds to endurance and hybrid demands.
By breaking down pacing, recovery, and energy use in a clear and practical way, the testing showed how personalised endurance coaching can turn general training into targeted improvement. It also highlighted the growing role of data-led insight in helping athletes of all levels train more effectively and avoid common performance plateaus.
For those interested in the work carried out by Kevin and the team, more information about Total Endurance and their coaching approach can be found on their website.
Bringing hybrid training to life at ASV
With indoor and outdoor tracks, large functional spaces, and a wide range of strength and conditioning equipment, ASV provides the space to combine running and workout stations in ways that reflect real race demands.
Our expert-led HYROX sessions, simulation events, and coached training are helping build a strong hybrid fitness community where people can test themselves, learn, and improve together.
Sarah and Tracy will both be leading this Sunday’s HYROX 2.0 simulation event at ASV, supporting participants through a challenging but motivating experience.
For anyone curious about hybrid racing or looking to take their training to the next level, it is an exciting time to get involved.
