Competing in my first Hyrox competition two years postpartum - what I learnt along the way!
September 2025 in Rome and a cool 25 degrees outside. I’m 2 years postpartum on my third child and I found myself standing at the start line about to burst into tears. Not tears of worry or anxiety, but tears of pride and what I had done to get to that moment. Hyrox wasn’t just another fitness craze I was jumping on board with, it was a personal milestone that represented patience, persistence, and a lot of self-compassion along the way - so here is what I learnt!
Firstly, what is Hyrox?
Hyrox stands for ‘Hybrid Rockstars’ (cringe I know) and is a fitness challenge combining both running & functional exercises.
Here is the breakdown:
1km run
1km ski-erg
1km run
50m sled push
1km run
50m sled pull
1km run
80m burpee broad jumps
1km run
100m sandbag lunges
1km run
1km row
1km run
200m farmers carry
1km run
100 wall balls
You don’t need to know what all these are, but do know that doing each of these exercises on their own is challenging, but doing it under fatigue (from the running) makes it even harder, so training is quite specific! We split each station into halves or quarters, but you have to do all the running together.
The mental preparation
The first step for me wasn’t the training, it was mental preparation. I knew that life of self-employment and with kids means unpredictable nights and general exhaustion.
So instead of chasing the ‘perfect’ training plan (there isn’t one), I gave myself a longer lead time (6 months), building in space for inevitable disruption in the plan but also doing it properly and not rushing it.
That mindset shift, to expect inconsistency while trying to be consistent (juxtaposition I know), helped me stay on track without the guilt of missed sessions or had to taper back due to tiredness or stress.
Listening to your body (and your pelvic floor)
One of my biggest priorities was respecting my body where it was at. Even as a PT, at 2 years post my third birth I still have set backs. Fatigue, sleepless nights, busy mum duties and work days meant that I was often more tired physically than I realised.
I admit, it would annoy me if I had to taper back my training intensity, I’m only human! But I would remind myself that it’s not ALWAYS about progress, it’s about showing up and keeping the consistency overall.
Often we can beat ourselves up if we don’t see progress all the time, but with everything I was juggling, it’s near on impossible to always progress. It’s not linear or ever that simple. So showing up and giving what I could on the day was key, and that was a humbling moment.
After 3 births, supporting my pelvic floor is non-negotiable. Not only 8km of running takes its toll impact wise, but the burpee broad jumps (involving a double footed jump and land) is also a lot of impact for the joints and pelvic floor. Same when I trained for a half marathon at 15 months postpartum, I promised myself that if I noticed symptoms or warning signs when I pushed too hard, I’d ease back.
During my pregnancies I had an on/off hypertonic (overactive pelvic floor) and sometimes it returns postpartum in times of stress, fatigue and increased training load. Managing it was key, ensuring that I wasn’t ignoring symptoms of heaviness (yes you still get it with an overactive pelvic floor) and tapering back where I needed too. It wasn’t about proving toughness or always striving for faster, harder or heavier, it was about building resilience in a sustainable way that meant I didn’t cause injury but stayed ‘steady Eddie’ pace with the training without burnout.
Training with a purpose - but also respecting who I was for the other 23 other hours a day
My training focus at the start was simple: strength first and foremost. Even though I had this competition ahead, I still had to function for everyday life with kids so my training had to match that too. I couldn’t push to fatigue or make massive sacrifices in my daily life for the sake of training. If I did I would then struggle to recover, it would wipe me out so I couldn’t parent. I made sure I struck a balance and it meant making some sacrifices.
For the first 3 months, I roughly aimed for the following each week:
3-4 strength sessions per week
30-40ish minutes depending on my day ahead, diary, energy levels and general ‘how much can I be bothered for’
The split was lower, upper, lower (for 3 day weeks) and an additional upper for 4 days weeks. I prefer to split my training as I like to focus on sections of the body, but full body would work here too and I sometimes did that split as well
Each session would end with some sort of cardio - rowing, skiing, running or a few of the exercises like burpee plate jumps (build up the double leg impact) or wall balls
One run (steady pace between 5-8k) and trying to better my pace on each one
One Hyrox workshop (1 hour)
NB: I have built up to 6 training days over 2 years. Trust me it didn’t start with that, it started with 1-2 days a wee for a few minutes, then built up.
It wasn’t flashy, but it built the base I needed. There were some weeks I didn’t even do one strength session but I didn’t beat myself up because I knew I had plenty of time but also I wasn’t losing any progress I’d already built by missing a few sessions!
Then, in the final three months, I shifted the balance:
Moving to three runs per week (tempo, long and recovery). I used the Runna app (use this code for 2 weeks free RUNNA43ZKI0X) to map out the runs for me - would definitely recommend as they allocated a longer run, a tempo/interval run and a recovery run so overall increasing my pace
2 strength sessions (full body)
Two Hyrox workshops.
It was a lot on my body but I’d built up to this routine over 6 months. So gradually added more intensity into my week. The Hyrox sessions are more intense on the body so I had to keep my stregnth up, but also consistently doing Hyrox style classes would have burnt me out. I simply couldn’t recover from them as well as I could the runs or strength training. This isn’t the only way to train, its just the balance I struck.
Fuelling for the work
One of the biggest changes I made was in how I fuelled my body. Pre-kids, I often coasted through training without giving food much thought. But postpartum, with less recovery time, working on less sleep and a working with heavier training loads, nutrition has become essential. Through nutritional advice from a local dietician Orla Walsh I learned to tailor my eating to my sessions and my performance sky rocketed.
I first spoke to her when training for the half marathon in December 2024 and I was drastically under fuelling for my daily energy output. Now I focus on adequate protein on training days and more carbs on cardio-heavy or Hyrox-focused days to give me the energy so my legs don’t get that familiar heavy feeling we all know.
That shift in fuelling not only helped my performance, but my energy levels too overall.
“Stepping onto the start line at two years postpartum wasn’t just about ticking a box of doing a Hyrox, it was about showing myself that postpartum you can do hard things”
The mental trade off
Swapping out my usual 3-4 strength sessions to 2 felt very strange and initially I didn’t like it as I felt my strength was plateauing - but once again, reminded myself that I was training for an event. Increased running and decreased strength training always has the same affect in my body. But I can’t train for strength gains AND a hybrid competition in the small windows of time I have to exercise, unless I do double exercise days, which I don’t recommend.
Training this way wasn’t for life, it was for a purpose. So when the competition is over I can reframe my workouts back to my 3-4 strength sessions schedule.
What surprised me most wasn’t the physical training, but the mental side of missing my usual strength work. I missed seeing measurable progress. It felt frustrating to pull back but also if I missed a day due to tiredness or fatigue. My training didn’t disappear, it simply shifted to being more hybrid.
Accountability
Like all challenges, holding myself accountable to someone or something is key. You need that hype-person and for me it was my friend Vicky who I did it with. After every Hyrox-focused workout or run we would message one another to say complete.
This not only was a great way to cheer one another on when we weren’t together, but also to boost my motivation levels even on the days I felt I couldn’t be bothered. Prepping for these sorts of challenges alone doesn’t need to be lonely!
Vicky also has two children, so on days I missed a session she understood. She had my back and encouraged me that I was right to take my foot off the gas when I needed too - and I was the same for her. Having someone who’s in the thick of it and sharing their experience with you helps more than someone who doesn’t know what it’s like to train around busy schedules and kids.
Race day
By the time race day arrived, I wasn’t just proud of the physical preparation I’d put in, I was proud of the patience it took to get there. I didn’t focus on the missed workouts or sessions, I focused on the ones I DID do. The pressure I put my body under to get there, the sessions I dreaded but still showed up too and gave what I had (not always my all).
Stepping onto the start line at two years postpartum wasn’t just about ticking a box of doing a Hyrox, it was about showing myself that postpartum you can do hard things, it will look different to before kids, and that’s ok, but motherhood doesn’t mean the end of pushing yourself, it’s merely a moment in time where we have to give ourselves more patience and grace to reach our goals. But you get there!
Final thoughts…
Nobody cares about your finishing time, including me. I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do it, that I was able for it. Think about how many members of your family or friendship circle have done one? probably not that many. How many have done it postpartum? Probably not that many.
I want to reshape how we see motherhood as ‘the end of you’ to being ‘accepting of new challenges’. Don’t ever downplay your achievements, celebrate the steps, the process and the result - whatever it is! You don’t have to make huge sacrifices to achieve to take on new challenges with exercise, its about a plan and building consistency to get you there.
Need help starting your exercise journey?
The Postnatal Core & Strength Program is available for you to join today. It contains a series of follow along videos starting from 10 minutes and builds to 25 minutes. These workouts are designed to help restore your core post birth, through breath work, Pilates style exercises and mobility. We then build to more challenging exercises and re-introduce cardio.
A pilates & strength focused program specifically designed for the postnatal mother ready to re-enter the world of exercise. This is just ‘another online program’, but one which comes with unwavering support and assistance, holding you accountable so you feel supported and motivated for every step as you progress and see the results of the work you put in. Need more accountability? Check out the next 6 Weeks to Strong program!
