It’s safe to say that when elite Hyrox athlete Alex Roncevic clocked 51:59 to set the all time Hyrox world record, it wasn’t an accident. The man has dedicated himself to getting through the fitness race faster than anybody else on earth, one training session at a time.
According to Coach Aleks, after spending time training alongside the world champ, one session stood out above everything else: a weekly strength workout that Aleks claims is on Roncevics’ schedule, week in, week out, without fail.
‘Every athlete at the top of this sport has sessions they treat as non-negotiable,’ he says. ‘For Alex this is the one that never gets moved, never gets shortened and never gets replaced.’
After trying it himself, Aleks says he understands exactly why.
Alex Roncevic’s Strength Workout
Block 1: Lower Body3 Rounds:Back Squats x 10
Box Jumps x 10
Split Squats x 10 (each leg)
Coach Aleks’ Notes:
‘The squat builds the force production base. The box jump immediately demands explosive output from already-loaded legs. The split [squats] close with the unilateral stability work that Hyrox asks for at every single station and every single running segment. Done in sequence this is more race-specific than any isolated leg session could ever be.
Block 2: Upper-Body Push
3 Rounds:Bench Press x 12
Shoulder Press x 12
Hand-Release Push-Ups x 10
Coach Aleks’ Notes:
‘Horizontal push into vertical push into bodyweight push as the muscles fatigue progressively. The version of pushing strength the ski erg and sled push demand is not the version that exists at the start of a gym session. This block builds the version that exists when everything else has already been working.’
Block 3: Upper-Body Pull
3 Rounds:Bent-Over Rows x 12
Gorilla Rows x 8 (each side)
Chin-Ups x 5
Coach Aleks’ Notes:
‘Pulling strength is where most Hyrox athletes carry their biggest untrained gap, and the place the race exposes it most ruthlessly. Bilateral first, unilateral second, bodyweight third, building the pulling endurance the sled pull and ski erg demand across a full race until it stops being a weakness entirely.’
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