HYROX For Women Phase 3: Competition Preparation

Phase 3 is where you practise the actual race. Stations go to full race weight, and simulations introduce the sequencing, pacing, and transitions that define HYROX competition.

This phase covers Weeks 8-10 of your 12-week HYROX preparation. The focus is race-specific: race-weight stations, partial and full race simulations, and dialling in your pacing strategy. You are not building fitness anymore. You are preparing to deploy it.

What happens in Phase 3

The primary goals of this phase are:

Stations at 100% race weight. 102kg sled push, 78kg sled pull, 10kg sandbag, 4kg wall ball, 2x16kg farmer's carry. This is what race day feels like. No more working up to it.
Partial race simulations in Weeks 8 and 9. Week 8 covers odd stations (SkiErg, Sled Push, Burpee Broad Jump, Rowing) with runs between. Week 9 covers even stations (Sled Pull, Farmer's Carry, Sandbag Lunges, Wall Balls). You practise the race in halves before putting it together.
Full race simulation in Week 10. All 8 stations, all 8 runs, at race weight and race pace. This is your dress rehearsal. Perfect execution, honest data.
Pacing strategy development. You learn what race pace feels like on the runs, how transitions affect your heart rate, and where you need to be conservative or aggressive.
Strength maintenance. Strength work drops to 2 sets at the same load. You are maintaining, not building, to free up recovery for the simulation work.

Your weekly structure

The structure shifts to accommodate simulation sessions:

Day 1: Lower body strength (maintenance: 2 sets) + race-pace running intervals (1000m)
Day 2: Station-specific skill work or odd station practice at race weight
Day 3: Upper body strength (maintenance: 2 sets) + aerobic base run
Day 4: Even station practice at race weight + running
Day 5: Simulation day (partial in Weeks 8-9, full in Week 10)

Week by week

Week 8: First taste of race flow. Stations go to 100% race weight across all sessions. Running intervals are at race pace. Day 5 is your first partial simulation: odd stations (SkiErg, Sled Push, Burpee Broad Jump, Rowing) with 1000m runs between each. Focus on executing your pacing plan, not chasing a time.

Week 9: The sharp edge of training. Even stations at race weight with a partial simulation on Day 5 covering Sled Pull, Farmer's Carry, Sandbag Lunges, and Wall Balls with runs between each. Hard intervals teach you what race pace costs. Note your split times and recovery between stations.

Week 10: Dress rehearsal week. Strength maintenance continues on Days 1 and 3. Day 2 is a skills and mobility session to stay fresh for the main event. Day 4 is a rest day (easy walk only). Day 5 is the full race simulation: all 8 stations at race weight, all 8 runs at race pace, executed exactly as you would on competition day. This session gives you honest data about your fitness, your pacing strategy, and your transitions. It also builds the confidence that comes from having done it before.

Intensity and RPE

Phase 3 intensity is RPE 7-8 with race-pace efforts on simulation days. The simulation sessions will push higher than RPE 8 in the final stations, and that is intentional. You need to experience what the back half of a HYROX race feels like.

Strength work drops to RPE 6 with maintenance volume (2 sets). You are preserving your strength while directing your recovery budget toward the simulation work.

Running at race pace means the effort feels hard but sustainable over 1000m. You should not be able to hold a conversation, but you should not be sprinting either. This is the pace you will hold for eight 1km runs on race day.

Race simulation guidance

Partial simulations (Weeks 8-9): Four stations with 1000m runs between each. Execute at race effort. Rest between station blocks as you would in a race (transition time only, no extended rest). Note your running splits and station times. These numbers inform your full simulation and race-day targets.

Full simulation (Week 10, Day 5): This is the most important session in the program. Execute the full race sequence: 1km run, station 1, 1km run, station 2, and so on through all 8 stations. Use race-weight loads. Run at race pace. Practise your transitions. Note everything: split times, heart rate patterns, which stations felt strong, where you struggled, and how your energy managed across the full effort.

This simulation is not about setting a best time. It is about practising race-day execution. Conservative early pacing, consistent station effort, smooth transitions, and a controlled finish. The time you set here is your realistic race-day benchmark.

Cycle-aware adjustments

Follicular Phase (Days 1-14): If your simulation days fall in your follicular window, push the effort. Your body can handle the intensity and recover well. This is the ideal timing for your full simulation in Week 10.

Luteal Phase (Days 15-28): If simulation days fall in your luteal window, execute the simulation but adjust your expectations for pace and perceived effort. The effort may feel harder even at the same pace. Trust your training, stick to your plan, and use the data for what it is: information, not judgement.

Tips for Phase 3

Treat simulation days like race days. Warm up properly, fuel appropriately, set up your stations before starting, and execute with intention. The more realistic the simulation, the more valuable the data.
Do not chase the clock. Your first simulation is about practising the race, not racing the race. Execute your pacing plan and let the time be what it is.
Practise your nutrition strategy. Use your simulation days to test race-day fueling: pre-race meal, during-race gels or sports drink, and hydration. You do not want to try anything new on race day.
Note your transitions. The time between finishing a run and starting a station (and vice versa) adds up across 16 transitions. Practise being efficient: arrive at the station, set up quickly, start within 10-15 seconds.
Recover hard after simulations. Full simulation days are your biggest training sessions of the program. Sleep well the night before and after. Eat well. Take the rest day before and the recovery day after seriously.

What comes next

After three weeks of race-specific preparation, you move into Phase 4: Taper and Race Day (Weeks 11-12). Volume drops sharply, intensity stays light, and the focus shifts to recovery, sharpness, and mental readiness. Phase 3 showed you what you can do. Phase 4 lets that fitness emerge on race day.

For a full overview of the program structure, read the HYROX for Women Program Guide. To revisit earlier phases, read Phase 1: Foundation or Phase 2: Development.