HYROX INJURY RECOVERY: HOW TO REBUILD STRENGTH AND CONFIDENCE
Published: 19/11/2025, By: Ethan Allen
Ethan Allen has always been someone who’s thrived on movement. From playing rugby at a high level to running marathons and taking on HYROX competitions, staying active has always been a huge part of who he is. But like most athletes, he’s also experienced the flip side – injury, rehab, and that long, frustrating road back to full fitness. In this piece, Sports Direct ambassador Ethan breaks down what it takes to rebuild your strength – and your confidence – after a setback. So, if you’re currently dealing with an injury, this one’s for you.
As you may have seen through my content, I’ve been dealing with a herniated disc for a while now. It’s affecting the nerves in my left glute and down my leg and, most frustratingly, it’s keeping me from running. I got back to running after seven weeks of the injury – but, shock – being as keen (and stupid) as I am, I made it worse after an easy run followed by a tough track session. Back to square one. My bad.
For someone who builds training plans around mileage, pace, and performance, that’s been a real mental shift. But it hasn’t stopped me from training. If anything, it’s forced me to get smarter, more disciplined, and more focused on building a complete engine – the kind of engine you need for HYROX.
This piece is about how to keep moving forward when you can’t do the one thing you love most. How to stay strong, stay conditioned, and stay mentally in the game – so when you’re ready to return, you’re not starting from zero. Whether you’re recovering from an injury right now or just want to be better prepared if it ever happens, here’s what I’ve learned and how I’m approaching it.
- Understand Your Injury – Then Build a Plan
First things first: don’t guess – see a specialist! Physio, chiro – anyone who can give you a clear diagnosis. What exactly is going on? What movements are safe? What should be avoided? Understanding your injury gives you the power to train around it without making things worse.
With my disc issue, running is currently off the table – it aggravates the nerve. But I can still train hard using machines and doing plenty of other things that remove impact and let me work within my limits. It’s not about stopping. It’s about adapting.
- Don’t Stop Moving – Train Around Your Injury
Once you know what movements are off-limits, focus on everything else you can do. For me, that means:
- Cardio sessions on the ski, rower, bike-erg, and in the pool
- Full-body strength work with compound movements
- Daily mobility and rehab work
Despite the running restriction, I can still hit hard cardio efforts. The machines don’t aggravate my injury, and they’re brilliant tools to keep the engine ticking. I’ve also doubled down on strength – building support around my spine and improving areas I know will pay off when I’m back racing.
My advice? Stay consistent. Stay curious. Find what works – and lean into it.
- Training Around Injury: A Week in My HYROX Plan
To give you a clearer idea, here’s what a typical training week looks like for me right now:
- Monday – Strength session (compound lifts & full-body) + HIIT/EMOM finisher
- Tuesday – Conditioning session (bike/ski/rower) + HYROX-focused movements
- Wednesday – Strength session (compound lifts & full-body) + HIIT/EMOM finisher
- Thursday – Conditioning session (bike/ski/rower) + HYROX-focused movements
- Friday – Strength session (compound lifts & full-body) + HIIT/EMOM finisher
- Saturday – Easy cardio of choice (swim, long erg session, or walk)
- Sunday – Full rest and recovery
Right now, my strength work is focused on what I can load safely. That includes squats, deadlifts, leg press, and other leg machines – mad, right? Considering my lower back’s giving me jip! But everything is carefully managed to avoid aggravating the disc while still pushing for progress. The goal is to build strength and support around the injury, while keeping overall conditioning high.
And for those of you who are wondering – those HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) and EMOM (Every Minute On the Minute) finishers you see in the plan are short, sharp efforts at the end of my strength sessions. HIIT pushes intensity through timed bursts of work and rest, while EMOM challenges you to hit a set number of reps each minute, resting only with whatever time’s left. They’re brutal, efficient, and perfect for keeping that HYROX engine firing – without the impact of running.
- Recovery: The Other Side of the Coin
Training is only one side of the coin – recovery is the other. Injuries are your body's way of asking for attention. So, give it what it needs:
• Protein: Aim for at least 2g per kg of bodyweight - repair requires fuel.
• Sleep: Not just rest, but deep, quality sleep. This is where the healing happens.
I treat recovery and fuelling the same way I treat my training plan – with intent. It's not optional. It's the key to getting back to full capacity.
- The Hard Part – Staying Mentally in the Game
This part is arguably the hardest.
Four months into my injury, I’m still not back running – and that’s tough. But I’m not sitting still either. I’ve kept training, kept progressing, and I’ve maintained my aerobic base through other means. When I can run again, I know I’ll pick it up quickly. My splits will come back because I’ve done the work behind the scenes.
Injury is frustrating. It feels like a setback. But it’s also an opportunity. If you can keep showing up – even when it’s not glorious, even when it’s just rehab and machines – you’ll come back stronger. You’ll come back smarter. And most importantly, you’ll still feel like the athlete you are.
BEING SIDELINED DOESN’T MEAN STEPPING AWAY FROM YOUR GOALS
It just means taking a different path to get there. HYROX is about full-body performance, and that means there’s always something you can work on. So if you’re injured, don’t panic. Don’t check out. Shift gears, stay consistent, and keep your eye on the long game. The comeback is coming – and you’ll be more ready for it than you think.
I still believe I can smash a HYROX PB next time I compete. I still believe I’m capable of getting close to that one-hour mark in Men’s Open Solos. And I still believe I can hit a sub-2:50 marathon within the next year. Once I manage that – I’ll just move the goalposts again.
