Tag: Push Day

Yesterday, Monday, June 16th, 2025, was a great example of a multi-faceted training day, layering different types of stimulus to build a well-rounded fitness profile for Hyrox. The day was broken down into three distinct parts: a long aerobic base run, a push-focused endurance strength session, and a quick, high-intensity BikeERG interval finisher. Let’s dive into how it all came together.

Workout 1: Aerobic Base Run

The first session of the day was a 63-minute aerobic base run. The goal was simple: maintain a steady, conversational pace around 5:50/km to continue building that deep well of endurance that is so crucial for events like Hyrox. This wasn’t about speed, but about accumulating quality time in Zone 2.

My Experience: This felt good. I successfully held an average pace of 5:47/km for the 10.89 km, with a 10km time of 57:52. It was a solid, controlled effort that set the tone for the day without adding excessive fatigue before the strength work.

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Workout 2: Push Endurance Session

Later in the day, I hit a time-crunched push workout. With only about 40 minutes, the focus was on high-volume supersets with strictly timed rest periods to maximize intensity and muscular endurance.

The Workout Blueprint:

• Superset 1 (3 sets):
  • A: Barbell Bench Press x 20 reps (full reps) @ 95 lbs
  • B: Close-grip Bench Press x 10 reps (long-length partials) @ 95 lbs
  (Rest 2:00 between supersets)
• Triple Superset (3 sets):
  • A: Neutral Grip DB Incline Bench x 20 reps @ 30 lbs/hand
  • B: Cable Overhead Tricep Extension x 20 reps @ 25 lbs
  • C: Max Pushups in 0:30 (Results: 10, 12, 11 reps)
  (Rest 2:00 between supersets)
• Superset 2 (3 sets):
  • A: Crossover Symmetry Cable Flies x 20 reps @ 15 lbs & 25 lbs
  • B: Ez-bar Skull Crushers x 20 reps @ 40 lbs
  (Rest 2:00 between supersets)

My Experience & Training Intent:

This session really burned! The goal was to use a light weight that I could push at a fast tempo to focus purely on muscular endurance. Based on my last push day, I selected weights I knew I could push for 20 reps without stopping. The first superset was tough; I did full reps on the main bench press, but by the time I got to the close-grip bench, I was pretty fatigued. I planned to use long-length partials for the close-grip portion as a good way to push past failure and get more time under tension. It’s a great technique to overload the muscle safely when you’re already tired. I’ll be increasing the weights slightly on the next similar session to continue the progressive overload.

Scaled Options for Push Endurance:

• Bench/Incline Press: Use dumbbells instead of a barbell for easier scaling, or use appropriate lighter weight.
• Pushups: Perform from the knees or against an incline (like a bench or box).
• Tricep/Fly Movements: Use lighter weight or resistance bands.
• General: Reduce reps to 10-15 per set, or reduce the number of sets.

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Workout 3: Metcon – Max Effort BikeERG Intervals

The day finished with a very short but very spicy metcon to completely empty the tank.

The Workout Blueprint:

• 5 Rounds:
  • 0:20 Max Effort BikeERG
  • 1:00 Rest

Rationale & My Experience: This is a classic anaerobic power workout. The 20-second all-out sprint pushes your ability to generate maximum power. For me, this wasn’t about getting breathless; it left my legs, and specifically my quads, absolutely on fire. I could barely walk for a few minutes after the last interval, but it felt incredibly productive for building that top-end power and muscular resilience needed for a hard push in Hyrox.

Overall Reflections:

Today was a great example of how to layer different types of training. The long, slow aerobic run built the foundation. The strength session built muscular endurance and required a smart approach to weight selection for the intended stimulus. And the final interval session pushed the top end of my power endurance. Each piece complemented the others, contributing to the well-rounded fitness required for an event like Hyrox.

How do you structure your multi-session training days? Share your favorite combinations in the comments!

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Workout Summaries (June 16, 2025)

Aerobic Base Run:

Lap (km)	Time	Pace (min/km)	Avg HR
1	5:49	5:49	145
2	5:47	5:47	152
3	5:49	5:49	153
4	5:48	5:48	154
5	5:47	5:47	154
6	5:45	5:45	155
7	5:46	5:46	155
8	5:48	5:48	155
9	5:48	5:48	155
10	5:50	5:50	155
11 (0.89km)	5:06	5:47	155

Push Endurance Workout:

Superset	Exercise	Set	Weight	Reps	Time (s)
1	Barbell Bench Press	1	95 lbs	20	38.3
1	Close-grip Bench Press	1	95 lbs	10 (LLP)	1.1
1	Barbell Bench Press	2	95 lbs	20	39.1
1	Close-grip Bench Press	2	95 lbs	10 (LLP)	58.8
1	Barbell Bench Press	3	95 lbs	20	35.0
1	Close-grip Bench Press	3	95 lbs	10 (LLP)	23.4
2	Neutral Grip DB Incline Bench	1	30s	20	32.1
2	Cable Overhead Tricep Extension	1	25 lbs	20	45.8
2	Max Pushups	1		10	35.2
2	Neutral Grip DB Incline Bench	2	30s	20	27.3
2	Cable Overhead Tricep Extension	2	25 lbs	20	73.6
2	Max Pushups	2		12	31.7
2	Neutral Grip DB Incline Bench	3	30s	20	29.1
2	Cable Overhead Tricep Extension	3	25 lbs	20	67.5
2	Max Pushups	3		11	37.7
3	Crossover Symmetry Cable Flies	1	15s	20	56.1
3	Ez-bar Skull Crushers	1	40 lbs	20	34.3
3	Crossover Symmetry Cable Flies	2	25s	20	63.1
3	Ez-bar Skull Crushers	2	40 lbs	20	70.5
3	Crossover Symmetry Cable Flies	3	25s	20	45.3
3	Ez-bar Skull Crushers	3	40 lbs	20	50.4

Note: Per-set HR data is not available from the Garmin log. Durations are for active work periods. LLP = Long-Length Partials.

BikeERG Interval Metcon (from PM5):

Interval	Distance (m)	Pace (/500m)	Power (W)	Calories	RPM
1	247	1:20.9	659	14	84
2	247	1:20.9	659	14	84
3	233	1:25.8	553	12	78
4	234	1:25.4	561	12	81
5	235	1:25.1	568	12	81