Rich Ryan on Mastering Hyrox: Sled Dominance, Threshold Training & Longevity at the Elite Level (#9)
Episode Description
Rich Ryan is an Elite 15 Hyrox Athlete
We talk about:
* How Rich achieved the fastest sled times at the 2025 World Championships
* What athletic backgrounds tend to do best at Hyrox
* Why Rich believes threshold training is so key for Hyrox
* How Rich has been able to keep on improving at Hyrox into his late 30s
* What Rich has learned about competing at Hyrox doubles
* Why Rich decided to up his YouTube game
Episode breakdown:
00:00 – Intro
01:07 – Reflecting on the 2025 season: highs and learnings
03:03 – Going all-in at Worlds: mindset and pacing lessons
05:09 – How Rich mastered the sled push & pull
08:03 – The 3 pillars of sled training: strength, speed & lactate tolerance
11:10 – Sleds vs. traditional strength work: what actually carries over
13:44 – In-season strength training: how much is enough?
16:09 – Why Rich reduced powerlifting to focus on performance
18:03 – The missing piece: building “race endurance”
20:26 – Threshold training for HYROX: finding the sweet spot
23:48 – Heart rate zones in multi-modal workouts: what to watch
26:06 – Building progression: how Rich tracked his threshold work
29:57 – Athlete profiles: triathletes vs. CrossFitters in HYROX
31:19 – The rise of the next generation of HYROX athletes
33:03 – Training at 39: recovery, movement quality & avoiding overtraining
35:57 – Managing pain and longevity in hybrid sports
37:51 – Mindset: how Rich stays engaged through discomfort
41:02 – Breaking the doubles world record: strategy & lessons
43:57 – Balancing training, business & content creation
45:58 – The evolution of HYROX: sponsorships and pro athletes
47:22 – Training with Nick Bare: nutrition, work ethic & insights
50:30 – Growing on YouTube: content creation lessons
52:29 – Podcast vs YouTube: different mediums, different storytelling
54:55 – Rich’s curiosity: velocity-based training & lactate testing
58:03 – Wrap-up: what’s next for Rich in the 2025 season
Connect with Rich
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johngetstrong.substack.com