​Why Hyrox Isn’t Training (It’s a Test)

I’m going to say something that might sound a bit controversial at first.

Hyrox isn’t training.
Hell & Back isn’t training.
A 5k isn’t training.
A mini marathon isn’t training.
Triathlons, adventure races, endurance events - none of them are training.

They’re tests.

Tests of the strength, fitness and resilience you’ve built through actual training.

And that difference really matters.

Because I’m seeing more and more people sign up to endurance events and treat the event itself as the plan.

“Sure I’ll just do it and that’ll get me fit.”

That’s a bit like saying:
I’ll enter my Leaving Cert and that’ll educate me.

No.
The education happens before the exam.

Training vs Testing - they’re not the same thing

Training is what prepares your body.

It’s:
getting stronger over time
building real aerobic fitness
learning good movement
improving joints and resilience
progressing in a structured way

Testing is what shows you where you’re at.

Endurance events are brilliant for that.
They’re tough, honest tests.

But they’re not the thing that gets you fit.
They’re the thing that reveals whether you are.

A real example from our own gym

One of our members did our Evolutis 8 Mountain Challenge recently.

They loved it.
Loved the buzz, the atmosphere, the feeling of getting through it.

Afterwards they said:
“I’d do this all the time!”

And I said:
“No you wouldn’t - and you shouldn’t.”

Because that day wasn’t training.
That was a test.

If they hadn’t spent months in our group personal training sessions - getting stronger, fitter and more capable - they wouldn’t have had the strength or endurance to enjoy that challenge the way they did.

The test only worked because the training came first.

The problem I see all the time

People sign up to a challenge and skip the training part.

“I’m doing Hyrox in March.”
“I’m doing Hell & Back.”
“I’m doing a 10k.”
“I’m doing a triathlon.”

And then nothing really changes except:

a few random hard sessions
a lot of suffering
sore knees
tight backs
feeling destroyed
or no training at all
hoping adrenaline will carry them through

That’s not preparation.
That’s just endurance of pain.

And for 40+ parents especially, that approach backfires.

You wouldn’t treat a marathon like a workout

Imagine someone said:

“I’m not going to train for the marathon. I’ll just do the marathon as my training.”

You’d think they were mad.

But with modern endurance events, that’s exactly what happens.

People confuse:

the event with the process that should come before it.

We actually love these events

Just to be clear - we’re not anti Hyrox, anti Hell & Back, anti 5k or anything like that.

We’ve done them as a gym.
We’ve entered teams.
We’ve raised tens of thousands for charity through them.
We’ve had members get massive confidence from taking part.

They’re great fun.
They give people a target.
They create brilliant memories.

But only when they sit on top of real training.

Not instead of it.

What real preparation actually looks like

If you want to do an endurance event, brilliant.

But the foundation should be:

2 to 3 strength sessions per week
gradual aerobic conditioning
learning to move well
building joint resilience
getting fitter without wrecking yourself

Not just hammering circuits until you’re broken.

The goal shouldn’t be:

“Can I survive it?”

It should be:

“Can I perform it well because I actually trained?”

This is especially important after 40

When you’re 22 you can wing things.
When you’re 42, your joints remember.

Strength matters more.
Structure matters more.
Recovery matters more.

Training should build you up so life feels easier.

Events should be a celebration of that, not a punishment for skipping the work.

The Evolutis approach

Our group personal training program is the engine.

That’s the thing that:

builds your strength
improves your fitness
protects your joints
gives you real endurance
makes you capable

Then, if you choose to do Hyrox, Hell & Back, a 5k, a triathlon, the Mountain 8 or anything else - you can actually enjoy it and perform in it.

Not just suffer through it for a t-shirt and a photo.

Over time you can even get better at those tests, because the training underneath keeps improving.

That’s the whole point.

A simple question to finish

Are you signing up to events to replace training?

Or are you training so that events become something you can genuinely perform and enjoy?

One builds you up.
The other just tests what’s already there.

And after 40, the first one matters a lot more.

If you're over 40 and want structured coaching to build strength, improve fitness and stay healthy long term, you can apply for a place on our 6 Week Kickstart here: APPLY NOW

David “train first, test later” Knowles
Gym owner
Coffee drinker
Almost 20 years coaching sport and fitness
Proud dad x5 amazing little humans
Wannabe musician still holding out for my big break