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Marylebone Physiotherapy & Sports Medicine > Blog > Gym
By admin April 25, 2023 0 Comments Exercises, Gym, Physio, Running, Sporting , , , , , , , ,

HYROX Vs London Marathon – Which is more challenging?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April is about Running – London Marathon and London HYROX.

The month of April sees London host not one but TWO Running events.

Obviously, we have the London Marathon but we also have HYROX London the week after.

London Marathon is Sunday 23rd of April

London HYROX is at Olympia 30th April and 1st of May

At Marylebone Physiotherapy and Sports Medicine we have been treating Athletes doing both of these amazing events.

We also know some amazing people doing BOTH!

 

So, we all have a good grasp of what the Marathon en tales. It’s 26.2 miles and it’s as fast as you can but more to do with a life-time achievement goal for most people and raising money for their favorite charity.

Last Month our resident Marathon Runner Julio gave us his tips on Marathon Running (See March 2023 BLOG).

But what about HYROX?

What even is it?

HYROX is a global fitness race for Every Body.

Participants from all around the world compete in the exact same format.

The race starts with a 1 km run, followed by 1 functional movement, which repeats 8 times, taking place in large indoor venues, creating a unique stadium like atmosphere for all participants.

52% of gym members now cite fitness as their primary sport.

Fitness is the largest sport in the world and HYROX is the first mass participation event that gives everyday gym-goers their own race to train for.  

HYROX bridges the gap between traditional endurance events with functional fitness, to create a race format for Every Body.

Hyrox is truly accessible: with 4 different racing categories to choose from, HYROX is for everyone no matter the fitness level:

Open – take on the standard HYROX for a challenging but achievable race for everyone.

Pro – for the experienced racer, heavier weights make for a more challenging experience.

Doubles – find a partner and take on the challenge as a pair, running together but splitting the workload of the exercises.

Relay – come together with your friends or family and race the relay where each member of the team does 2 times 1 km and 2 workouts.

Well, HYROX is less running, only 8 km to be precise.

However, HYROX throws in events after each 1 km run.

HYROX 2023 

This year’s event in 2023 consists of:

1 km Run

The first HYROX workout is 1000 metres on the Ski Erg.

1 km Run

Workout number two is the Sled Push for 50 m

1 km Run

Workout 3 is 50 metres on The Sled Pull.

1 km Run

Workout 4 is 80m of Burpee Broad Jumps

1 km Run

Workout number 5 is the second Ergometer in the competition. 1000 metres on the Concept 2 Row Erg marks the beginning of the second half of the HYROX workouts.

1 km Run

Workout 6 is a 200m Farmer’s Carry

1 km Run

Workout 7 is 100m of Sandbag Lunges

1 km Run

The event finishes with 75 or 100 Wall Balls.

 

Dale is our Resident HYROX advisor and he achieved a GOLD standard at HYROX this year.

Here are Dale’s tips for HYROX:

RUNNING

If you view the 1 km run as actually your recovery after each event then this is a great place to start. Rather than pumping your arms as you would normally, let them relax and dangle. This may look a bit strange but your upper body will thank you for this.

SKI ERG

The Ski Erg is a very individual event where your technique determines everything. I like to use a forward arm circling motion rather than the classic pulling down motion that is going to over work your Triceps.

SLED PUSH

The Sled Push requires you to get your whole body behind it. The muscle of the calf working most is the Soleus. This calf muscle works when the knee is bent. Try doing some bent knee calf raises to build endurance in these muscles.

SLED PULL

The Sled Pull is a whole body movement, not just a test for the arms. Lean back into each pull and use your body weight. Try strengthening your grip by simply hanging from a bar for as long as possible.

BURPEE BROAD JUMPS 

Burpee Broad Jumps are the first event where I would pull up my knee sleeves. Make sure your technique is exact and you use the plyometric rebound from the Burpee into the jump. This is a complex movement requiring multiple planes of direction. The only way to practice this is to do the movement itself.

ROWER

Rowing for 1,000 m is the next event. Rowing is quite technical and needs to be practiced before hand. This event does benefit the taller athlete and those who are technically better at Rowing. Practice Pulling slower and hard not faster is the first place to start. Remember to use your back, leaning forward to scoop the handles and leaning back to maximise your pull. Once your technique is cleaner, so can add the speed later.

FARMER’S CARRY

The Farmer’s carry is the ultimate in grip strength and endurance. This is easy to train for as 200 m can seem along way. The better athletes will be able to do this in one or two goes because they have specifically trained their grip. It is also worth practicing fast walking with weight as this itself is also a skill to avoid constantly bashing the weights into your thighs. At Marylebone Physio we use grip dynonometry from VALD to precision measure your grip strength and training improvement.

SAND-BAG LUNGES 

The Sandbag Lunges are another event where I would pull up my knee pads to avoid unnecessary pain on the knee cap with a thin but very welcome neoprene pad. Try to stay as upright as possible and avoid leaning forward because of tight hip flexors.

WALL BALLS

The Wall Balls are the final event and this is a real test of endurance and co-ordination. Here the rest strategy becomes important as you don’t want to run out of energy so close to the finish.

You are not going to manage 100 Wall Balls in one go right at the end of the race so here is what I advise. 10 x 10 reps is a very simple but effective way to break this event down into manageable chunks. 

Making every rep count by hitting the target and being as accurate as possible despite the fatigue. Catching the ball on the way down as you squat will also save time and keep you in a rhythm. 

 

So, there you have it.

The two events are both equally epic and may require you to get some bodywork done to keep you going and stay injury free.

So whether you are doing the London Marathon or London HYROX, we at MARYLEBONE PHYSIO & SPORTS MEDICINE  have got you covered.

So which one is more challenging? 

It depends on how fast you are going and how much training you have done before hand.

Whatever you are training for, don’t train in pain, see a Physio.

Book your appointment TODAY!

 

By admin January 30, 2023 1 Comments Exercises, Gym, Physio, Sporting, Therapy , , , , , , , , , ,

New Year, New You

The 5 most common Gym mistakes in January

It’s January and the new year brings about the reflection of new year’s resolutions.
This will no doubt involve some sort of new fitness regime
We all know the benefits of regular exercise, but what are the 5 most common mistakes that new comers and those returning to the gym make?

  1. The correct dose of exercise – The Goldilocks principle
  2. Consistency is key – You can’t get fit in one workout
  3. Dynamic Warm up – Save static stretching until the end
  4. Train Movements NOT Muscles – Train the brain
  5. Having a plan to your training – Let your plan be your guide

The correct dose of exercise – The Goldilocks principle

Exercise Prescribers here at Marylebone Physiotherapy, we are experts at getting the dosage of exercise correct for each client. Not too easy as to be ineffective and not too hard as to not be able to walk the next day. Not too cold, not too hot, but just right, is also known as the Goldilocks principle. Exercise can be defined as physical movement that is:

Repeated,

Planned,

Purposeful and

Structured.

We can use the acronym RePPS to help us remember this

Repeating a movement is the very definition of exercise. You learn to master a particular movement, then you load it up with heavier weights or speed up the movement. You can also perform the movement under fatigue.

Planning your exercise is covered later on in this Blog.

Purposeful relates to your specific fitness goals. Remember that weight loss is a side effect of fitness training and not the desired goal.

Structured refers to the way your training session is broken down into its component parts

Below is an example of a typical gym session:

Dynamic Warm up
Strength
Metabolic conditioning
Cool Down
Stretch
Use the RePPS principle for your next session.

Consistency is key – You can’t get fit in one workout

“You can’t drink the Ocean in one gulp!”

It is the same with exercise, you can’t get fit in one workout, just like you can’t live your life in one day.

The first six weeks of training you are unlikely to see any results. However, you are likely to feel better and have more energy. The best things come to those who wait, but in a society that wants instant gratification the wait can be frustrating.

Around 8 weeks the physical transformation becomes visible. We tend to lose body fat and gain lean muscle. Look forward to 12 weeks and things are looking even better

However, you will eventually plateau with your fitness gains and this is where you need to maintain it. Make time for exercise and be consistent.

Dynamic Warm up – save static stretching to the end

If you have not trained since your School, College or University days then things have changed. Wear warm layers and slowly strip them off as your body warms naturally with the heat generated from the movement.

We tend to favour a dynamic warm up in preference to static stretching. We can save that until the end of the workout. Because performing static stretches slows down your heart rate, lowers injury risk and helps reduce DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) we tend to leave it for after the workout. The other reason for this relates to studies where over stretching muscles in the warm up loses the protective effect of the tendon reflex that is designed to stop over stretching.

Dynamic as the name suggests means we are moving through a movement rather than holding a static posture. This could look like Squats and lunges or Press ups and toe touches. Starting with partial movements and building into full range, listening to the body and not pushing into pain or restriction.

Movement sequences that open the hips and rotate the body and examples of dynamic stretching.

Train Movements NOT Muscles – Train the Brain

Unless you are body building or focusing on particular muscles, then we at Marylebone Physiotherapy would encourage you to train movements not muscles. That’s why we have our own Movement Specialist, Katia.

Movement is a skill, and as such it needs to be practiced and challenged in order to not just make it better, but optimise the movement. The brain knows nothing of individual muscles, it knows only movement.

There are seven level 1 functional movements that you should be familiar with, these are:
Push
Pull
Twist
Hinge or bend
Squat
Lunge
Walking (Gait)

These seven movements form the basis of all functional movements the body has to perform.

Examples of Level 2 functional movements are running jumping and throwing.

Level 3 functional movements are the highest level and these require proficiency at levels 1 and 2 before attempting. Level 3 includes multi-directional movements or combinations of movements linked together.

An example of this is a Burpee.
This is a hip hinge into a press up, back into standing and then performing a jump at the top of the movement. The Burpee is normally completed at speed to add to the challenge of the movement.

Having a plan to your training – Let your plan be your guide

How do you get there if you don’t know where you’re going?

The answer is to have a plan. This will be based on your Fitness goals.

Are you doing a Couch to 5 km or Running a Marathon? Are you starting your first Boot-camp or competing at CrossFit?

Most Gym goers start with a “Push, Pull, Legs” Plan of three times a week

You could train one of the functional movements every day of the week. Or you could break the functional movements up into training each once during the week.

An example might be:

Monday – Push, Twist

Tuesday – Walk

Wednesday – Pull, Lunge

Thursday – Walk

Friday – Hinge, Squat

So, there you have it. The five most common Gym mistakes and how to avoid them happening to you.

Now it’s your turn to implement this new knowledge and have an injury free return to training.

This is your year to get fit, stay injury free and enjoy being healthy.