Episode 17: HYROX Nutrition, Supplements, Race Fuelling

In this episode, we get into one of the most asked-about areas in HYROX training: nutrition.We’re not pretending to be dietitians, because that would be weird and also legally questionable, but we do cover the practical side of what we see with athletes every week. The main theme is pretty simple: nutrition should support performance first. If body composition changes happen as a by-product of good training, fine. But chasing weight loss aggressively while trying to train hard for HYROX is usually a fast route to poor recovery, worse sessions, injury risk, and feeling like death for no obvious reward.We talk through body fat loss, weight gain for lighter athletes moving towards pro weights, caffeine, creatine, bicarbonate, beetroot juice, Nomio, carb loading, race-day meals, early morning training, fasted cardio, and whether you actually need gels during a HYROX race.The answer to most of it, annoyingly for anyone who wants a magic protocol, is: it depends. Practise it, test it in training, and do not decide to reinvent your entire digestive system on race day because some bloke on Instagram said something was “science-backed”.We also cover the weekend’s racing from Hong Kong and Helsinki, including strong performances across solo and doubles fields, and then finish with a fairly predictable rant about people selling absolute answers, miracle workouts, and pretending one session is the reason someone got good.HYROX Hong Kong and Helsinki race recapWhy cutting weight for HYROX performance can be riskyRED-S, low energy availability, injury risk, and poor recoveryWhy body composition should usually be a by-product, not the main goalWhen weight gain might make sense for lighter athletes moving towards pro weightsWhy “junk weight” probably will not help your sled push enough to justify carrying it for 8–9kmCaffeine before HYROX races and why 100–200mg is often enoughWhy more caffeine is not always better unless you enjoy starting races like a panicked squirrelCreatine for HYROX athletes and why it is one of the simplest useful supplementsBicarbonate, buffering, and the very real risk of digestive disasterBeetroot juice, nitrates, and marginal gainsNomio and why newer supplements need a bit more caution before everyone throws money at themWhy the basics matter more than the supplement drawerCarb loading for HYROX and why it does not need to look like a marathon bingeWhat to eat the day before a raceHow long before a HYROX race your final proper meal should beFuelling early morning easy sessionsWhy starting fasted is not always the same as staying fastedHow carbs during morning training can protect your second session of the dayWhether fasted training has any real place for HYROX athletesIntra-race gels and whether they are physiologically necessaryThe psychological benefit of taking carbs late in a raceWhy you should never try new nutrition on race dayWhy good programming repeats effective sessions instead of chasing noveltyWhy “science-backed” does not mean “this is the only way”Nutrition for HYROX does not need to be complicated, but it does need to match the demands of the sport. Eat enough, recover properly, fuel the hard work, keep race-week food boring, practise your race-day plan, and stop searching for a supplement to fix a training and recovery problem.How to fuel HYROX training without overcomplicating itWhich supplements are actually worth consideringWhy aggressive dieting and high-output training do not mix wellHow to approach race-day eating without ruining your stomachWhy consistency beats novelty in both training and nutrition