From Prison Officer To Elite 15: Liam McCrory’s Rise Through HYROX

This week is with Scottish HYROX athlete Liam McCrory, who’s gone from a 1:02 first pro race to running 53:47 in an Elite 15 major in just over two years. We dig into how a background in football, years of disciplined S&C work, and balancing full-time work as a prison officer has shaped the way he trains and races.We chat about:Moving from football into HYROX and why the sport completely hooked himThe difference between “training” and just “working out”How he structures training around full-time shifts and limited recovery timeWhy he trains mostly alone and how he manages motivation and disciplineSled strategy, pacing conservatively, and building strong second halves in racesBurpee broad jump technique and how plyometric work has helped his efficiencyWhy he doesn’t bother with long runs anymore and instead uses bikes, ergs and controlled running volumeRPE, threshold training, race strategy and learning to race rather than chase timesHandling bad races, penalties, disappointment and missing qualification by secondsWhat it’s actually like racing in the Elite 15 environment against the best in the worldThoughts on the future of HYROX, world championships, doubles racing and where the sport is headingA really good conversation around progression, consistency, balancing life with training, and what it actually takes to keep moving up in the sport without living like a full-time athlete. Humans do love voluntarily paying money to drag sleds around convention centres on industrial carpet. Strange species.