HYROX Training Pain: When Is It Just Soreness and When Is It a Problem?
- Dr. Kelsey Changsing, PT, DPT
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
HYROX training requires repetitive, high-volume exercise, making muscle soreness a normal part of adapting to training. Normal soreness typically improves with movement, does not change how you move, and gradually resolves over several days.
Pain that lingers, worsens with continued training, or changes movement patterns may indicate an overuse injury rather than typical muscle soreness. Common concerns include tendinopathies, shin splints, bone stress injuries, IT Band Syndrome, Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, and plantar fasciitis.
HYROX Athlete Physical Therapy can determine whether pain is a normal training response or something that needs attention while developing an appropriate plan for continued training.
How Much Soreness is Normal with HYROX Training?
If you worked out regularly before starting HYROX training, you probably already know what normal muscle soreness feels like.
Your muscles will generally feel stiff, tender, or achy, and the discomfort generally improves with movement. If you have Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), it might start the day after your workout and get more intense for a day or two before getting better.
However, HYROX training might introduce more volume and training intensity than you’re used to, which can lead to a lot more muscle soreness.
But even if your muscle soreness feels more intense than you're used to, it should still follow the same general pattern: discomfort that improves with movement, generally doesn’t change the way you move, and gradually gets better over a few days.
Signs Your Training Pain May Be a Problem
As your body gets used to HYROX training and your muscle strength and endurance improves, your muscle soreness should start feeling less intense.
Muscle soreness that doesn’t seem to get better after training for a few weeks may be a sign that you’re not taking adequate rest days to allow your body to recover from training.
Additionally, pain that forces you to stop doing an exercise or changes the way you move may be a sign that you’re experiencing something more serious than normal muscle soreness, especially if it lingers or doesn’t get better over the next few days.
This includes pain that might not feel like a big deal at first but gradually gets worse the more you use the area. For example, foot pain with running that starts as soreness but gradually gets worse with each training run.
Common HYROX Injuries to Watch For
The most common injuries associated with HYROX training are overuse injuries. Some examples of overuse injuries include:
Tendinopathies (tendinitis)
Shin splints
Bone Stress Injury (BSI)
IT Band Syndrome (ITBS)
Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS)
Overuse injuries occur when your body isn’t able to keep up with the amount of training you’re doing. The repetitive, high-volume nature of HYROX training is what makes this more likely.
These types of injuries are tricky, because there usually isn’t a specific moment when you can say you injured yourself. Instead, they usually start as a mild ache or soreness that’s easy to ignore.
But unlike normal muscle soreness, the pain doesn’t get better with time. It might start to linger for a few days or gradually get worse as you continue training. So if you have a nagging pain that isn’t going away or seems to be getting worse, it’s worth getting it checked out to rule out an overuse injury.
When to See a Physical Therapist
If you have pain that isn’t going away, continues to get worse with training, or starts to change the way you move, it might be time to see a physical therapist.
If you live in Nevada, you have direct access to physical therapy, which means you don’t need to see a physician or get a referral before seeing a physical therapist. Physical therapists are trained to evaluate musculoskeletal injuries and determine whether you can start working on the problem right away or if you need further medical evaluation.
Starting with a HYROX Athlete Physical Therapist can help you avoid going through multiple appointments before getting the help you need. And if your physical therapist finds something that needs additional medical evaluation, they can help point you in the right direction.
HYROX Athlete Physical Therapy in Nevada
If you’re located in Nevada and have pain that’s getting in the way of HYROX training, I specialize in remote physical therapy for HYROX athletes. I can help you figure out what’s going on and develop a plan that allows you to address the problem without stopping training for no reason.
Schedule a Virtual Movement Assessment below to get started so you can enjoy your HYROX race without pain getting in the way.
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