Building Better HYROX Athletes with Adam Cheang

Episode 22 sees Aaron and Chris joined by HYROX coach Adam Cheang for a wide-ranging conversation on coaching, athlete development, training mistakes, and a full preview of the 2026 HYROX World Championships. Adam shares his journey from personal training, strength and conditioning, and combat sports into HYROX coaching, discussing the lessons learned from coaching fighters and how those experiences shaped his approach to managing ambitious endurance athletes. The conversation explores the realities of fatigue management, why easy training should actually be easy, and how many athletes sabotage their progress by constantly chasing harder sessions rather than adapting to the work they've already done. The lads dive into some of the biggest misconceptions in HYROX training, including the obsession with Zone 2, the tendency to overcook threshold work, and why many self-coached athletes become trapped in a cycle of accumulating fatigue rather than building fitness. Adam explains why he has moved away from traditional long-run programming for many HYROX athletes and how specificity has become increasingly important as the sport continues to evolve. There is also an honest discussion around marathon training and HYROX, why trying to pursue both at a high level often ends badly, and the coaching mistakes Adam learned from his own experiences. The group explores how athlete psychology, ego, and the desire to do "more" can often become the biggest barriers to long-term progress. To finish, the conversation turns towards Stockholm and the HYROX World Championships. Aaron, Chris, and Adam break down the Elite 15 fields, discuss likely race strategies, identify dark horses, debate who will pace correctly and who might go out too hard, and give their predictions for the men's and women's solo and doubles races. As always, there are a few controversial opinions, a few bold predictions, and a healthy amount of disagreement. Topics covered: • Adam Cheang's coaching background and journey into HYROX • Lessons from MMA, boxing, and strength & conditioning • Why easy days need to stay easy • Fatigue management and long-term progression • Common mistakes self-coached athletes make • Marathon training vs HYROX performance • The evolution of HYROX from hybrid fitness to a standalone sport • Threshold training and pacing misconceptions • Athlete psychology and coaching communication • 2026 HYROX World Championship predictions • Elite 15 men's and women's race previews • Doubles race analysis and dark horse picks