What Actually Works for Hyrox — Rich Ryan on Sled Power, Thresholds, and Staying Fast at 39

Elite 15 athlete Rich Ryan breaks down what actually works for Hyrox — from sled power to threshold training — and how he’s still getting faster at 39. 🎧 Listen to the Full Episode: 👉 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... 👉 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4HoTJkO... 📝 Show Notes https://johngetstrong.substack.com/po... 00:00 – Intro 01:07 – Reflecting on the 2025 season: highs and learnings 03:03 – Going all-in at Worlds: mindset and pacing lessons 05:09 – How Rich mastered the sled push & pull 08:03 – The 3 pillars of sled training: strength, speed & lactate tolerance 11:10 – Sleds vs. traditional strength work: what actually carries over 13:44 – In-season strength training: how much is enough? 16:09 – Why Rich reduced powerlifting to focus on performance 18:03 – The missing piece: building “race endurance” 20:26 – Threshold training for HYROX: finding the sweet spot 23:48 – Heart rate zones in multi-modal workouts: what to watch 26:06 – Building progression: how Rich tracked his threshold work 29:57 – Athlete profiles: triathletes vs. CrossFitters in HYROX 31:19 – The rise of the next generation of HYROX athletes 33:03 – Training at 39: recovery, movement quality & avoiding overtraining 35:57 – Managing pain and longevity in hybrid sports 37:51 – Mindset: how Rich stays engaged through discomfort 41:02 – Breaking the doubles world record: strategy & lessons 43:57 – Balancing training, business & content creation 45:58 – The evolution of HYROX: sponsorships and pro athletes 47:22 – Training with Nick Bare: nutrition, work ethic & insights 50:30 – Growing on YouTube: content creation lessons 52:29 – Podcast vs YouTube: different mediums, different storytelling 54:55 – Rich’s curiosity: velocity-based training & lactate testing 58:03 – Wrap-up: what’s next for Rich in the 2025 season