Why I Signed Up For A HYROX Simulation At 43
By Joe Zabbia — Founder, MYFREQ
When I started this journey, the goal was never simply to lose weight.
The goal was to rebuild the athlete.
Like many men in their forties, life happened. Business. Family. Responsibilities. Training became something I fitted in rather than something I prioritised. Over time the scale climbed. Eventually I found myself at 105kg.
I was not unhappy. But I knew I was not operating at my potential. The athlete was still there — buried under years of compromise and competing priorities.
That is when I made a decision. Not to get smaller. To become capable again. Not to chase a six-pack. To rebuild performance. Because performance changes how you show up in every area of life — not just in a gym.
The athlete is never truly gone. He is simply buried under years of compromise.
The work is not getting him back. The work is deciding he is worth digging for.
Why HYROX?
I needed a target. Something measurable. Something challenging. Something that would force me to train with purpose rather than habit.
HYROX was the answer.
For me, HYROX represents everything that modern performance should be. It is not a single-discipline event that rewards one type of athlete. It is a test of the complete system — strength, endurance, athleticism, discipline, recovery, performance and legacy. Every frequency inside MYFREQ is tested when you step onto that floor.
You cannot hide in HYROX. If your aerobic base is weak, the runs expose it. If your station strength is underdeveloped, the sled and sandbag lunges reveal it. If your pacing strategy is poor, rounds five through eight will make it obvious. The race demands the complete athlete. That is why I signed up — not because it looked easy, but because it looked meaningful.
My HYROX Simulation Date
My HYROX Simulation takes place on 25 July, hosted by Planet Fitness South Africa.
This is not an official HYROX race. It is a simulation. But that does not make it any less important. The purpose is clear: test the system. Test the training. Test the athlete. Because performance is proof — and proof requires a moment to measure against.
What The Simulation Actually Involves
One of the reasons I chose this event is that it sits perfectly between training and competition. The Planet Fitness HYROX Simulation is designed to replicate the demands of hybrid racing in a condensed format — accessible enough for athletes in preparation, demanding enough to reveal exactly where the gaps are.
The event consists of:
Running intervals
Race-pace running between stations — the thread that holds the entire event together.
SkiErg
Upper body pulling endurance. One of the most underrated stations in HYROX preparation.
Walking lunges with sandbag
20kg over distance. Quad, glute and mental endurance in one movement.
Rowing
1000m equivalent demand compressed into a two-minute effort.
Wall balls
Sustained power output under accumulated fatigue. The station that breaks form first.
Each station is completed for two minutes at maximum effort. Athletes receive one minute of rest between stations. The entire event lasts approximately 23 minutes.
That might not sound long. But sustained effort, repeated transitions and accumulated fatigue have a way of exposing weaknesses quickly. Which is exactly why I signed up. The simulation is not there to confirm you are ready. It is there to reveal where you need to improve. That is what performance testing should do — not flatter you. Inform you.
The Journey So Far
STARTING WEIGHT
105kg
CURRENT WEIGHT
Mid-80s
More importantly than the scale: stronger, leaner, fitter, more disciplined and more focused. This was not achieved through shortcuts. No magic supplements. No crash diets. No six-week transformation challenge. Just consistency — the boring things done repeatedly for long enough to compound.
That is exactly what performance is built on.
What My Training Looks Like
My approach has focused on becoming a complete hybrid athlete. Not the strongest. Not the fastest. The most capable. The goal has always been to arrive at the simulation with every system trained — nothing neglected, nothing hidden.
STRENGTH — 3 sessions / week
Built around the fundamental compound movements: squats, deadlifts, presses, rows and carries. Strength is the foundation. Every HYROX station rewards it. The sled does not move easily without it. The sandbag lunges do not feel manageable without it. Strength is not optional for the hybrid athlete.
The Strength Frequency →RUNNING — 3 sessions / week
A structured mix of Zone 2 training, threshold work, race-specific conditioning and running under accumulated fatigue. The goal is not simply becoming faster. The goal is becoming difficult to fatigue. In HYROX, the athlete who slows the least across eight rounds wins.
Zone 2 For Hybrid Athletes →RECOVERY — the non-negotiable
One of the biggest lessons I have learned is that recovery becomes increasingly important after 40. Sleep, hydration, mobility and stress management are not soft additions to the programme — they are the mechanism through which training produces results. Training is the signal. Recovery creates the adaptation.
The Recovery Frequency →Why More Athletes Should Consider A HYROX Simulation
One of the most common mistakes athletes make is waiting until race day to experience race conditions. A simulation removes that uncertainty before it matters most.
Pacing
You discover whether your planned effort is realistic or optimistic — before race day reveals it the hard way.
Transitions
Moving from running to stations under fatigue is a skill. It is trained, not assumed.
Fatigue management
The simulation exposes whether your aerobic base is sufficient to sustain output across the full format.
Mindset
Race pressure in a lower-stakes environment builds the composure that performance requires.
Data
Every station result is information. The simulation tells you exactly where to focus the remaining preparation.
Think of it as a dress rehearsal. The goal is not perfection. The goal is preparation — and preparation is more valuable than confidence that has never been tested.
How To Get The Best Results In Your HYROX Preparation
These are the five lessons I would prioritise if I were starting a HYROX preparation from scratch.
Build your engine first
Most athletes need far more aerobic work than they think. Zone 2 running — steady, conversational pace — is the foundation that makes every other aspect of HYROX performance possible. The bigger your engine, the better you perform under fatigue. Do not neglect it in favour of more interesting training.
Keep strength training
Strength supports every station. Sled work, farmers carries, sandbag lunges, wall balls — the stronger athlete has significantly more options on race day. Three structured sessions per week, built around compound movements, is the minimum. Drop below that and you are managing decline rather than building performance.
Practice running under fatigue
HYROX is not running. HYROX is running after work, repeatedly, with increasing fatigue and decreasing form. Train accordingly. The transition from a completed station to the next kilometre run is a skill that must be practised — not assumed.
Respect recovery
Many athletes train hard. Far fewer recover deliberately. After 40, recovery is not optional — it is the mechanism through which adaptation happens. Sleep matters. Hydration matters. Deload weeks matter. The athlete who recovers well consistently outperforms the one who simply trains more.
Train consistently over months
The best programme is the one you actually follow — not for a week or a month, but for months. Small wins compound into significant capability over time. Most athletes dramatically underestimate what 24 to 32 weeks of consistent, structured training produces. Patience is the variable most are unwilling to apply.
Why This Matters To MYFREQ
This simulation is more than an event. It is the first real-world test of the MYFREQ system. Everything built inside this platform points toward one question: can we rebuild the athlete?
The MYFREQ framework is simple. The body comes first — Strength, Endurance and Athleticism. The system makes it sustainable — Discipline and Recovery. And the outcome is earned, not given — Performance and Legacy.
On 25 July, I will get part of that answer. Not because the race defines me — but because performance reveals what preparation created. The simulation will not tell me everything. But it will tell me the truth. And the truth is more useful than any amount of theoretical training data.
Performance is not something you find on race day.
It is something you build in the months before it — in the sessions no one sees, the decisions no one notices, the consistency no one applauds.
What I Hope To Achieve
My primary goal is not a podium. My primary goal is proof.
Proof that men over 40 can still perform.
Proof that strength and endurance can coexist.
Proof that consistency beats motivation.
Proof that the athlete is never truly gone.
Proof that performance is still possible — at 43, from 105kg, with everything else life demands.
The race is the expression of the work. The work is what matters.
What Is Next
Over the coming weeks I will continue documenting the full journey — training loads, nutrition, body composition, recovery, lessons learned and weekly progress. Complete transparency. The wins, the struggles, the mistakes and the breakthroughs. Because that is where real growth happens — not in the polished version, but in the honest one.
If you are preparing for your own HYROX or simply trying to rebuild the athlete after years of compromise, follow along. Everything I learn, MYFREQ learns. Everything MYFREQ learns is built into the system you access.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a HYROX Simulation?
A HYROX Simulation replicates race conditions in a condensed, non-competitive format. The Planet Fitness version involves running intervals alternated with functional stations — SkiErg, sandbag lunges, rowing and wall balls — each completed for two minutes at maximum effort with one minute rest. Total event time: approximately 23 minutes.
Is a HYROX Simulation the same as a HYROX race?
No. A simulation compresses the race experience into a shorter, more accessible format — ideal for testing preparation and identifying gaps. An official HYROX race involves 8 x 1km runs alternated with 8 full stations, covering approximately 8km of running plus all station work.
Can men over 40 compete in HYROX?
Yes. HYROX has dedicated Masters categories for men 40–44, 45–49, 50–54, 55–59 and 60+. Men race against athletes in their own age group. Many of the most consistent competitors globally are Masters athletes.
How long does it take to prepare for HYROX from a high starting weight?
From a starting weight of 100kg+, a realistic preparation window is 24 to 32 weeks. The early priority is aerobic base building and consistent training. Body composition improvement follows structured training — it is a result, not a prerequisite.
What is Zone 2 training and why does it matter for HYROX?
Zone 2 is low-to-moderate intensity aerobic training — a pace where you can hold a conversation comfortably. It builds the aerobic base that sustains performance across the full HYROX format. Most athletes neglect it and train too hard, which limits engine development and increases fatigue across race rounds.
How do I get started with HYROX preparation?
Start with the MYFREQ Assessment — a free 21-question tool that scores your 7 physical frequencies and shows exactly where your preparation should begin. From there, choose the coaching tier that fits your goal and timeline.
CONTINUE IN THE SYSTEM
Performance is Frequency 06. It is earned through every other frequency that precedes it.