Guides › HYROX
General fitnessYes, for muscle and max strength. Explosive power is the part to protect. · 2 min read · Updated October 1, 2026
How we made this guide: we built it from the research below and checked every number against it: Schumann et al., concurrent training meta-analysis (2022); Wilson et al., concurrent training meta-analysis (2012); Lundberg et al., muscle fiber meta-analysis (2022); Eddens et al., exercise order meta-analysis (2018); Llanos-Lagos et al., strength training for runners meta-analysis (2024).
If you train for HYROX, triathlon or just like both running and lifting, you’ve probably heard that cardio “kills gains.” The research is more specific than that.
Schumann and colleagues (2022) pooled 43 studies comparing strength training alone with strength plus endurance training:
| Outcome | Effect of adding endurance training |
|---|---|
| Muscle size | No meaningful reduction |
| Maximal strength | No meaningful reduction |
| Explosive strength (jumps, power) | A small reduction, mainly when both were done in the same session |
When the sessions were at least 3 hours apart, the explosive-strength drop wasn’t significant.
The studies disagree. An older meta-analysis (Wilson et al., 2012) found significant decrements with running but not cycling. Schumann’s larger, newer analysis found no difference between the two. A 2022 analysis of individual muscle fibers (Lundberg et al.) found a small negative effect on fiber growth overall, with a larger signal when the endurance work was running; the authors call the running result preliminary. So: possibly a little, not settled.
Lift first. A meta-analysis of exercise order (Eddens et al., 2018) found lifting before endurance work gave about 7% more lower-body strength gain than the reverse, with no difference in muscle growth or aerobic fitness. It drew on 10 studies of mostly untrained or recreational people.
Heavy strength work might also help runners, though the evidence is weaker. A 2024 meta-analysis (Llanos-Lagos et al.) found high-load strength training improved middle- and long-distance runners’ time-trial performance, but the authors rated their certainty in that finding as only very low to moderate. See our strength training for runners guide for a session.
Hybrid training is easier to plan when runs and lifts sit in one record. We built My Track Record so a run or a lift is one spoken sentence, in the same log.
General information for healthy adults, not medical advice. If you’re new to training, build up gradually and get coaching on lifting technique.