Sub-90 Hyrox Blueprint: The Complete Plan for First-Timers Targeting a Smart Finish (Second-Race Blueprint, Part 2)

Series · Part 2 of 4

The Second-Race Blueprint

What sub-90 actually requires

Sub-90 puts you solidly in the middle of the Open category. For Open Men it is around the 50th–60th percentile. For Open Women it is 40th–50th. It requires genuine preparation — you cannot walk into a Hyrox unprepared and expect sub-90 — but it is achievable for any reasonably active athlete with 10–12 weeks of focused training.

The key insight: sub-90 is more about race execution than raw fitness. Many athletes with the physical capacity for sub-90 finish in 95–100 minutes on their first race because of pacing errors, slow transitions, and no fuelling plan. Build the fitness AND the race plan.

The full 4-part Second-Race Blueprint

New parts drop every 2nd day. Bookmark the Second-Race Blueprint hub to follow along.

1. Part 1 — Your Second Hyrox: How to Take 15 Minutes Off Your First Time
2. Part 2 — Sub-90 Blueprint: The Complete Plan (you are here)
3. Part 3 — Sub-75 Blueprint: What Separates Open Midpack from Top 10%
4. Part 4 — Sub-60 Blueprint: The Training Block, Splits, and Mindset to Chase Elite Times

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The fitness benchmarks to hit before race day

If you can hit these in training, you are physically capable of sub-90. These are the minimum thresholds — not the targets you will hit on race day in race conditions, but the standard that means your fitness is not the limiting factor.

Benchmark	Men	Women
5km run time	Under 27 min	Under 30 min
SkiErg 1000m	Under 4:30	Under 5:15
Row 1000m	Under 4:45	Under 5:30
Sled push (full distance, race weight)	Completed, some stops allowed	Completed, some stops allowed
Burpee broad jumps (80 reps)	Under 6:30	Under 7:30
Wall balls (100 reps, race height)	Completed in any number of sets	Completed in any number of sets
Farmers carry (race weight, full distance)	Completed without dropping	Completed without dropping

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The sub-90 split targets

These are your per-station and per-run time targets. Add them up and you get 89:00.

Section	Target time (Men)	Target time (Women)
Run 1	5:30	6:15
SkiErg	4:30	5:15
Run 2	5:30	6:15
Sled Push	2:15	2:30
Run 3	5:30	6:15
Sled Pull	2:30	3:00
Run 4	5:30	6:15
Burpee Broad Jumps	5:30	7:00
Run 5	5:45	6:30
Rowing	4:00	4:45
Run 6	5:45	6:30
Farmers Carry	2:30	3:00
Run 7	6:00	6:45
Sandbag Lunges	5:00	5:30
Run 8	6:15	7:00
Wall Balls	6:00	7:00
Transitions (total)	~3:00	~3:30
Total	~89:00	~89:00

Note: transitions are built into the total. Keep transitions under 12 seconds each (16 total = ~3 minutes).

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Race-day execution rules

Rule 1: Run 1 pace is 5:30/km (men) or 6:15/km (women). This will feel easy. That is correct. If it feels hard, you are going too fast.

Rule 2: SkiErg pacing. Target a 500m pace of approximately 2:10–2:15 (men) or 2:35–2:40 (women). Consistent pace all the way through. Do not sprint the first 500m.

Rule 3: Burpees — set a sustainable rhythm, not a fast start. A rhythm of 10–12 burpees per minute for 80 reps is 6:40–8:00. Find a pace you can maintain without stopping. Two 40-rep sets with 15 seconds rest is better than going unbroken to rep 50 and collapsing.

Rule 4: Wall balls — use a break strategy. Target 25-25-25-25 with 10–15 seconds rest between sets. Each set should take roughly 60–70 seconds. This keeps total wall ball time under 6:30 and keeps your legs available for the finish.

Rule 5: Runs 5–8 — accept slower splits. Your runs will slow as the race progresses. That is expected. Target a maximum slowdown of 30–45 seconds per km from Run 1 to Run 8. If you paced Run 1 correctly, this is achievable.

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The 10-week training plan

Weekly training structure

3 runs per week

• Run A: Easy run, 35–45 min at comfortable conversational pace (zone 2)
• Run B: Compromised run — do 3 station circuits (SkiErg + sled + rower, or bodyweight substitutes), then run 2km at race pace. Repeat 2 times.
• Run C: Long run, 50–60 min at easy pace

2 station sessions per week

• Station circuit: 4 stations at target split pace. Rest 90 sec between stations. Focus on technique.
• Single station deep work: Pick one station per week and do extra volume. Focus on the station you were weakest at in your diagnosis.

1 simulation per month (weeks 4, 7, 10)

• Full 8 stations + 8 runs at 80% of target pace. Do not rest between. Time the total and note where you faded.

Progression

Weeks 1–3: Establish baseline. All sessions at comfortable pace. Learn the station movements. Weeks 4–6: Begin race-pace station work. Run intervals once per week (4 x 800m at 5km pace). Weeks 7–9: Full simulation sessions. Race-pace station circuits. Runs at race pace. Week 10: Taper. Half the volume, keep some intensity. Race.

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What actually holds people back at sub-90

Wall balls near the end. After 80 minutes of racing, 100 wall balls is a different exercise from fresh wall balls. If you have not trained wall balls specifically, and repeatedly, you will be surprised by how much it hurts at the end. Train 100 wall balls in a tired state, not just fresh.

The sled push stops the race. If you have not pushed a sled at race weight in training, the race-day sled will feel impossible. Get access to a sled or practise with a heavy load substitute. This is the station that most often makes first-timers give up time.

Run 6, 7, 8 fall apart. Often a nutrition problem or a pacing problem from Run 1. Carry a gel. Eat it at station 4 or 5.

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What’s next

Sub-75 requires genuine fitness gains on top of better execution. Part 3 covers the gap.

→ Part 3: Sub-75 Blueprint

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