How to Best Program Accessory Work for HYROX Training: The Key to Performance, Pain Relief, and Injury Prevention

If you’re training for A HYROX event, you already know how demanding it can be. Between sled pushes, wall balls, running, and rowing, HYROX challenges your entire body — and without proper accessory work, it can also challenge your body and its ability to recover. Here at Loon State Physical Therapy in Minneapolis, we specialize in helping athletes train smarter for both performance and injury prevention.

Here’s how you can strategically program accessory work into your HYROX training to build resilience, while reducing risk of low back pain, knee pain, and hip pain, to boost your overall output.

1. Understand Why Accessory Work Matters

HYROX rewards strength, endurance and movement efficiency, but these same repetitive movements can cause overuse stress on joints and tissues. Accessory work fills the gaps by:

• Strengthening stabilizers and smaller muscle groups

• Improving movement mechanics

• Enhancing muscular balance and coordination

• Supporting long-term pain relief and recovery

Without accessory work, even the most conditioned athlete is more vulnerable to breakdown over time — especially in the hips, knees, and low back.

2. Prioritize Hip Stability and Strength

The hips are the power center of nearly every HYROX station. Weak or unstable hips can lead to low back pain during sled work or knee pain when squatting or running.

Try incorporating:

• Banded lateral walks – great for glute medius activation

• Single-leg Romanian deadlifts – improve hip hinge control

• Step-downs and Bulgarian split squats – build single-leg stability

• Hip thrusts or bridges – increase posterior chain power

At Loon State Physical Therapy, we often find that addressing hip stability early leads to both better running performance and lasting injury prevention.

3. Strengthen Core and Trunk Control

The ability to maintain a strong midline through high-rep, high-intensity efforts is what separates efficient athletes from fatigued ones.

Focus on:

• Pallof presses and anti-rotation holds

• Farmer’s carries and suitcase carries for real-world core control

• Dead bugs and bird dogs to connect core engagement to breathing

These exercises reduce the likelihood of low back pain by reinforcing your spine’s ability to handle repeated loading.

4. Balance Push and Pull Work

HYROX includes heavy pushing (sleds, wall balls, burpees), but not nearly enough pulling. Accessory pulling work ensures shoulder health and posture stay balanced.

Include:

• Single-arm dumbbell rows

• Face pulls and band pull-aparts

• Chin-ups or lat pulldowns

This not only improves shoulder mechanics but also promotes injury prevention for your upper back and neck.

5. Don’t Forget Mobility and Recovery

Accessory work isn’t just strength — it’s also recovery. Incorporating mobility drills into your warm-up or cool-down helps maintain joint integrity and decrease stiffness after training.

Effective strategies include:

• 90/90 hip mobility flows

• Thoracic spine rotations

• Soft tissue mobility work like stretching/foam rolling/etc for quads, glutes, calves, and your lats

Adding these sessions 2–3 times per week helps keep tissue quality high, improving both movement quality and pain relief after tough HYROX sessions.

6. Get Guidance from a Physical Therapist

Every athlete’s body is different. An individualized accessory plan created by one of our physical therapist in Minneapolis can identify your weak links and optimize your programming for better performance and fewer setbacks.

At our Minneapolis Physical Therapy Clinic, our clinicians blend strength and conditioning principles with clinical movement analysis to help you train through pain, not around it. Whether you’re dealing with knee pain, hip pain, or low back pain, we’ll help you return to your training cycle stronger and more resilient.

Final Thoughts

Accessory work isn’t optional — it’s the foundation for sustainable, high-performing HYROX training. Prioritize stability, strength balance, and recovery to keep your body performing at its best.

If you’re ready to upgrade your training plan or manage pain more effectively, reach out to our physical therapy office in Minneapolis today. Let’s keep you competing, pain-free, and performing at your peak.