This week is with Scottish HYROX athlete Liam McCrory, who’s gone from a 1:02 first pro race to running 53:47 in an Elite 15 major in just over two years. We dig into how a background in football, years of disciplined S&C work, and balancing full-time work as a prison officer has shaped the way he trains and races.

We chat about:

Moving from football into HYROX and why the sport completely hooked him
The difference between “training” and just “working out”
How he structures training around full-time shifts and limited recovery time
Why he trains mostly alone and how he manages motivation and discipline
Sled strategy, pacing conservatively, and building strong second halves in races
Burpee broad jump technique and how plyometric work has helped his efficiency
Why he doesn’t bother with long runs anymore and instead uses bikes, ergs and controlled running volume
RPE, threshold training, race strategy and learning to race rather than chase times
Handling bad races, penalties, disappointment and missing qualification by seconds
What it’s actually like racing in the Elite 15 environment against the best in the world
Thoughts on the future of HYROX, world championships, doubles racing and where the sport is heading

A really good conversation around progression, consistency, balancing life with training, and what it actually takes to keep moving up in the sport without living like a full-time athlete. Humans do love voluntarily paying money to drag sleds around convention centres on industrial carpet. Strange species.