My First Hyrox Competition (this humbled me)

Embrace the intensity. In the heart of darkness, a single light emerges. What is going on, guys? Welcome to today's vlog. We're starting it off getting a fresh fade. That's how we do it because it is a big weekend. We got High Rocks Malaga, my first ever endurance competition, so I'm super excited. So today is Friday and the plan for today is we're going to be getting a pair of runners. I actually haven't even got shoes for the thing that's tomorrow. We're going to be getting some runners, we're getting a fresh fade, we're carving up, we're getting well rested, maybe like some light exercise, some mobility work before the big day tomorrow, Saturday. We got the actual competition, competing in men's doubles. We're in Maraim. Unfortunately, I'm on quite late in the day at 4:00 PM, but we'll make it work. And then Sunday, it's going to be a nice chill day. So let's have an epic weekend and make it a good vlog. Peace. Look at this. This is the best part, getting your hair washed afterwards. The reclining seat and all. We're living it up here. Royalty Barbers, go check them out. Now we are high rocks ready. I love when they touch the side of your head. You feel like a fish. It's like the back of a stingray's head. It is just slick. We are ready to rock and roll after that. Look at that, my guy! Oh, cheers! Thank you. The meat going into slow cooker, so that is going to be our protein sorted for today. But today not having too much protein, it is a refeed day, it is a carb up day, whatever you want to call it. So on days like today, you reduce your protein intake. Usually I have about 180-200 grams of protein a day. I'm going to be dropping it down to like 120 grams. I'm going to be increasing my carbohydrates up to 500 grams, not more, and keeping fat intake physically as low as possible. The reason for this is you want to keep your calories in check and you want to just focus on replenishing your glycogen. So I'm just really just focused on carving up as we have a big endurance event tomorrow. Also have a few little like gel packs like that I can have during the competition. I've never ever taken them before. So I'm excited for that. But today the food is going to be just very carb heavy. So we got some classic Weetabix. This reminds me like going to primary school when I was a kid. Like, I haven't had these in so long. I had a few last night. They taste amazing. Some basmati rice. I love white rice. I just find it easier to digest. Also like brown rice. It's a little bit more filling, but there's nothing magical about brown rice, as some people say. Doing basmati today. We also got some pasta as well. And little fridge tour, right? So we're nice and stocked up. Well, we got plenty of fruit. So blueberries, strawberries, lot of coconut water. Absolutely love that. Some liquid carbs. We got the OJ as well. These are things that like I wouldn't usually have. Like when I'm cutting, I prefer to eat my carbohydrates. But today, this week, we're going all out. Strawberries, turkey mince. We got the white monsters always stocked up. Bananas, raspberries, watermelon. Pineapple, and the best, dates. I freaking love dates. These are so good. Got some dark chocolate up there, some eggs. But yeah, we're going to be all good today, and it's going to be a fun day of eating. And the thing I love about this, right, about a HIIT workout— so, you know, I've competed in bodybuilding shows so much, and I think the prep is so much harder because you actually have to be constantly on point with your diet. It's constantly testing your discipline. Whereas with these, like, The only hard part is the training, but that's like, you know, what, an hour a day? And it's kind of fun. Like, if you gamify it, you know, you're ranking yourself in your times and the movements. I find training very easy, and I think most people find dieting more difficult than training. So in terms of prepping for this HIROX versus prepping for a bodybuilding show, I found the HIROX to be a lot easier. It also doesn't dig into your social life as well, so you can still go out for dinners and everything. If anything, my calorie intake my calorie needs have increased massively, so I've been able to get away with more food. So yeah, bodybuilders, you know, I think they win in the discipline front, to be honest. Anyways, now we're going to go down to El Corte Inglés and we're going to get some runners that are going to be good for the IROX tomorrow, some hybrid runners. I think I have a few pairs in mind. These are very running orientated. You want something that has a little bit more stability. These have too much stability. These are like for squatting, like these are almost good for legs. Day. So something, something hybrid, something like this, or a Puma one as well. I'm going to try these on. I'll put the Puma ones too. Wow, they feel amazing. Yeah. All right, how do they look? Nice. Are they fit? Are they your exact size? Yeah, exact size. Okay. Oh wow, I feel like they're doing the running for you. Strong contender right there. Very strong. I'm going to guess these are the best Hi-Rox shoes as they literally have Hi-Rox written on them, but I don't know about the green. I don't know how much times I'd wear them. I'm not sure if I'd get much wear out of them. I do like this color here. They look extremely similar. So I think I'm going to try on these, and this could be the move. These ones right here. These look good. All right, lads. New pair of cleats for tomorrow. We went for Puma Nitros. Pretty good deal as well. They're €99. I think they're pretty nice as well. Still waiting on that Puma sponsorship. Maybe if I get a decent time tomorrow, We'll get it. But now I'm going to eat, going to have like a big, big bowl of oats, going to even add on like maple and dates, just very easy source carbs. And today, of course, it's meant to be a rest day, but I might do like some active recovery. So we might head down to Paddle now, do some sauna, some ice bath, maybe some mobility work, give these a little wear in, give these a run in, break them in. So that's the plan anyways. But Tamdi. All right, boys, we got some carby goodness right here. We got maple, like such an easy carb source. We got overnight oats, some protein milk, bananas, dates. Like, that is, that is a dessert. Sometimes me and Linda talk, we're like, if we were to open up a cafe, what would we have in it? And I would just have the most insane overnight oats. Look at that, it's like a cake, it's like a cake. All right, going to Marshall's down and we head to the gym. So the sun has decided to come back out in Marbella. We're here in Paddle Club. Usually I go in here cracked out of my mind, go as hard as possible, but today we're going to be taking it very, very chill today. So nice relaxing session incoming, calm before the storm. So next movement This is called the butcher's block, and if you're sitting at your desk for long hours, this one is going to feel amazing. It's going to open everything up and stretch your back, your lats, your triceps, everything. I think it's called the butcher's block because it's like you're getting your head chopped off. All right, grab a dumbbell. You do want a barbell as well. Put your elbows on the bench, put your head down here, and then let the dumbbell stretch back like that. Oh my God. Gonna hold. Oh my God, that is a killer. Top movement. So like so, you bring your heels together like this, your back up against something stable, and get a weight that forces you down. Nothing too heavy though. Oh my God. That is a crazy stretch. Control your breathing as well. Hold and pulse as well, really get the stretch. That is a killer. All right, so next up we have the pigeon stretch, and this is a variation done with an incline bench. Let's try touch the floor. Oh, that's it. He's slowly easing into it. Start reaching for the floor. Use this for stability. Little bit looser on this leg, actually. There you go, Knuckles. Hi people, so we're back at home. It is time to go over the plan of attack and also what is a HIROX. It is more than an excuse to go and train with your top off in sick warehouse lighting. Sometimes I actually think how many people would do it if you couldn't complete it without your top on. I certainly wouldn't be doing it, but I digress. Here we are. Is it embarrassing that I only like went through the order of it after signing up. I actually didn't even know how it went, and I signed up and started looking into it more, but it's actually really well organized and it's very interesting. So HYROX is actually a race, so you need to do this as fast as possible. So one thing, right, I have written here: 8 1-kilometer runs. So you start off with a 1-kilometer run, and then you do each workout station, and then you do a 1-kilometer run in between each one. So there's a lot of running, actually 60% of it is running. So if you are just generally fit and good at running, that's kind of half the battle, or even more than half the battle. So a lot of my training leading up to this has just been getting better at running. It's something that I'm gonna say I fell in love with this year, but it's something that I've really gotten into, and I'm shocked that I can actually do it, especially with the run club that I started here in Marbella. It's something that I've really been enjoying, and we're going to go into some, some tips throughout this little whiteboard chat, but best tip as someone who has just lifted their whole life and has gotten into running and has gotten like, you know, capable at it is smooth is fast. Slow is fast. Like the slower and smoother you take things, you feel like you're going really slow, but that's how you run long distances. That's how you build up to run long distances. So I used to see people jogging along the road. I'd look at them and I'd be like, oh my God, they're barely moving. Little did I know they were probably covering insane distances. So you probably think just visually, oh, you need to go fast, you need to look like you're really kicking ass. Just go slow and take it nice and smooth. That is the best way that I've improved my running. There's going to be a lot of running in the High Rocks, 8 km in total on top of all this. So the first thing that you get into after your first run is, is SkiErg. So it's the thing you see in most like CrossFit gyms, or pretty much like every gym at this stage, and is a skiing movement like this. My tip for these is let your body weight drag you down. So some people, they'll kind of do like little flicky movements and they're just like training their triceps. You get it right up and I kind of let my body weight drag myself down. Make your body do as much work as possible. That's been hugely helpful for me. You got sled push, sled pull, burpees, broad jumps, rowing, farmer's carries, sandbag lunges, and wall balls. Here is kind of like the main tips. So we've done a good few simulations and a lot of classes, but keep in mind this This is my first ever HYROX competition, so I'm not claiming to be an expert. I'm just kind of speaking on what I found to be really helpful as a first-timer and as someone who's going from lifting into more endurance-based cardio-focused stuff. Pace your runs. Kind of like what I mentioned at the start, you don't want to go all out on the first run. It is quite a long race. Most people are going to be running and lifting and everything for well over an hour, so pace yourself. Don't blow your load in the first couple of minutes. You also, when it comes to the sled push and pull, You want to break up the sled, so you don't want to go all out and just completely gas out your legs, or you're just going to have jelly legs for the rest of the whole course. You want to have nice, powerful, aggressive short bursts. You can take a rest. You can even swap in with your partner if you're doing doubles. So break up the sled push and pull. Now with the Burpee Broad Jumps, I think everyone hates burpees. And this is something that it takes a little bit of practice because you want to be nice and smooth and fluid with them. So you want to get into a nice, smooth motion. You want to make things flow, so it actually takes a little bit of coordination. If you're kind of like, you know, stumbling and you're having a real janky movement— I know what a better way to describe it— it's going to make things more difficult for you. So use momentum and use a little bit of skill and make things nice and smooth and stay calm and make your form good on these. So next up is the farmer's carry, and this is essentially just a grip test. So some people think, what, a farmer's carry? It's going to be, you know, tough on the legs, but it's really just a grip test. So you want to do these as fast as possible. The farmer's carry is 200 meters. So think about it logically. If you complete that 200 meters in, let's say, you know, a minute or 2 minutes, you're holding that weight for 2 minutes. If you complete that 100 meters, whatever it is, in 30 seconds, you're just holding it for less amount of time. So try do the farmer's carry as fast as possible, because that's going to be less time holding the actual weight. It's going to be a lot easier on your grip. And then So the wall balls at the very end, these are kind of infamous. It's kind of like a thing in the HIIT Rocks community. They're like, oh, the wall balls. This is when people are pretty fatigued. And if you don't hit the target properly, you get penalized. So this is a time where you're gonna really need to focus, but at the same time, it's the very end. Don't be afraid to go all out and hold nothing back. You wanna break these into sets. If you're doing it with a partner, maybe you should talk it out and see who's better at them. They could do maybe 10 or 20 more, but it is gonna be 100 reps to finish. And then you are done. So these are the main tips that I found really beneficial. Work on your cardio, build up that gas tank. I'm hoping it's going to be some fun, right? So really interested to see how I get on with this tomorrow. Like, even just looking at that, that is, that is a lot of energy burnt. So I'm already kind of dreaming about like the post-HYROX meal that we're going to go for. So that's what HYROX is, and there are my tips. Now we're going to finish off this evening, we're going to have a nice big carb-heavy meal and wind down and just get an amazing sleep tonight, a lot of rest. And then we've got to wait till 4 PM the next day, but I'm pumped. We are having, I guess, a pre-competition pre-workout meal. It is now coming up to 1 PM. We are racing at 4 PM. So this is about 100 grams of oats, and there's so much maple syrup, which is essentially a liquid carb source. So it's kind of very easy to digest, and some berries in there as well. And then we've also got a lot of gels that I'm going to have during the race as well, and maybe one just beforehand. So again, we're going for carb sources that, like, how do I say, they're very fast digesting, they're easy to digest, and they simply don't take up much room in your stomach. So that's the plan for today. Yesterday, I, like, very much replenished my glycogen. I ate a lot. Today, the goal is to keep that glycogen topped up, but also not eat so much to the point where you feel heavy and sluggish running. So got to be careful with the choices today. But yeah, This is what we're going for. Going to do a little bit of work, kind of try and like not think too much about the race. Chill out for a little bit and then we're going to make our way to Malaga. All right guys, it's go time. I can't believe the time is finally here. So a few things that I'm packing, not much, you know, change of clothes, pairs of socks, boxers, rafters, one to go food. These gels, I'm looking forward to trying these. I'm going to take one beforehand and one during. So this is carbohydrates and nootropics as well. I think there's some caffeine in there as well and L-theanine. We got the best carb source in the world. We got some jellies. We're going to snack on these and I think everyone's going to have some. We're going to snack on these in the drive to Edimburgh now. I'm going to have an energy drink. I've had like a coffee like about 6 hours ago. So this is going to be my next hit of caffeine. Then we got hydration sticks from Ghost. I've just been slamming electrolytes all damn day. I'm probably going to have a few just before the race as well. And then some Fuelcakes. If I feel like just breaking out a stove and a frying pan in the middle of the arena and just making a nice, quick, healthy snack, I'm probably just going to take a photo with these. So this is what I'm packing. And guys, if you want the best protein pancakes in the whole wide world, go to fuelcakes.com. Buttermilk just sold out. That's how good they are. But my favorite, all-time favorite, is actually chocolate hazelnut. So I'm going to pack everything up and hit the road. Sour patch going in. This is teamwork right here. More? Nice, guys, we didn't even plan this. This is good, this is on plan. So guys, this is my doubles partner for today, someone you all know. Are you ready? Hell yeah, man. I was just looking at the map and stuff, okay, getting prepared, making sure we don't make any mistakes. Yeah, a lot of guys are like making mistakes and stuff, so I learned that couple things. Okay, so he's the head— the wrong way. And we got this, we got— going to go in now, get our, our bands, register, and let's have some fun. All right guys, we're good, we got everything, we got our chip, we got our wristbands, and that's us checked in. So it's nearly go time. So after this, we got the Orange County Half Marathon in about a month, and, uh, so we're full-blown hybrid endurance athletes now. Not very good ones, but you know, we're doing it. All right guys, not long left, about 10-15 minutes. I'm absolutely pumped up and what a great vibe here, you know. It feels like I'm kind of at an expo, a body power, you know. Everyone's like coming up saying hello, it's just like everyone's super friendly, it's just really nice. And it's kind of like, I'm not, I'm not nervous, I'm like excited to just get going. And I haven't put too much pressure on myself, you know, we just want to get a decent time and just give our best really. So probably going to take one of these now, have one in the holster when I'm running. Jesus, they're big! Big boys. Yeah, I have one of these in my pocket. I'll have one now and then it's go time. Let's get it, let's get it! High Rocks, Malaga, done! 1 hour 16. Pretty happy with that. How you feeling, Dutch and Irish? I've done pretty well. Out of here now, time to eat. All right guys, it's the part of the day that I was looking forward to the most. It is the post-High Rocks feast. So we're in a place in Malaga called Terra Mia, and this place, the reviews are crazy, like 5,000 reviews. Place was packed, it's queued up to get in, but we got an amazing seat. Totally worth it now. The pizzas are on the way and we got a little canje. Bro, it's been a while. Cheers, man. We should have had a Guinness and Heineken. I know. Yeah, to really represent the touch of the Irish. But this will have to do. We are in Malaga. All right. Cheers. Cheers, man. So this year, of course, Linda is pregnant, so our alcohol intake has been extremely low. I drank 3 times in the last 6 months, but you just enjoy it so much more, especially when you earn it. And when you, you know, don't do it very often. So nice little canya. Cheers, son. Well done. Awesome. Look at that. Oh my God, that hits you in the senses. He's going in. I'm going all in. Now that is— oh my God, no, that is unbelievable. Neapolitan 10 out of 10. But the meatball, unreal. So it's a perfect way to end up today's vlog with a bit of pizza. Successful day. I'll see you guys in the next one. Keep it real. I'm out of here. Peace. Mm, that's a vibe. Oh my God. All right, now we are going to finish up the vlog here in Malaga. Such a nice atmosphere with some ice cream after smashing high rocks today. Like, I'm Obviously this weekend, one of the best weekends of the year. Making great content, eating good food with good people, and of course, training hard. Absolutely love it. See you in the next one. Keep real. Peace.