THE ENDUROX PODCAST

ENDUROX Podcast Ep. 9: Show Notes & Chapters

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Guest

Eric Murray won Olympic gold in the men's pair with Hamish Bond in London and Rio. The pair went unbeaten for the best part of eight years, 71 races in a row. Eric also held four indoor rowing world records, and Dan worked with him as his exercise physiologist from 2012 to 2016.

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Episode Summary

Eric says the biggest flaw he sees on the rowing machine is people not understanding the physics of it. In this episode he shows how to row it right: get the flywheel up to speed, then tap it back to speed on every stroke.

He also walks through his hardest sessions and how he handled nerves across 71 unbeaten races. Dan and Adam tie it back to the HYROX row and the farmers carry that follows it.

Highlights
- Elite rowers train at a drag factor of 130, about a 5 on the damper. Eric would start around 28 to 30 strokes a minute for HYROX.
- The flywheel slows by about 15 percent on each recovery. Add that 15 percent back instead of restarting every stroke.
- Hang with long arms. The legs drive the body, and the arms only hold on and draw through.
- His hardest session: six one-minute efforts with six minutes rest, ending at 23 mmol of lactate. It took two to three days to recover from.
- 71 races unbeaten, and how Eric and Hamish Bond handled nerves in opposite ways.
- Dan reads from a study published in Frontiers: rowing was the strongest single-station predictor for men, and the station that improved least over seven seasons.

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If this episode helped your rowing, leave a rating and review wherever you listen. It helps more HYROX athletes find the show.

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Related Episodes

- HYROX Doubles Training, Sled Push Without a Sled & HYROX and Ironman | ENDUROX Podcast Ep. 8
- Pelayo Menéndez: Achilles Comeback, Sled Push Tactics & End of HYROX Super Teams | ENDUROX Podcast Ep. 7
- Force-Velocity Profiling, Strength for HYROX & The Enhanced Games | ENDUROX Podcast Ep. 3

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Chapters

00:00 Dan's ankle injury update
01:28 Meet Olympic champion Eric Murray
03:37 Indoor world records and the erg vs on the water debate
09:43 Strength, fitness and technique: why you can't max all three
13:24 Training under Dick Tonks: miles make champions
18:56 Noel Donaldson and the switch to bike and erg sessions
22:34 Training by feel, data and yearly benchmarks
26:50 Hardest sessions and how to pace them
29:23 Six one-minute efforts and a 23 mmol lactate reading
34:21 How to plan a long Olympic career
39:53 71 races unbeaten: nerves and pre-race routine
44:21 Why Eric and Hamish Bond worked as a pair
45:52 How to use the rowing machine: get the flywheel up to speed, then tap it
51:18 Best damper setting for the rower: drag factor 130 explained
57:04 Stroke rate and pace: why one means little without the other
59:11 Hang with long arms: non-contractive tension and the force curve
1:01:29 How good rowing technique protects the farmers carry and the rest of the HYROX race
1:05:17 Olympic photos and free McDonald's in Rio
1:08:55 Three bits of advice for aspiring elite athletes
1:14:16 Sacrifice or choice? Eric's take on elite sport
1:16:06 Autism New Zealand and giving back
1:21:33 The HYROX study on rowing and technique feedback from Eric
1:24:00 Who Eric looks up to
1:29:24 Where to find Eric

ENDUROX Podcast Ep. 8: Show Notes & Chapters

Title:
HYROX Doubles Training, Sled Push Without a Sled & HYROX and Ironman | ENDUROX Podcast Ep. 8

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Resources & Links

- Follow the show: @the_endurox_system on Instagram
- Engine Room newsletter: Dan and Adam's monthly coaching thoughts and insights. Sign up through ENDUROX.co

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Episode Summary

Dan Plews and Adam Storey answer listener questions on HYROX training. Dan also updates on the ankle rupture he suffered at the Deadly Dozen, and Adam reports on the Red Bull HYROX Coaches Camp pre-cooling trial in São Paulo.

Can you train for HYROX and Ironman, ultras or gravel? (20:25)
You can do well in both, but not your best in both. Ultras, Ironman and gravel reward a body size that works against wall balls and sleds, though aerobic blocks still help your HYROX.

Is a half marathon good preparation for HYROX? (21:45)
Dan says it's the ultimate running event to build around, because the duration and running paces are very similar.

How does training for doubles differ from singles? (25:42)
Train much like you would for singles, because your aerobic system is what recovers your anaerobic power. Practise faster burpee and wall ball technique.

GLP-1s, anti-doping and HYROX (30:18)
Adam says a HYROX Medical Advisory Council member who works with WADA told him GLP-1s will most likely be on the prohibited list in 2027.

How do you train the sled push and pull without a sled? (33:58)
For the push: single leg leg press, walking lunges, isometric holds and self-propelled treadmills. For the pull: sissy squats, Spanish squats, rows and cable pulls.

How do you test HYROX athletes in a lab? (41:50)
Combined tests that mix burpees, wall balls and running measure everything and tell you nothing. Isolate threshold, running economy, strength endurance and fatigue resistance, and consider critical speed.

Is Zone 2 on the StairMaster the same as running? (51:17)
Similar, never the same. Adaptations are specific, and long bike hours still need tendon and impact loading before you return to running.

How do you structure an eight hour training week? (58:01)
It depends on your training history. Dan suggests roughly 60 to 70% aerobic, and Adam warns a hard strength session can leave central fatigue for up to 48 hours.

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If this episode helped your training, leave a rating and review wherever you listen. It helps more HYROX athletes find the show.

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Related Episodes

- Pelayo Menéndez: Achilles Comeback, Sled Push Tactics & End of HYROX Super Teams | ENDUROX Podcast Ep. 7
- Heat, Peptides & The HYROX World Champs Debrief | ENDUROX Podcast Ep. 4
- Force-Velocity Profiling, Strength for HYROX & The Enhanced Games | ENDUROX Podcast Ep. 3
- Tempo Running, VO2 Max & Tapering for HYROX World Champs | ENDUROX Podcast Ep. 2

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Chapters

00:00 Intro: why it's been a while
00:43 Dan's 2026 so far: Achilles, PRPs and the Deadly Dozen fall
02:48 What the syndesmosis is and what the scans may show
03:37 Why this injury is common in AFL and rugby
05:39 Mentally harder than physical: coaching athletes while injured
07:25 Adam's trip to the Red Bull HYROX Coaches Camp in São Paulo
10:35 Pre-cooling trial: ice towels vs ice slushies vs no cooling
12:15 Dual-task training and the race brain
14:20 Dan's Kona training camp: 80K running and 26 hours
16:47 Would Dan go back to Ironman?
17:54 Going from 45K to 80K in a week
20:25 Listener questions begin: ultras, Ironman and gravel vs HYROX
25:42 Training for doubles vs singles
28:01 Skill of moving fast and Christian Blummenfelt's body type
30:18 GLP-1 microdosing and the 2027 anti-doping outlook
33:04 BPC-157 and where the line sits for injured athletes
33:58 How to train sled push and pull without a sled
39:38 Sled conditioning, farmers carry and Dan's slip
41:50 Building a lab test package for HYROX athletes
46:45 Wall balls and endurance backgrounds
47:48 How to test strength endurance
49:37 Lactate steady state vs critical speed
51:17 Is all Zone 2 the same? StairMaster vs bike
53:47 Why long bike hours still need tendon loading
55:11 Engine Room newsletter and running again after injury
58:01 Structuring an eight hour training week
1:00:48 Hard strength days and the polarised week
1:02:26 HYROX in Crocs and sign-off

Dan Plews and Adam Storey sit down with Elite 15 athlete Pelayo Menéndez, one of the most consistent racers in HYROX with 23 podiums from 28 races, a 55:12 singles PB, and a former doubles world record (48:31, set in Miami 2025) alongside Rich Ryan. Pelayo talks through his comeback from a serious Achilles injury, his current 22 to 25 hour training weeks, and the three things he is prioritising right now: running economy, max strength and aerobic volume on the bike.

The conversation moves through Pelayo's unlikely path into the sport, from age-group triathlon in Spain to a PhD in coastal engineering published in Nature, to a chance discovery of HYROX in Chicago after missing out on a marathon lottery spot. He breaks down why he treats HYROX as an endurance sport first, how he reads and adapts to inconsistent sled turf, and why every tactical decision in his race ends at the sled push.

They close on the shifting singles versus doubles landscape now that country pairings are required, Pelayo's own singles qualification push for 2027, dealing with imposter syndrome on elite start lines, and a brutal dumbbell complex his wife Elena Rouco set him this week that the hosts throw out as a challenge for listeners.



Chapters

00:00 Intro: Adam's São Paulo trip and Dan's Kona training camp

00:59 Introducing guest Pelayo Menéndez: 23 podiums from 28 races, 55:12 singles PB, 48:31 doubles world record with Rich Ryan

02:53 Pelayo's coffee machine and staying with Dan in Chicago

04:43 Current training block: adapting to 22-25 hour weeks

06:20 Why he stepped up from 15-17 hours to higher volume

07:08 Three training priorities: running economy, max strength, aerobic volume

08:08 Key lifts and rep ranges for building strength reserve

09:40 Plyometrics in warm-ups after the Achilles injury

10:58 Power clean technique and load

12:19 Sending the power clean video for Adam to critique

12:57 Reflecting on the Achilles injury and the athlete's journey

14:09 Starting triathlon in 2011 and racing every weekend

17:53 Ironman debut in 2022 and why the marathon didn't work

19:16 The random path from Ironman to discovering HYROX in Chicago

20:41 Academic background: PhD in coastal engineering and a Nature paper

23:24 Leaving a 12-year science career to go pro in HYROX

25:06 How an analytical mindset shapes his coaching and racing

28:14 Race strategy and how much triathlon tactics carry over

31:37 Common mistakes triathletes make moving into HYROX

35:19 Race-day tactics: from the warm-up to flow state after the sled push

37:57 Recovering mentally and physically from a bad sled push

40:48 Training on centre turf and lane-to-lane inconsistency

41:14 The physics of sled friction, humidity and finding a "wall"

44:25 Why he always pushes the sled low, no matter the load

45:12 Unplugging from HYROX at home with Elena

47:31 Kids as the ultimate humbling factor

48:24 Green card, US racing rules and why the

48:31 doubles world record with Rich Ryan won't be defended

50:25 Why singles and doubles training won't diverge much

53:25 The end of super teams and what happens to the world records

54:49 What's next for Pelayo in singles, and dealing with imposter syndrome

58:34 Why understanding your own programme beats copying sessions online

59:19 Advice to his younger self starting out in HYROX

1:01:53 The cruise major, and prepping for Hamburg instead

1:02:44 Countdown to Hamburg and swapping Shanghai for Singapore

1:03:29 Racing burpees against Elena

1:04:45 Elena's new doubles partner search

1:05:50 This week's brutal dumbbell complex challenge

1:08:41 Sign-off

Want to know what actually drives your HYROX time?

Is it your aerobic engine, your anaerobic power, or your strength that's setting your ceiling? Researchers at La Trobe University are running a study to find out which physical qualities best predict HYROX race performance — and they're looking for athletes to put through a full lab work-up most people never get access to.

If you take part, you'll complete two testing sessions at La Trobe University (Bundoora), roughly 2–2.5 hours each (~4–5 hours total).

Across the two visits you'll do:

VO₂max and lactate threshold on a graded treadmill test

Body composition via DEXA scan (muscle, fat, and bone)

Anaerobic power on a 30-second Wingate *Jump and force testing — force-plate jumps plus an isometric mid-thigh pull

Maximal strength (1RM back squat) and muscular endurance / work-capacity testing, including a sport-specific wall-ball effort at competition weight

What you get out of it:

A detailed, personalised report of your results — aerobic capacity, thresholds, personalised training zones, power, strength, muscular endurance, and body composition — to benchmark where you stand and sharpen your training.

All testing is free and supervised by qualified exercise scientists.

Who they're after:

Aged 18–45 males and females

Must be completing a solo HYROX race in Melbourne 2026

Free from injury or medical conditions that would rule out high-intensity exercise

Interested? Get in touch with the research team to register your interest: Dr Charlie Davids (+61 413 541 974, c.davids@latrobe.edu.au)



CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro: matching black T-shirts and the tail end of winter

00:37 Dan's man flu and a rough training week

01:51 What a sick training week looks like for Dan

03:40 How Dan modifies sessions when unwell

04:43 Long runs into wall balls, and a HYROX skill insight

06:34 Why skill development gets overlooked in HYROX

07:58 Building a skill-focused training camp for a women's doubles pair

08:25 The skill of picking up a sandbag

10:02 Chiba, Japan: the weekend's racing

10:11 Chengdu recap and a new female doubles pairing near the world record

11:18 Tough heat, slow conditions and Cole Learn's fast time

12:33 Jake Williamson's comeback and Josh's race

12:55 Josh's race-brain lap mistake and Cole Learn's dominance

14:53 Why busy courses cause athletes to lose count, and lap-counting as a team

15:33 Cole Learn's build and the anthropometrics of a HYROX athlete

16:47 Height, functional body weight and the DQ rule that cost Josh points

18:41 Cole Learn's three-year progression toward the top of the sport

20:49 Preparing for Bangkok: pre-cooling strategy options

21:20 Heat acclimation, ice baths and warm-up modification

23:12 Ice slushies and the science of the enthalpy of fusion

23:45 Ice towels versus ice vests

25:20 Ice and water safety for athletes travelling overseas

26:27 Shout out: Shannon Prophet's results in Chiba

27:36 Shout out: David Barton's pro open solo debut

30:17 HYROX 365 Level 2 course and the Scientific Advisory Council

33:35 Coaching accreditation and what Level 2 and Level 3 will cover

35:09 Introducing HYROX Young Stars

36:58 Building the strength and conditioning framework for kids

40:45 Why early sport specialisation is a mistake

43:06 The research on specialisation age across Olympic sports

45:35 Exceptions to the rule: Tiger Woods, the Williams sisters and artistic gymnastics

47:40 The La Trobe University study on the determinants of HYROX success

50:09 Pilot data: threshold speed as a predictor of finishing time

52:16 VO2max, fractional utilisation and why the sample is still small

54:18 Why running is the priority in Endurox's training programmes

55:19 Threshold speed and station performance

56:46 How to get involved in the study for free

59:03 Sign-off: sub-60 speed talk and the next episode

Dan Plews and Adam Storey sit down with Dexter "Big Dex" Buchanan, the top HYROX athlete in New Zealand and one of the best in Australasia. Fresh off a 10th-place finish at the World Championships in Stockholm, Dex breaks down how a rugby league background shaped him into a station specialist, and what it will take to reach the very top of the sport.

The conversation digs into one of the biggest questions in HYROX right now: how much does body weight matter? Dex sits around 90kg while the top runners hover in the low 80s. The guys unpack why chasing a number on the scale is the wrong approach, and why letting training volume drive body composition tends to take care of itself.

From there it gets practical. Dex shares his exact cues for the sled push and sled pull, why he switched to holding the rope instead of the drop method, how he built his wall balls to unbroken, and where strength training fits when running is the priority. Dan and Adam also get into the science: anaerobic reconstitution during the runs, lactate profiling, LT1 versus LT2, and why a flat lactate curve might matter more than a high threshold for HYROX.

Whether you are new to hybrid racing or chasing the Elite 15, this one is packed with takeaways you can use.