The last seven days before a Hyrox race are not the time to get fitter — they are the time to arrive full, hydrated, rested and practised. The plan below is the one we walk our own customers through: taper the training, hold your normal diet until 36 hours out, then carb-load to 6–8 g per kg of body weight, front-load sodium the day before, and keep race morning to foods and products you have already used in hard sessions. Nothing new goes in your mouth after Wednesday.
Key Takeaways
- Race week has two halves: Days 7–3 are normal eating with a lighter training load; the final 36 hours are the carb-load, at 6–8 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight per day.
- Carb-loading is not overeating. Swap fat and fibre for carbohydrate at the same total calories, and expect to gain 1–2 kg of water-bound glycogen — that is the point.
- Take creatine and beta-alanine every day of race week exactly as you have for the past month. Stopping them now throws away the loading.
- Race-day morning: a high-carb, low-fibre, low-fat breakfast 2–3 hours out, caffeine 30–60 minutes out if you use it, an electrolyte drink in the final 15 minutes, gels or chews at roughly 25 and 50 minutes in.
- Sleep and sodium matter more than any supplement in the last three days. Magnesium bisglycinate in the evening is the one addition most athletes make.
Why Race Week Is About Filling the Tank, Not Training
Hyrox is eight 1 km runs and eight stations, and for most athletes it takes between 75 and 120 minutes — long enough that your stored carbohydrate (glycogen) is a real limiter in the second half. You cannot build fitness in the final week; the physiological adaptations from a session take ten days or more to show up. What you can do is start the race with full glycogen stores, a normal blood-sodium level, and a gut that has already met every product you plan to use. That is the entire job of the week, and this pillar guide to Hyrox supplements explains why each product category earns its place. Everything referenced below lives in our Best Supplements for Hyrox Athletes collection.
The 7-Day Plan at a Glance
| Day | Training | Eating | Supplements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Race − 6 (Monday) | Last hard session: a short race simulation, 30–40 min | Normal diet, normal carbohydrate | Creatine, beta-alanine, electrolytes as usual; test the exact gel or chew you will race with |
| Race − 5 | Easy 30 min run or mobility | Normal diet | Daily stack unchanged |
| Race − 4 | Short station technique, no fatigue | Normal diet; start prioritising sleep | Daily stack; add evening magnesium if you use it |
| Race − 3 | Easy 20–30 min | Last day of normal eating; reduce high-fibre foods from tonight | Daily stack |
| Race − 2 | Rest or 15 min shake-out | Carb-load begins: 6–8 g carbohydrate per kg, low fibre, lower fat, same total calories | Daily stack; carbohydrate powder makes the target easier to hit |
| Race − 1 | 10–15 min shake-out with 3–4 short pick-ups | Carb-load continues; salt food a little more than usual; last big meal by early evening | Daily stack; one electrolyte serving with dinner; lay out race-day products |
| Race day | Warm-up only | Breakfast 2–3 h before: carbohydrate you have practised, low fibre, low fat | Caffeine 30–60 min before if used; electrolyte drink in the last 15 min; gel/chews at ~25 and ~50 min; protein + carbohydrate + electrolytes within 1–2 h after |
Days 7 to 3: Taper the Load, Keep the Diet Normal
The most common race-week mistake is changing everything at once. In the first half of the week, eat the way you have eaten all block. Your training volume drops sharply — one short, sharp race simulation early in the week, then easy running and a little station technique — so if you keep total intake steady you are already banking a small surplus. Keep every daily supplement exactly where it was: creatine monohydrate and beta-alanine only work because they have loaded over the previous weeks, and stopping them to “be clean” for race day undoes that work for nothing. If you have not been taking creatine, do not start now; see our guide to creatine for Hyrox for why it needs a month.
This is also the week to run your final product test. Whatever gel, chew, electrolyte and caffeine dose you intend to race with should go through one hard session by Tuesday at the latest. The SiS GO Isotonic Energy Gel is sold as a single for exactly this reason: buy one, run with it, and only then buy the box.
The Final 36 Hours: Carb-Loading Done Properly
Carb-loading has a bad reputation because people treat it as licence to overeat. It is a substitution, not an addition: over the 36 hours before the start, shift the balance of your meals toward carbohydrate — rice, potatoes, white bread, pasta, bananas, juice, sports drink — while pulling back fat and fibre so your gut is light on race morning. The working target is 6–8 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight per day. For a 75 kg athlete that is 450–600 g, which is genuinely hard to eat from whole food without feeling bloated. This is where a plain carbohydrate powder earns its place: a serving of Applied Nutrition Carb-X or EFX Karbolyn in water delivers 40–50 g with no fibre, no fat and no chewing. Expect the scale to rise 1–2 kg — every gram of glycogen is stored with roughly three grams of water, and that water is fuel and hydration you will use.
Salt your food a little more generously the day before and take one full electrolyte serving with dinner. Arriving at an indoor arena already slightly sodium-loaded is cheaper than trying to catch up at the water stations. Our electrolyte guide for indoor races covers how to read a label for sodium.
Race Morning, Hour by Hour
Breakfast, 2–3 hours before your wave. Carbohydrate-forward, low in fibre and fat, and something you have eaten before a hard session. A bowl of cream of rice with a banana and honey is close to ideal — easy to digest, fast to prepare in a hotel room, and 60–80 g of carbohydrate without a heavy stomach. Skip the fry-up.
60–30 minutes before. Caffeine, if it is part of your training. The research range is 3–6 mg per kg of body weight; for a 75 kg athlete that is 225–450 mg, and a 200 mg caffeine tablet makes the dose predictable in a way a pre-workout scoop does not. If you have never raced on caffeine, this is not the day to learn.
15 minutes before. 250–500 mL of an electrolyte drink. Not more — you do not want a sloshing stomach on the SkiErg.
During the race. One isotonic gel or a serving of energy chews around 25 minutes, and again around 50 minutes. If you expect to be out past 100 minutes, add a third around 75. Take them just before a run leg rather than at a station where you need your hands. Sip water or electrolyte at the stations that offer it.
Within 1–2 hours after. 20–40 g of fast protein, some carbohydrate and a full electrolyte serving. A clear whey RTD and a protein bar in your race bag means recovery starts in the venue, not two hours later at lunch.
Sleep, Nerves and the Things No Supplement Fixes
The two nights before the race matter more than the night before it — pre-race nerves usually wreck the final night anyway, so bank sleep earlier in the week. Cut caffeine after noon from Race − 3 onward. Many athletes add magnesium bisglycinate in the evening during race week; it is well tolerated and heavy training raises magnesium turnover, but it is a supporting act, not a sleeping pill. Pack everything the night before: gels, chews, electrolytes, caffeine, recovery shake, a change of clothes. The fewer decisions you make on race morning, the better you will run.
Our Picks for Race Week
Applied Nutrition Carb-X
A plain, fibre-free carbohydrate powder that makes the 6–8 g/kg carb-load target achievable without overeating.
EFX Karbolyn Fuel
The alternative carb powder; many athletes find it sits lightest in the 36 hours before a race.
SiS GO Isotonic Energy Gel
Test it in training as a single, then race on it at 25 and 50 minutes; no water needed.
SiS Beta Fuel Energy Chew
The chew option for athletes who prefer to work through fuel across a station rather than gulp a gel.
Magnum REFRSH Electrolytes
Stick packs for the dinner before, the start corral and the recovery shake.
Allmax Caffeine 200 mg
Predictable race-morning dosing at 3–6 mg/kg without a pre-workout’s extra ingredients.
The full race-tested range, grouped by fuel, hydration, strength and recovery, is in the Best Supplements for Hyrox Athletes collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days before Hyrox should I start carb-loading?
Start 36 hours before your wave — in practice, from breakfast two days out. Longer loads were used in older protocols but are unnecessary for a 60–120 minute event and tend to leave athletes feeling heavy.
Should I stop taking creatine the week of the race?
No. Creatine works because your muscles are saturated after weeks of daily use; stopping in race week only starts to drain that. Keep your normal 3–5 g daily dose through race day. The small amount of extra water it holds is not a disadvantage in Hyrox.
What should I eat the morning of a Hyrox race?
A carbohydrate-forward, low-fibre, low-fat meal 2–3 hours before your start — cream of rice, white toast with honey, a banana, oats if you tolerate them. Aim for 1–2 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight and choose only foods you have eaten before hard sessions.
Can I try a new gel on race day if I forgot to test one?
Do not. An untested gel is the most common cause of mid-race stomach trouble. If you have not tested anything, race on the pre-race meal and take water at the stations — for a sub-75-minute finish that is workable.
How much water should I drink in race week?
Drink to thirst and keep your urine pale, but do not force litres of plain water in the final 24 hours — that flushes sodium. Pair fluid with food and one electrolyte serving the day before, and keep the pre-race drink to 250–500 mL.
Is it too late to buy supplements the week of the race?
For gels, chews, electrolytes and caffeine, no — as long as you can test them in one session before Wednesday. For creatine and beta-alanine, yes; they need three to four weeks. We ship Canada-wide from BC, free over $100, with same-day pickup in Port Coquitlam for Vancouver-area athletes.
Sources and Further Reading
- Best Supplements for Hyrox Athletes: Fuel, Hydrate, Lift and Recover — our pillar guide to the four supplement jobs Hyrox creates
- Precision Fuel & Hydration — how to fuel and hydrate a HYROX competition
- GoodLife HYROX Toronto 2026 — official event page
This guide is general information for healthy adults and is not medical advice. Check with a healthcare practitioner before adding supplements if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a health condition, and always follow the directions on the product label.