HYROX Training Camp by Ann: 5-Day Hybrid Race Prep in Poland

The camp starts Tuesday afternoon and finishes Sunday after lunch, so you get four full training days plus a partial first and last day. Training is split across the day: a main session in the morning, a second block later, with recovery and education slotted around it. The programme is built around hybrid training — combining strength work with endurance — with an emphasis on technique and movement quality rather than just piling on volume. Coaches watch your form on the sled, the ergs and the wall balls and correct it.

What sets this apart from a generic fitness camp is the equipment and the coaching roster. Dojo Stara Wieś is kitted out for the week with competition-grade HYROX gear — RowErg, SkiErg, push and pull sleds, wall balls, kettlebells, sandbags — so every rep is on the same kit you'll race on. The coaches are Anna Lewandowska (certified trainer, CrossFit Level 1, multiple karate medallist, currently completing her HYROX coach certification), Jakub Jandura (Country Manager of HYROX Poland, HYROX Level 1 certified), Luis Pajares (CrossFit Level 2, based at Edan Studio Barcelona) and Małgorzata Reysner (CrossFit Level 1 since 2015, Top Trainer by Shape magazine 2016).

There's an educational component too — sessions on race strategy and mental preparation, which is the part most people neglect going into a HYROX event. You also do performance tests so you can see actual progress across the five days, not just feel like you worked hard.

Recovery is treated as part of the programme, not an optional extra. Sauna, ice bath, shared recovery equipment, and the option of a massage or physiotherapy consultation. The idea is that you can train hard across consecutive days without breaking down, and that you learn how to manage load so you keep progressing after you go home.

The venue is genuinely unusual. Dojo Stara Wieś was built according to Japanese architectural principles and is the largest centre in the world dedicated to specialist Far Eastern martial arts training. For this week it's a HYROX box in a Japanese village, surrounded by fields and forest on the edge of a landscape park. Accommodation is in seven-person Japanese cottages with futon bedding, fireplaces and terraces.

What's included

- 5 nights accommodation in a Japanese cottage at Dojo Stara Wieś - Full board: breakfast, lunch and dinner - Meals based on Anna Lewandowska's recipes - All training sessions on competition-grade HYROX equipment - Sessions led by certified coaches and HYROX athletes - Performance tests at the start and end of camp - Technique and movement quality coaching - Race strategy and mental preparation workshops - Recovery and wellness sessions (sauna, ice bath) - Shared recovery equipment - Accident insurance (NNW) - Welcome pack with snacks and gifts from camp partners - Towels, dryer and Wi-Fi in the cottage

What's not included

- Travel to and from Dojo Stara Wieś - Airport or station transfers - Individual massage or physiotherapy sessions (check with organiser) - Personal expenses - Additional snacks and drinks outside meal times - Travel insurance beyond the included accident insurance