How To Implement The C2 Bike Into Your HYROX Training

HYROX places a unique demand on the body.

The sport requires you to run, push, pull, and squat under fatigue for an extended period. For most athletes, progress isn’t limited by effort or intent, but by how well they can develop their aerobic system without constantly accumulating fatigue in the lower body.

This is where the C2 Bike earns its place in HYROX training.

It allows you to build aerobic capacity and local muscular endurance in the legs while keeping overall loading on the body low. In a sport already dominated by running and high-volume lower-body work, that balance becomes critical throughout a full training week.

Why the C2 bike makes sense for HYROX

Running, sled work, wall balls, and lunges all place a repeated eccentric and joint load on the lower body. Over time, that stress adds up. The C2 Bike gives you a way to continue developing fitness without adding more impact or structural fatigue.

For many athletes, this is the difference between training consistently and constantly managing soreness, tightness, or forced reductions in volume.

The bike allows you to:

• Accumulate meaningful aerobic work
• Target the legs directly
• Maintain training quality across the week
• When programmed well, it supports performance rather than competing with it.

How to use the C2 Bike for HYROX

The value of the C2 Bike comes from how intentionally it’s used. Different session types develop different qualities, all of which SHOW UP on race day.

Power development

Short, high-output efforts on the bike develop the ability to produce force repeatedly through the legs. These sessions are particularly useful for movements that demand sustained power under fatigue.

You’ll see a clear transfer to:

• Sled pushing
• Wall balls
• Walking lunges

Power-focused bike work allows you to push output without the compressive loading that comes with heavy strength sessions, making it easier to recover and maintain movement quality elsewhere in the week.

Example training session

3-5 Sets (Each Set is 10:00)

5 Rounds: (5:00)

:20 @ Sprint (Damper 8-10)

:40 @ Easy Spin (Recovery)

—-

1 Round: (5:00)

2:00 @ Easy Spin (Recovery)

1:00 @ Hard Effort

2:00 @ Easy Spin (Recovery)

If you want to give this workout a try, we have it pre-loaded into the ErgData App, ready to plug straight into your PM5 Monitor

Lactate threshold development

HYROX rewards athletes who can control their breathing and output when intensity rises.

Bike-based threshold sessions teach you to sit at uncomfortable but sustainable efforts while continuing to move efficiently. Over time, this improves how quickly you can settle after hard stations and how well you handle repeated bouts of intensity.

This becomes especially valuable in the pairs format, where the ability to recover between efforts directly affects how well you support your partner and manage shared workloads.

Example training session

10-15 Sets:

:30 @ 120-130% of FTP* (Target RPM: 90-100)

1:00 @ 100-110% of FTP* (Target RPM: 80-90)

1:00 @ Easy Spin (Recovery)

*Functional Threshold Power. This is the maximum watts that can be held continuously for 1 hour. This is often found by performing a 20:00 Max Watts test and using 90% of the average watts achieved to find the athlete's FTP. 

Zone 2 aerobic work

Aerobic capacity underpins every successful HYROX performance.

The C2 Bike offers a simple, repeatable way to accumulate Zone 2 volume with very little nervous system or musculoskeletal cost. Heart rate and output are easy to control, and sessions can be extended without compromising the rest of your training.

For athletes balancing running, strength work, and compromised conditioning, the bike allows aerobic development to continue without constantly pushing recovery limits.

Example training session

40-90:00 @ 60-75% of Max Heart Rate. 

Recovery sessions

Recovery still requires intention.

Easy bike sessions increase blood flow through the legs, helping deliver oxygen and nutrients to fatigued tissue. Used on recovery days, the C2 Bike supports movement quality, reduces stiffness, and improves readiness for harder sessions later in the week.

These sessions shouldn’t feel demanding, but they should feel purposeful.

Example training session

These can be the same as a Zone 2 training session, depending on energy levels and nervous system fatigue. 

To promote recovery with minimal to no stress, then 20-40:00 @ 50-60% of Max Heart Rate is a good guide. 

The bottom line

The C2 Bike fits best when viewed as a support tool within a broader HYROX training plan. It helps manage fatigue, increases training density, and allows athletes to build a deeper aerobic base without constantly adding impact or load.

Athletes who perform well in HYROX aren’t just strong or fast. They’re resilient, aerobically developed, and able to repeat efforts without falling apart late in the race.

Used well, the C2 Bike plays a quiet but important role in building exactly that.

Lactate threshold development

HYROX rewards athletes who can control their breathing and output when intensity rises.

Bike-based threshold sessions teach you to sit at uncomfortable but sustainable efforts while continuing to move efficiently. Over time, this improves how quickly you can settle after hard stations and how well you handle repeated bouts of intensity.

This becomes especially valuable in the pairs format, where the ability to recover between efforts directly affects how well you support your partner and manage shared workloads.

Example training session

10-15 Sets:

:30 @ 120-130% of FTP* (Target RPM: 90-100)

1:00 @ 100-110% of FTP* (Target RPM: 80-90)

1:00 @ Easy Spin (Recovery)

*Functional Threshold Power. This is the maximum watts that can be held continuously for 1 hour. This is often found by performing a 20:00 Max Watts test and using 90% of the average watts achieved to find the athlete's FTP. 

Zone 2 aerobic work

Aerobic capacity underpins every successful HYROX performance.

The C2 Bike offers a simple, repeatable way to accumulate Zone 2 volume with very little nervous system or musculoskeletal cost. Heart rate and output are easy to control, and sessions can be extended without compromising the rest of your training.

For athletes balancing running, strength work, and compromised conditioning, the bike allows aerobic development to continue without constantly pushing recovery limits.

Example training session

40-90:00 @ 60-75% of Max Heart Rate. 

Recovery sessions

Recovery still requires intention.

Easy bike sessions increase blood flow through the legs, helping deliver oxygen and nutrients to fatigued tissue. Used on recovery days, the C2 Bike supports movement quality, reduces stiffness, and improves readiness for harder sessions later in the week.

These sessions shouldn’t feel demanding, but they should feel purposeful.

Example training session

These can be the same as a Zone 2 training session, depending on energy levels and nervous system fatigue. 

To promote recovery with minimal to no stress, then 20-40:00 @ 50-60% of Max Heart Rate is a good guide. 

The bottom line

The C2 Bike fits best when viewed as a support tool within a broader HYROX training plan. It helps manage fatigue, increases training density, and allows athletes to build a deeper aerobic base without constantly adding impact or load.

Athletes who perform well in HYROX aren’t just strong or fast. They’re resilient, aerobically developed, and able to repeat efforts without falling apart late in the race.

Used well, the C2 Bike plays a quiet but important role in building exactly that.