HYROX record-holder Jake Dearden on balancing intensity and resilience

In the UK, Jake Dearden’s name has become synonymous with the viral fitness race HYROX. At just 26, he has already secured an age-group world record, completed an astonishing 11 races in 48 hours, and earned a coveted spot at the World Championships with a career-best time of 55:43.

But his trajectory hasn’t been a straight line. After suffering two slipped discs at his first Pro HYROX event — an injury that denied him his goal of world number one — Dearden was forced to rethink his relationship with his body. Now, as a Master Trainer and Red Bull athlete, his approach is defined by recovery as much as intensity.

Away from the competition floor, Dearden works as a coach for the fashion-fitness brand 247 Represent. Here is how he organizes his training life.

Why simplicity beats complexity in the gym

Despite having access to more elite facilities than the average person, Dearden’s philosophy on building strength is surprisingly low-tech. For runners looking to build durability, he believes complexity often gets in the way of consistency.

He argues that you don’t need a machine-filled room to hit a full-body session. Instead, he focuses on the unsexy, foundational work that endurance athletes often neglect. He advocates for unilateral movements — like Bulgarian split squats and single-leg Romanian deadlifts — to target multiple muscle groups while simultaneously fixing imbalances that high-volume running creates.

Turning a career-threatening injury into a strength

Dearden’s focus on recovery isn’t just about feeling good. It’s a necessity born from his experience with a back injury. During that time, he realized that raw intensity without maintenance was a path to a short career.

“Mobility training is non-negotiable,” he says, noting that it has been a “game-changer” in his return to competition. But he doesn’t just rely on feeling; he relies on facts. He uses biometric data to dictate his training load, looking at how his heart rate variability (HRV) and sleep quality fluctuate day-to-day. If the numbers are down, the intensity drops. It’s a strategy that allows him to maintain high volume without sliding back into the red zone.

How to maintain performance on the road

Competing in races from New York to Berlin presents a specific set of challenges: disrupted routines, broken sleep, and dehydration.

“New York and Berlin are really fun races, but being outdoors, they feel really different,” he notes. To manage the chaos of international travel, his nutrition strategy is designed to stabilize his energy. He considers electrolytes “non-negotiable” for counteracting the effects of flying and heavy sweating. When it’s time to race, he strips it back to the essentials: fast-acting carbohydrates (gels) to maintain the explosive power needed for HYROX’s functional stations.

Jake Dearden’s Health Stack