Meet Jake Dearden, the 24-year-old head coach at 247represent, and a UK HYROX Master trainer.
He’s taking on a physical activity challenge that’s far beyond just another workout, and it’s all in aid of raising money for charity. You can donate here.
Tell us about the challenge you’re undertaking
I will be attempting to complete 11 full HYROX events in two days at London HYROX on 25th and 26th November 2023 in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.
What have you done to prepare for it?
From slipping two discs in my lower back six months ago, I’ve been recovering and training hard to ensure that my body can withstand this challenge.
I’ve been focusing on strength work, running and training the overall volume of the HYROX exercises.
How will you manage your effort and recovery on the day?
I’m going to start a HYROX every two hours. I am to complete each event in a time of around 1 hour 20 minutes, giving me 40 minutes rest and fuel before I start the next event.
What changes are you making in your training for this charity drive compared with single-event training?
Instead of training for speed, I’ve been focusing a lot more on my endurance and building my body to be bulletproof so that on the day, I don’t risk injury.
When it comes to the most common slip-ups that people make when training for an event, what are they and how can people easily avoid them?
I’d say make sure you practice every part of the race, don’t leave anything to chance. Practice and perfect all of the exercises.
Also build up your work capacity. A lot of people only do one-hour training sessions, but the HYROX event is longer than this, the average person finishing it in 1 hour 30 minutes.
Because of this, make sure at least one of your sessions each week is around 1 hour 30 minutes to get you used to working hard for this long.
What advice would you give if someone gets injured in the lead-up to an event or a race day? How can you best continue to prepare while preventing further damage?
If you get injured in the lead up to an event, please go and get yourself checked out by a physio. From this point your physio should advise you on how to go about your injury.
Whatever you do, don’t train through an injury or try and mask the injury with painkillers, as this is likely to make the situation worse.
What’s your biggest driver in keeping physically active? What are you the most passionate about?
Helping and inspiring other people around me. If I keep physically active, the people around me are more inclined to stay physically active or make healthier choices day to day.
If someone is just starting out on their journey of physical activity, what advice would you give them?
Surround yourself with likeminded people. The fitness industry is so positive and everyone wants the best for each other. Whatever type of fitness you enjoy doing join a club that hosts this.
Over the next few years, what do you think is going to make the biggest difference in getting more people active, more often?
The positive community that surrounds fitness along with making fitness enjoyable.
• Follow Jake’s journey on Instagram @jakedearden_ and donate to his JustGiving page.
