How to Get Your Body Ready for Hyrox, City2Surf and the Sydney Marathon
- TT Chiro RM
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
Sydney's event season is stacked this year.
Hyrox lands on 30 June, City2Surf takes over the streets on 9 August, and the Sydney Marathon closes out winter on 30 August.
Here's the catch.
Most people training for these events also sit at a desk for 6 to 8 hours a day. Your body goes from a chair to a 14km run or a Hyrox station with nothing in between. That gap is where tightness, niggles and frustrating setbacks tend to show up.
At TT Chiropractic & Remedial Massage in Surry Hills, Sydney, we see this pattern every event season. Desk-based professionals training hard for a goal, with bodies that need a bit more support to keep up. The good news? Getting event-ready isn't complicated. It comes down to three things: how you warm up, how you move, and how you recover.
Let's break this down.
To get your body ready for events like Hyrox, City2Surf or the Sydney Marathon, focus on three areas: a short dynamic warm-up before every run, regular mobility work for your hips and mid-back, and planned recovery after hard sessions.
Start preparing your body weeks out, not days out. In the final week, reduce intensity rather than adding new training, and give your body time to absorb the work you've already done.
Why does event season catch desk workers out?
Most event injuries don't happen because people are unfit. They happen because of the gap between how we live and how we train.
If you sit most of the day, your hips spend hours in a shortened position. Your mid-back stiffens. Your glutes switch off. Then you head out for a 12km training run or a heavy sled push, and you're asking those same tissues to suddenly perform at full capacity.
That mismatch is why so many runners feel tight hips, cranky lower backs and grumpy calves in the weeks before an event. The training load isn't the only problem. It's the training load stacked on top of a desk-shaped day.
The fix isn't quitting your job. It's bridging the gap with a smarter warm-up, consistent mobility work and recovery that actually matches your training.
What should a pre-run warm-up look like?
Short and dynamic. You don't need 20 minutes. You need 3.
A good pre-run warm-up gently takes your joints through the ranges you're about to use, raises your heart rate a little, and wakes up the muscles that have been sitting all day. Think of it as telling your body "we're about to run" instead of surprising it at the first corner.
A simple under-3-minute sequence can look like this:
30 seconds of leg swings, front to back, each side
30 seconds of hip openers, like standing hip circles or deep lunge rotations
30 seconds of glute activation, like glute bridges or single-leg balance taps
30 seconds of ankle rocks or calf pumps
30 seconds of easy skipping or high knees to lift the heart rate
That's it.
No static stretching before the run, save that for after. Static holds before running can temporarily reduce muscle power, and they don't prepare your joints for movement the way dynamic work does.
Simple moves. Big relief.
How do you know if your body is event-ready?
Here's a quick self-check you can do at home. It's not a diagnosis, just a way to notice what feels restricted before race day does it for you.
If one or two of these feel restricted, that's useful information, not a reason to panic. It tells you where to focus your mobility work in the weeks before your event. If something feels painful rather than just tight, that's worth getting assessed.
What do your hips need if you run?
More attention than they're getting. For most desk-based runners, the hips are the bottleneck.
Sitting keeps your hip flexors in a shortened position for hours. Running then demands hip extension, which is the exact opposite. When your hips can't extend well, your lower back and knees often pick up the slack, and that's where many runners start feeling it.
What tends to help:
Hip flexor mobility. Half-kneeling stretches, couch stretches, deep lunges. Little and often beats one long session.
Glute strength. Bridges, hip thrusts, single-leg work. Strong glutes support every stride.
Rotation work. Hips don't just go forward and back. 90/90 transitions and hip CARs keep them moving in all directions.
Post-run care. After long runs, your hips have done thousands of repetitions. Gentle stretching, walking and easy movement help them settle.
Remedial massage can also play a role here. Targeted soft tissue work through the hip flexors, glutes and surrounding muscles may help ease tightness and support recovery between training sessions.
What should the final week before your event look like?
Less than you think. The final week is about absorbing your training, not adding to it.
A common mistake is panic training, cramming in extra sessions because race day suddenly feels real. By the week of the event, your fitness is already built. The job now is to arrive fresh.
A sensible final week often looks like:
Reduce volume. Shorter runs, lighter sessions, nothing new.
Keep some intensity. A few short pickups keep your legs feeling sharp without draining them.
Prioritise sleep. This is when your body consolidates all the training you've done.
Stay mobile. Keep up your daily hip and ankle work, gently.
Don't experiment. No new shoes, no new foods, no new training styles. Race week is not the time.
Plan your logistics. Knowing your start time, transport and gear removes stress, and stress shows up in the body too.
If you're carrying a niggle into the final week, getting it looked at early gives you options. Leaving it until two days before the event usually doesn't.
How should you recover after a big event?
Actively, gently, and over more than one day.
Whether it's Hyrox, City2Surf or the full marathon, your body has just done something demanding. Recovery is part of the event, not an afterthought.
In the first 24 to 48 hours:
Keep moving. Easy walking helps circulation and can reduce that day-after stiffness. Lying on the couch all day usually makes it worse.
Hydrate and eat well. Your muscles need fuel to repair.
Gentle stretching only. Nothing aggressive. Your tissues are sensitive after a big effort.
Sleep. The most underrated recovery tool there is.
In the days that follow:
Return to training gradually. Most people benefit from several easy days before anything intense.
Reintroduce mobility work. Hips, calves and mid back will likely feel it most.
Consider hands-on support. Remedial massage may help ease post-event muscle tightness, and a chiropractic check-in can be useful if your back or neck feel restricted after the effort.
Listen to your body here. Soreness that gradually improves is normal. Pain that lingers, sharpens or changes the way you move is worth getting assessed.
What most people miss
The truth is, event prep isn't really about the last two weeks. It's about the daily gap between your desk and your training.
The runners who feel best on race day are rarely the ones who did one heroic prep month. They're the ones who broke up their sitting, warmed up before every run, did ten minutes of hip work most days, and treated recovery as part of the program.
Your body keeps the score of your habits, not your intentions. Small daily inputs beat big last-minute fixes, every time.
Practical Takeaways
Warm up before every run with 3 minutes of dynamic movement, not static stretching
Break up long sitting blocks with a 2 minute movement break every hour
Give your hips daily attention: mobility, glute strength and rotation work
Use the self-check above to find your restrictions weeks before the event, not days
In the final week, reduce volume, keep a touch of intensity, and change nothing new
Sleep is your highest-return recovery tool, protect it during heavy training
After the event, keep moving gently for 48 hours rather than going fully still
Return to training gradually, easy sessions first
Tightness is information. Pain that lingers or changes how you move is worth assessing
When to Consider Getting Help
Some signs it can be worth getting assessed before or after your event:
A niggle that's hung around for more than a couple of weeks
Tightness that keeps coming back no matter how much you stretch
Pain that changes your running style or makes you hesitant to train
Restriction in your hips, back or neck that limits your training
Post-event soreness that isn't settling after several days
None of these mean something is seriously wrong. They just mean your body is asking for some support, and addressing it early usually beats pushing through.
Training for Hyrox, City2Surf or the Sydney Marathon? We'd love to help you get there feeling good.
At TT Chiropractic & Remedial Massage, we work with active professionals across Sydney every day. Whether it's chiropractic care to address restrictions in your back, hips or neck, or remedial massage to ease training tightness and support recovery, we'll meet your body where it's at and build from there.
Not sure which one you need? Let's chat. We'll point you in the right direction.
Let's get you to that start line moving well 💙
No pain, just progress.
FAQ
How long before Hyrox or a running event should I start preparing my body?
Ideally 6 to 8 weeks out, alongside your training plan. That gives you time to address tight hips, stiff ankles or weak glutes before race day. Starting earlier is always better than cramming mobility work into the final week.
Should I stretch before running?
Save static stretching for after your run. Before running, a short dynamic warm-up of 2 to 3 minutes works better. Leg swings, hip openers, glute activation and light skipping prepare your joints and muscles for movement.
Is remedial massage good before a big event?
It can be, with the right timing. Many active people find a remedial massage in the week before an event helps ease training tightness. Most prefer to avoid very deep work in the final 2 to 3 days so the body feels fresh on race day. Your therapist can tailor the session to where you are in your prep.
Why do my hips feel tight when I run?
For desk-based runners, it's often the combination of prolonged sitting and high training load. Sitting keeps the hip flexors shortened, while running demands the opposite. Regular hip mobility work, glute strengthening and breaking up long sitting blocks may help.
What's the best way to recover after City2Surf or the Sydney Marathon?
Gentle movement, hydration, good food and sleep in the first 48 hours. Easy walking usually beats complete rest. Return to training gradually over the following week, and consider hands-on support like remedial massage if tightness is slow to settle.
Can desk workers safely train for Hyrox?
Absolutely. Thousands of desk-based professionals complete Hyrox every year. The key is bridging the gap between sitting and training with consistent warm-ups, daily mobility work and sensible load progression. Your desk job isn't a barrier, it just means your prep needs a little more intention.
When should I see a chiropractor or massage therapist about a training niggle?
If a niggle has lasted more than a couple of weeks, keeps returning, or changes the way you move or train, it's worth getting assessed. Early support usually means simpler solutions and less disruption to your event prep.
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