To record a HYROX simulation on a Garmin, split one activity at every changeover between runs, stations and the Roxzone. As of October 2026, Garmin has no HYROX mode. Use a copied Cardio activity with LAP presses, Mixed Session on newer watches, or a Connect IQ app such as Hybrid Smash, which names every split.
Key takeaways
- As of October 2026, each switch in Garmin's Mixed Session takes four actions; a Hybrid Smash changeover takes one LAP press.
- Hybrid Smash's Hyrox Sim runs are 200 to 2000 m, and stations scale from 25 to 150%.
- With Rox Zones on, every Roxzone is its own named lap, and DOWN undoes a wrong press.
How do you time a HYROX sim on a Garmin?
Three methods work: a copied Cardio activity, Garmin's Mixed Session, or a Connect IQ app such as Hybrid Smash. Only an app names each split in Garmin Connect afterwards.
A HYROX simulation is a practice session that copies all or part of the race format, in race order. It lets you rehearse pacing and transitions (sim formats explained).
The Roxzone is the transition area between the running course and the workout stations.
A copied Cardio activity only renames a generic Garmin profile, so its laps carry no station names (the no-app steps). If it has Auto Lap, turn it off: distance laps won't line up with your changeovers.
Mixed Session is a generic Garmin multisport activity on newer watches that saves several activities as one. The reviewer the5krunner called it "way too clunky for a race, but just about OK for a slow-paced simulation session" (23 December 2025).
| Copied Cardio | Mixed Session | Hybrid Smash Hyrox Sim | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Action per changeover | 1 LAP press, if Lap Key is on | Stop, Next Activity, pick, start | 1 LAP press |
| Station names in Garmin Connect | No | No | Yes, on each lap |
| Roxzone as its own split | Only as an unnamed lap | No Roxzone concept | Yes, with Rox Zones on |
| Undo a wrong press | Not available (gym activity) | Not stated in the manual | DOWN |
| Cost | Built in | Built in | One-time purchase |
Sources: Garmin Forerunner 970 manual (checked 5 Oct 2026), Hybrid Smash V26.2 (checked 6 Oct 2026).
The built-in methods cost nothing extra, but they don't name stations or label the Roxzone. Two other options have their own gaps:
- A custom multisport profile makes each leg a whole sport change, with no station names.
- A structured workout from Garmin Connect has no lap undo.
For a HYROX simulation on a Garmin, Hybrid Smash's Hyrox Sim mode runs the race sequence with every setting adjustable (run distance, station distance or reps, and weight) and times each run, station and Roxzone separately.
We make Hybrid Smash, so here is what two other apps offer for sims, according to their Connect IQ listings (checked 5 October 2026):
- ROXZONE has preset 25, 50 and 75% sims and a Race Plan you build at roxzone.app, with a one-time unlock on its website.
- RoxTrack is free and has a Treadmill run mode, which Hybrid Smash lacks.
The full comparison is in HYROX apps compared.
How to record a HYROX simulation on Garmin with Hyrox Sim
Pick Training → Hyrox Sim, check View & Start, press LAP at every changeover, then save with Save & Exit.
- Turn Auto-Pause off. It's a watch setting the app can't override, so turn it off for running and for the Cardio activity type in your watch's activity settings. Otherwise slow stations such as the sled push can be cut from your times.
- Set your Weight Class. Settings → Weight Class sets the station weights and the Wall Balls target. Leave Rox Zones on, which is the default.
- Choose your settings. Training → Hyrox Sim: Run Dist (200–2000 m), Station Dist/Reps and Station Weight (25–150%), Run Pace and Run Type. Hyrox Sim remembers them for next time.
- Check View & Start. It shows the scaled sequence for your weight class. Press SELECT to proceed.
- Press LAP to start. The warm-up shows "Lap to Start" and is recorded separately from your sim time.
- Press LAP at every changeover. There's no automatic station detection, but the app knows what comes next, so each press closes one segment and names the next. A short buzz confirms every LAP press, so you don't have to look at the watch.
- Undo a wrong press with DOWN. On a touchscreen watch with Touch Gestures on, a swipe up also undoes. The in-workout menu has Undo too, and opening it doesn't pause the race clock.
- Save with Save & Exit. After your last LAP press, the watch shows COMPLETED and Remember to Save. Open the menu and choose Save & Exit.
- Read the summary. It shows total time, then run, station and Roxzone totals. For heart rate per segment (average and max), press SELECT to open the shared web breakdown on your phone (how sharing works).
A full sim takes 32 LAP presses with Rox Zones on. Hybrid Smash keeps the watch screen to what you need right now: what you're on, how long you've been on it, and what comes next.
How do you time the Roxzone in a gym sim?
With Rox Zones on, press LAP as you finish a run, reach the station, leave it and start the next run. Those presses match how official results split stations 1 to 7.
The HYROX 26/27 Singles rulebook (version of 14 September 2026) sets no fixed Roxzone length. In a gym, the Roxzone is whatever walk your layout puts between run and station (how race-day transitions are timed).
With Rox Zones off, the walk counts towards the run or the station. Pick one setting and keep it, so your sims compare.
How do you record treadmill or outdoor runs in a sim?
Use Indoor on a treadmill or gym floor, and Outdoor for loops outside. There's no Treadmill Run Type.
| Your runs | Run Type | Measured by | Saved in Garmin Connect as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treadmill or gym floor | Indoor | Wrist sensor or footpod estimate | Indoor Run |
| Outdoor loop | Outdoor | GPS (uses more battery) | Outdoor Run |
| Timed, not measured | Cardio | Run Dist ÷ Run Pace | Cardio |
Source: Hybrid Smash V26.2. Checked 6 Oct 2026.
On Indoor, pace and distance come from your watch's wrist sensor, which is an estimate. A paired footpod gives more reliable indoor pace.
On Indoor and Outdoor runs, pace reads --:-- until you're moving. Since V26.2, live pace reacts in about 3 seconds: it averages your last three readings, so a change of pace shows almost straight away.
What is Hybrid Smash?
Hybrid Smash is a Garmin Connect IQ watch app that tracks and paces HYROX races, simulations and workouts while you do them. One press of the LAP button per changeover, and every run, station and Roxzone is timed, labelled and saved to Garmin Connect.
It is a one-time purchase on the Connect IQ store with no account, no subscription and no phone needed while you train. It offers Race Day (the official sequence of 8 × 1 km runs and 8 stations, with station targets for your weight class), Hyrox Sim, Free Training (pick the next station on the watch as you go), 8 ready-made HYROX workouts and 3 custom workouts.
It is built for the balance between simplicity and the right features: a clean screen, few options and a design nobody needs a tutorial for.
- Three controls run the session: LAP for the next segment, DOWN to undo a mistaken press, SELECT for the menu.
- Saved to Garmin Connect as Indoor Run, Outdoor Run or Cardio, depending on the Run Type you pick, with every segment as a lap.
- Works on most current Garmin watches, including Forerunner, fēnix, epix, Venu and vívoactive models. Check your model on the Connect IQ store.
FAQ
Can I record a half HYROX simulation on my Garmin?
Yes. In Hybrid Smash's Hyrox Sim, set Run Dist to 500 m and Station Dist/Reps to 50%, and keep Station Weight at 100%. Every run and station is then half distance at full race weight. The 4-round half and the quarter sim use other settings: the half and quarter sim guide lists each one.
Can I record a HYROX sim if my gym has no sled?
Yes, with a custom workout instead of Hyrox Sim, which has no Other segment. Build the sim in Hybrid Smash's Custom 1–3 with Add Station. Add Other where the missing station would be, so the substitute is timed as its own lap. Each custom slot holds up to 20 segments, and Garmin Connect sums Other time in its own column.
Do HYROX sim times count as official results?
No. Only HYROX's chip timing at a race produces official results. A gym's laps, Roxzone and equipment differ from a venue's, so sim and race times differ. Hybrid Smash also times a Roxzone before Wall Balls when Rox Zones is on, and official results don't. So next to results.hyrox.com, Hybrid Smash shows a shorter Run 8 and a longer Roxzone total, even with perfect presses.
Hybrid Smash or Smash Coach?
Hybrid Smash's job is the session itself: it times and paces today's race, simulation or workout on your watch. If your next question is what to train this week, that's a different tool: Smash Coach is a separate subscription app from the same maker that plans your HYROX training week by week around your other sports and any injuries.
| Hybrid Smash | Smash Coach | |
|---|---|---|
| Job | Tracks and paces the session you're doing right now | Plans your HYROX training week by week around your other sports and injuries |
| When you use it | During the session: race day, a sim, an open-gym workout | In the weeks before a race, every week |
| Where it runs | On your Garmin watch (Connect IQ app) | smashcoach.app, with an account and onboarding. It sends sessions to your Garmin |
| Commitment | One-time purchase. No account, no subscription | Subscription after a free trial |
Hybrid Smash runs your session. Smash Coach plans your season. Already on Smash Coach? Race day is built in.
Sources
- Garmin's New Features for 2026 - Every Q1 Feature Detailed, the5krunner, 23 December 2025 (updated 3 October 2026). Accessed 5 October 2026.
- Forerunner 970 Owner's Manual, Garmin, September 2026: "Recording a Mixed Session Activity" and "How can I undo a lap button press?". Accessed 5 October 2026.
- HYROX Tracker: ROXZONE, Connect IQ store listing, version 5.1.1. Accessed 5 October 2026.
- HYROX Tracker: RoxTrack, Connect IQ store listing, version 5.5. Accessed 5 October 2026.
- HYROX Singles Rulebook 26/27 (EN), HYROX, version of 14 September 2026. Accessed 5 October 2026.