To record a HYROX workout on Garmin in any order, copy Garmin's Cardio activity and press LAP at every changeover. You get unnamed laps. For named laps, use Free Training in Hybrid Smash, a one-time-purchase Connect IQ app: you pick each next run or station as you go. As of October 2026, Garmin has no HYROX mode.
Key takeaways
- As of October 2026, Garmin has no HYROX mode, so a copied Cardio activity saves an any-order session as unnamed laps.
- Hybrid Smash's Free Training lets you pick each next segment as you go (Run, one of the 8 stations, or Other), up to 20 picks.
- Free Training starts on Run Type Cardio, with no live run pace. Indoor or Outdoor adds it.
How do you record a HYROX workout on Garmin in any order?
Use one Garmin activity and press LAP at every changeover, or use a Connect IQ app that lets you pick the next station as you go. Connect IQ is Garmin's platform and store for third-party watch apps.
A workout built in Garmin Connect fixes the order in advance. For a race in order, see every way to track HYROX on Garmin.
A copied Cardio activity is a renamed copy of Garmin's Cardio profile. On newer watches such as the fēnix 8, START → Activities → Edit → Add → Copy Activity → Cardio creates it.
Turn its Lap Key setting on so LAP records a lap. We haven't checked on a device whether a copied Cardio records a lap or a rest, so test it once before a session. According to the fēnix 8 manual (September 2026), Garmin's lap undo isn't available in gym activities. See the full no-app setup.
Newer Garmin watches also have Mixed Session (as of October 2026), where you pick the next activity as you go. But each switch takes a stop, a Next Activity pick and a restart, and there are no station names.
| Copied Cardio activity | Hybrid Smash Free Training | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | No extra cost | One-time purchase |
| Each changeover | 1 LAP press | 1 LAP press, then a pick (one more press with Rox Zones on) |
| Lap names | None | Station name stored with each lap |
| Live run pace | Not checked | On Run Type Indoor or Outdoor only |
| Saved in Garmin Connect as | One activity, unnamed laps | Cardio, Indoor Run or Outdoor Run |
| Undo a wrong press | Not available (gym activity) | DOWN (or swipe up, with Touch Gestures on) |
fēnix 8 manual (September 2026) and Hybrid Smash V26.2, as of October 2026. "Not checked": the manual doesn't say, and we haven't checked a device.
RunLabs' free Hyrox Tracker takes the opposite approach: its My Workout mode has you choose the stations and their order before you start, according to its Connect IQ listing (checked 5 October 2026).
Every way to run a HYROX workout on your watch compares the routes, and our HYROX app comparison covers the other apps.
How to track a HYROX workout on Garmin with Free Training
Set it up once. Then, at every changeover, press LAP and pick the next segment.
- Install Hybrid Smash from the Connect IQ store. There's no Hybrid Smash account or sign-up: you install it with your Garmin account.
- Turn Auto-Pause off in your watch's activity settings, for running and Cardio. The app can't override it, and slow stations such as the sled push can be cut from your times.
- Set your Weight Class in Settings. Station weights and distances match the weight class you choose.
- Turn Rox Zones on or off in Settings. With it on, the watch times a Roxzone (the transition area between the running course and the workout stations) after each pick.
- Set the run options in Training → Free Training: Run Type, Run Dist (200–2000 m) and Run Pace (3:00–9:00/km). Hybrid Smash uses metric units only.
- Open View & Start and press SELECT. The warm-up shows "Lap to Start": press LAP to begin, and the list opens.
- Pick the next segment: Run, a station, or Other (no target) for any exercise outside the 8 stations.
- Press LAP when each segment ends. A short buzz confirms every LAP press, so you don't have to look at the watch.
- With Rox Zones on, press LAP again when the Roxzone ends. The first press starts the Roxzone, and the second opens the list.
- Undo a mistaken press with DOWN (or swipe up, with Touch Gestures on).
- Save with Save & Exit. After your 20th pick (runs included), the watch shows COMPLETED and Remember to Save: open the menu and choose Save & Exit. To stop earlier, press SELECT and choose Save & Exit.
Good to know before you start:
- Weight Class and Rox Zones can't be changed mid-session.
- The clock keeps running when you open the in-workout menu.
- There are no setup questions: settings live in each workout's menu.
Why doesn't my HYROX workout show run pace on Garmin?
Hybrid Smash's Free Training shows no live run pace while its Run Type is Cardio, the default. Garmin's timer-based HIIT activity shows none either.
For live pace, set Training → Free Training → Run Type to Indoor or Outdoor before you start. The session then saves as a run.
Run Type is a per-workout Hybrid Smash setting (Indoor, Outdoor or Cardio). It decides how runs are measured and how Garmin Connect saves the session.
| Run Type | Runs measured by | Live pace | Saved as | Counts as a run |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardio (Free Training default) | Time: Run Dist ÷ Run Pace | No | Cardio | No |
| Indoor | Wrist sensor or footpod estimate | Yes | Indoor Run | Yes |
| Outdoor | GPS (uses more battery) | Yes | Outdoor Run | Yes |
Source: Hybrid Smash V26.2, as of October 2026. Cardio leaves your VO2 max and Endurance estimates untouched.
On Cardio, a 1000 m run at 5:00/km gets a 5-minute target, and the run ends when you press LAP. When a run reaches its target, the watch gives one light pulse. There are no audio cues.
On Indoor, pace and distance come from your watch's wrist sensor, which is an estimate. Pace reads --:-- until you're moving. Since V26.2, live pace reacts in about 3 seconds.
A paired footpod gives more reliable indoor pace. There's no Treadmill Run Type: use Indoor on a treadmill.
How does a HYROX workout show up in Garmin Connect?
Both routes save one Garmin Connect activity. The difference is in the laps.
Garmin has no HYROX activity type, so Hybrid Smash saves your session as Indoor Run, Outdoor Run or Cardio, depending on your Run Type. Every segment, each Roxzone included, is a lap, and the station name is stored with each lap (open the activity's laps to see them).
Nothing reaches Garmin Connect until you choose Save & Exit. Discard & Exit saves nothing.
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.
- For gym sessions: Free Training lets you pick the next station on the watch as you go, with no phone, no setup and up to 20 picks.
FAQ
Can Garmin track a HYROX workout?
Yes, but not as a HYROX activity: as of October 2026, Garmin has no HYROX mode. A Garmin watch records a HYROX workout in a generic activity, such as a copied Cardio activity with unnamed laps. A Connect IQ app such as Hybrid Smash, a one-time purchase, names every run and station.
Can you track a HYROX class on a Garmin?
Yes. A copied Cardio activity records a class as unnamed laps. If the next station is called out as you go, Hybrid Smash's Free Training names each lap: press LAP when a segment ends, then pick Run, a station or Other, up to 20 picks. If the class moves straight between stations, turn Rox Zones off before you start.
Is Hybrid Smash's Free Training free?
No. "Free" is the mode's name, not the price. Free Training is part of Hybrid Smash, a one-time purchase on the Connect IQ store (€9.99 / US$8.49 as of October 2026; prices vary by region). The developer promises a full refund if you get in touch within 24 hours of purchase and the app doesn't meet your needs.
Sources
- Creating a Custom Activity, fēnix 8 Series Owner's Manual, Garmin, v9, September 2026. Accessed 5 October 2026.
- How can I undo a lap button press?, fēnix 8 Series Owner's Manual, Garmin, v9, September 2026. Accessed 5 October 2026.
- Multisport: Recording a Mixed Session Activity, fēnix 8 Series Owner's Manual, Garmin, v9, September 2026. Accessed 5 October 2026.
- Hyrox Tracker, RunLabs, Connect IQ store listing, version 1.5.0. Accessed 5 October 2026.