I thought I was done after my last event earlier this month but nope! I just signed up for a functional fitness race this December and no, it’s not HYROX. It’s called DEKA
DEKA’s similar to HYROX, same kind of vibe and concept but there are a few differences, like the types of functional exercises, the number of them, and how much running is involved.
Here are the ten DEKA zones
- Ram alternating reverse lunge, 30 reps each leg
- Row, 500 meters
- Box jump overs, 20 reps
- Med ball sit-up throws, 25 reps
- SkiErg, 500 meters
- Farmers carry, 100 meters
- Air bike, 25 calories
- Dead ball wall overs, 20 reps
- Tank push and pull, distance varies
- Ram burpees, 20 reps
HYROX has 8 functional stations and your run a total of 8K
- SkiErg 1000m
- Sled Push 50 meters
- Sled Pull 50 meters
- Burpee Brand Jumps 80 meters
- Rowing 1000m
- Farmers carry 200 meter
- Sandbag Lunges 100m
- Wall Balls 100 repetitions
“DEKA” means ten in Greek, which makes sense because there are ten DEKA zones in each of their races.
The three main DEKA’s are
- DEKA STRONG, which has no running
- DEKA MILE, where you run a total of 160 meters
- DEKA FIT, which includes a full 5K run
So, why did I sign up for DEKA STRONG?
- There is no running.
- Because I want to challenge myself in a completely different way. There’s no running in this one, so it focuses more on strength and power.
- It will prepare me for other DEKA‘s and give me a slight taste of what to expect from HYROX which I plan to do next year.
- I think this will be fun in a slightly painful way.
I’ve already started training, and honestly… there’s not much to it but to do it. I plan to strength train three days and week, one of those sessions being a DEKA simulation and cycle twice a week, hill repeat, central park loop, Zwift riding. Rest and recover two days a week.
If you’ve done a DEKA STRONG, MILE, or FIT or even a HYROX, I’d love to hear how it went for you. Which one did you think was harder? Let me know