ATHX Miami Beach brought the challenge, the energy and so many good moments. I stepped onto that floor next to my training partner, with my kids somewhere in the crowd yelling my name, and I felt something I want every woman I coach to feel at least once: strong, prepared and genuinely happy to be exactly where I was.
This is my recap of ATHX Miami, what the race actually is, how it felt to compete, and why days like this remind me why I love training so much. If you have ever watched a fitness race and thought "I want to feel that," this one is for you.
What is ATHX?
ATHX is a hybrid fitness competition that tests three things in one session: strength, endurance and functional fitness. It runs as a continuous 2.5-hour experience that moves you through six zones in order, with three scored workouts and built-in time to refuel and recover between them. You can race individually or as a pair.
Here is how the day flows, zone by zone:
- Warm-Up Zone (30 minutes): mobilize, activate and get your body ready for the floor.
- Strength Zone (20 minutes): Workout 1, the strength test.
- Refuel Zone (10 minutes): drink, eat something small, breathe.
- Endurance Zone (30 minutes): Workout 2, the engine test, with sustained high output.
- Recovery Zone (30 minutes): reset your legs and your mind before the finale.
- MetCon X Zone (30 minutes): Workout 3, a functional fitness test that asks for everything you have left.
What I love about this structure is that it respects the whole athlete. You need real strength, a steady engine and the discipline to recover well. Nothing is hidden. Every zone shows you exactly where your training has taken you.
How did ATHX Miami Beach feel?
It felt alive. ATHX Miami 2026 took over the Miami Beach Convention Center, with heats running throughout the day and spectators filling the space around the floor. The music, the coaches calling out times, the sound of rowers spinning up all at once: you feel it in your chest before you even start.
I teamed up with my training partner, Lino Borrelli, and we pushed each other through every part of it. When one of us needed a word, the other one had it. When one of us was flying, the other one matched it. That's the beauty of racing with someone you already train with. You know each other's rhythm, and you trust it.
The photo at the top of this post is from the Endurance Zone, on the rower. I remember that moment clearly: legs driving, breathing steady, smiling because the work I had put in for weeks was showing up right when I needed it.
Why did having my kids there matter so much?
Because they got to see their mom do something hard and enjoy it. Having my kids there cheering me on made the day even more special. I'm a mom of three, and so much of what I do is for them, but this was a different kind of gift. They watched me lift, row and finish strong, and they saw that strength after 40 looks like joy, not punishment.
I think about the example we set as mothers. Our kids learn more from what we do than from what we say. When they see us train with consistency, show up on race day nervous and do it anyway, and celebrate with friends afterward, they learn that challenge is something to welcome. That is a lesson I'll gladly teach on a convention center floor any day.
What makes the ATHX community special?
The people. Seeing familiar faces, catching up with friends and meeting new people with that same drive added so much to the whole experience. Everyone on that floor had their own goals. Some wanted a personal record, some wanted to finish their first event, some were there to have fun with a friend. But the shared energy made every one of us want to give a little more.
There is something about being surrounded by people who show up, put in the work and keep challenging themselves. You borrow their energy, and they borrow yours. I see the same thing in our Limitless40 community every week: one woman's consistency lifts the whole group.
How do you train for a race like ATHX after 40?
You train the three things ATHX tests, and you take recovery as seriously as the hard sessions. The strength test rewards real lifting, the endurance test rewards a steady engine, and MetCon X rewards the ability to keep moving well when you're tired. A balanced week covers all three without burning you out.
This is the framework I use with women in our program who want to race:
- Strength two or three days a week: squat, deadlift and press patterns, built progressively. Strong glutes, quads, back and shoulders carry you through every zone.
- Engine one or two days a week: rowing intervals and easy runs. Learn your steady pace, the one you could hold while still talking in short sentences.
- Mixed conditioning once a week: short circuits with carries, lunges and jumps, so moving between stations feels familiar.
- Practice the transitions: finish a hard effort, take a short break, then go again. That's the ATHX rhythm.
- Recovery is training: sleep, protein at every meal, mobility work and rest days. Your body gets stronger while it recovers.
If you're new to strength work, start with our guide to strength training for women over 40. It covers how often to lift and the moves that build the base you need.
What helped me most on race day
- Eating something familiar in the Refuel Zone. Race day is not the day to try new snacks.
- Using the Recovery Zone on purpose. Walk, breathe, stretch your hips and stay warm.
- Racing my own race. Lino and I had a plan, and we stuck to it instead of chasing other teams.
- Smiling on purpose. It sounds silly, but a smile relaxes your shoulders and your breathing.
Is ATHX or HYROX better for women over 40?
Both are fantastic, and they reward slightly different strengths. HYROX is one continuous race of running and workout stations, so it suits women who love a long, steady push. ATHX breaks the day into three scored tests with recovery between them, including a dedicated strength test, so it suits women who love lifting as much as conditioning.
Here in Miami we're lucky to have both. If HYROX is calling you first, read my post on HYROX training in Miami and the 8-week HYROX plan for beginners. The base you build for one carries straight over to the other.
Why do days like this matter?
Because they remind you that the consistency pays off. The early mornings, the sessions in the Miami heat, the days you trained when you didn't feel like it: they all lead to moments where you feel strong, prepared and happy to be there. And then come the laughs, the celebration and the time with friends after the effort.
For me this connects to all three pillars of my Método 3 Pilares. Training gave me the strength to compete. Nutrition gave me the energy to keep going through six zones. And faith gave me the peace to enjoy every minute instead of fearing it. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13) is not a slogan for me. It's how I walk onto the floor.
Training in Miami for your first fitness race
South Florida is a wonderful place to train for an event like ATHX. You can row and lift indoors when the afternoon heat hits, run along the water early in the morning, and find a training community in almost every neighborhood from Doral to Miami Beach. If you're looking for a female personal trainer in Doral who races these events herself, that's exactly what I do with my clients every week.
I left ATHX Miami tired, happy and already looking forward to the next one. More challenges, more memories and more days spent doing what makes me feel this alive.
Train for your first ATHX Miami with Andre
You don't need to be an elite athlete to step onto that floor. You need a plan, a community and someone in your corner. Tell me your goal on WhatsApp and I'll tell you how to start, whether your first race is next season or you just want to feel this strong in everyday life.