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CrossFit demands athletes are quick, strong, powerful and skilful. It’s a sport that tests a wide range of abilities, meaning elite competitors need to develop multiple skillsets to perform on competition day.
French athlete Victor Hoffer knows this all too well. His 25-hour training week highlights just how varied and demanding CrossFit is, with the 22-year-old confident the schedule will help him win at least one Workout of the Day at the CrossFit Games this summer, after finishing 12th in the 2026 CrossFit Open.
Combining heavy strength work with plenty of endurance training, Hoffer also dedicates time to refining his gymnastics skills to further improve performance.
But while those 25 hours – spread across 14 sessions and six days – are carefully structured, not all are high intensity. It’s a balance he’s learned over time, admitting he did too much, too soon when he was younger.
'Start gradually and find a good training environment with experienced coaches,' he told Red Bull. 'Ask questions and learn the movements properly. Most importantly, set realistic short-term goals. Don’t try to go all-in at 150 percent from day one. Build things step by step – brick by brick. Personally, I did the opposite at the beginning and went all out straight away. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that.'
Hoffer’s Weekly Routine
Strength
Hoffer completes four strength sessions each week, including two upper body and two
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lower body workouts. Olympic lifts, such as clean and jerks, are combined with more traditional movements like the bench press to build a powerful, well-rounded physique.
Cardio
Aerobic capacity is a key part of a CrossFit athlete’s repertoire. Hoffer runs at least twice a week, typically covering 5km to 8km, and completes four endurance machine sessions lasting up to 90 minutes. These may include the bike, rowing machine or SkiErg – sometimes all three in one session.
Gymnastics
Hoffer began gymnastics at the age of three and continues to refine his technique. He now trains it twice a week, focusing on movements essential for elite CrossFit athletes. It supports strength work while also improving mobility across a range of positions.
Competition
If that wasn’t enough, Hoffer also simulates competition demands with two high-intensity sessions each week, working at or close to his limit.
'Competition always brings situations you can’t fully prepare for. Every experience teaches you how to react better next time,' he says. 'Right now I’m adding more running and more competitions to my schedule. The goal is to keep building experience so that when the big opportunities come, I’m ready.'
Ryan is a Senior Writer at Men’s Health UK with a passion for storytelling, health and fitness. Having graduated from Cardiff University in 2020, and later obtaining his NCTJ qualification, Ryan started his career as a Trainee News Writer for sports titles Golf Monthly, Cycling Weekly and Rugby World before progressing to Staff Writer and subsequently Senior Writer with football magazine FourFourTwo.
During his two-and-a-half years there he wrote news stories for the website and features for the magazine, while he also interviewed names such as Les Ferdinand, Ally McCoist, Jamie Redknapp and Antonio Rudiger, among many others. His standout memory, though, came when getting the opportunity to speak to then-Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher as the club won League One in 2023.
Having grown up a keen footballer and playing for his boyhood side until the age of 16, Ryan got the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland national futsal team eight times, scoring three goals against England, Scotland and Gibraltar. Now past his peak, Ryan prefers to mix weightlifting with running – he achieved a marathon PB of 3:31:49 at Manchester in April 2025, but credits the heat for failing to get below the coveted 3:30 mark…
You can follow Ryan on Instagram @ryan.dabbs or on X @ryandabbs_
