From the finish line to full recovery, two elite HYROX athletes share the supplements, sleep habits, and strategies that power their performances and keep them consistent.
Meet the Athletes
Lauren Weeks | The Feed High Performance Team
Three-time HYROX World Champion (2020, 2021, 2023) and holder of both the Women's Open world record (55:38) and the Women's Pro Doubles world record (53:11, set with Vivian). Based in Las Vegas, Lauren competes in the Elite 15 — the top 15 women in the world — and is coached by her husband, Anthony Peressini. Off the race floor, she coaches athletes at The Hybrid Engine and holds the DekaFit World Record as well.
Vivian Tafuto | The Feed High Performance Team
One of the fastest rising women in HYROX, Vivian holds both the Women's Pro Doubles world record alongside Lauren and the age group (25–29) Pro world record. She finished 3rd at the 2024 HYROX World Championships in Nice and is a full-time actuary who also trains under coach Anthony Peressini. Her blend of analytical thinking and elite athleticism makes her one of the most compelling athletes in the sport.
When you push your body to a world-record level, recovery isn't optional. It is the next race. We sat down with Lauren and Vivian — both members of The Feed's High Performance Team — to get the full picture of how they bounce back after one of the most demanding efforts. Spoiler: it involves specific fueling procedures, sound machines, and a very strategic approach to sleep.
The First Thing They Do After Crossing the Finish Line
Before a single recovery protocol kicks in, there's one variable neither athlete can control: drug testing.
"I'm crossing my fingers that we're not the ones being selected for drug testing because then I can have something right away... I'm looking for a protein-carb mix. Skratch has one, it's chocolate and has protein and carbs in it. I'll bring a ketone shot to have right away." — Lauren
Lauren keeps her post-race kit simple and portable. She reaches for Ketone IQ immediately after finishing, a recovery shake, and then gets off to drug testing if need be. For solid food, she packs bread with something like canned tuna or chicken so she's fueled no matter how long she has to wait around at the venue.
"I drank my Skratch recovery when I was still in drug testing... I immediately drink a lot of water and then try to get the drug test done as fast as you can so that you can start having food." — Vivian
The Supplement Stacks They Swear By
Both athletes have dialed-in nightly supplement routines that prioritize sleep quality, inflammation management, and hormonal recovery. The overlap is striking.
Lauren's Stack
Momentous Elite Sleep — half dose (1 pill) every night
Cheri Bundi Gummies (travel-friendly alternative to the liquid)
"I take a half dose of the Elite Sleep — one pill instead of two. I know there's melatonin in it, and you're not supposed to have it every day, but I do [at events]." — Lauren
She also uses a muscle scraper at night as part of her physical recovery wind-down.
Vivian's Stack
One thing Vivian deliberately avoids: melatonin and caffeine as daily habits.
"The two things I try not to do — I don't take melatonin and I try to only take caffeine before races, because those are the two that I don't want to develop dependencies on." — Vivian
Managing Soreness and Fatigue
Both athletes are firm believers in active recovery over passive rest. Movement is medicine.
"I think movement is therapy. Usually, if I'm really sore, that was a hard day and there's no way my next day is also a hard day. So the next day is easy movement — being able to get the blood flowing. I use Rouvy and just pick a city I want to explore. No set time, just whatever the city ride is." — Lauren
"A lot of it is movement. After the singles race, I did a shake-out run. Using the recovery boots, getting blood flow moving... even just walking around the venue, I woke up Saturday after doubles, and my quads were a lot worse, but after walking around the venue, by the end of the day I was significantly better." — Vivian
Vivian leans on her Therabody recovery boots as a go-to tool, while Lauren reaches for her muscle scraper at night. Both emphasize gentle mobility work for tightness — particularly the quads, which take a serious beating in a HYROX race.
The Sleep Challenge (And How They Hack It)
Here's the cruel irony of racing well: the harder you go, the harder it is to sleep afterward.
"After a race night, I'm often either not sleeping or getting very minimal sleep. There have been nights I didn't sleep at all." — Lauren
"The better I raced, the less I sleep. If I have a good race I just can't calm down — I'm just very happy. Also, taking caffeine at night when I don't usually take it gives me some problems." — Vivian
Their shared sleep toolkit? Sound machines, eye masks, and blackout strategies for international hotel rooms. Lauren also swears by nose strips. Vivian's budget hack: a t-shirt over her face instead of an eye mask.
"I try to keep my normal wind-down routine the same — brushing teeth, taking supplements, the things that trigger sleep mode. I sleep with a sound machine. I bring an eye mask because hotel blackout curtains are never actually blackout curtains." — Lauren
How Long Until They're Back at Full Intensity?
"If I don't get sick, probably four or five days. I can start putting some intensity back in. More than 50% of the time, I pick something up after a race, though." — Lauren
"I go by not just physically how I feel, but how excited am I to train. Wednesday I had a friend to train with and did most of my normal threshold work but no run threshold, just ran for fun. Thursday was a true recovery day. Friday I was able to jump back in. So that's five, six days." — Vivian
The Mental Side of Recovery
Vivian had some of the most practical advice of the conversation when it came to mental recovery — and the danger of jumping back in too fast.
"Taking that next week easy is better, especially depending on how you feel mentally and physically. I've had races — and even life — where the day after I'd push myself, I'd have to keep going. And then a week or two later, when you actually need to be getting back into it is when the burnout hits you. Take time as you need it and your body will thank you, and your mind will thank you." — Vivian
Their #1 Recovery Advice for Athletes
"The two biggest ones are sleep and food. You're not going to recover if you don't refuel, and as hard as it is to sleep after a race, you've got to find a way to make it happen." — Lauren
"Those are the main ones, and doing movement you like — not feeling like you have to immediately hop back in and grind. That's helpful for getting better physically and mentally." — Vivian
World records don't happen by accident — and neither does the recovery that makes the next one possible. Whether it's Lauren's Momentous sleep stack or Vivian's Therabody boots and Thorne lineup, the common thread is intentionality: knowing what your body needs and having it ready before you even cross the finish line. Each time and every time.
Image: Madame Mel
