Inside a DEKA Mile Simulation + Video Breakdown with Coach Missy

How to Actually Get Better at DEKA & HYROX (Hint: It’s Not Just Fitness)

Inside a DEKA Mile Simulation + Video Breakdown with Coach Missy

^{Amelia & Staci DEKA Mile 2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVX7j_13dNs}

Most athletes finish a race and say:

“I felt good.”
“That was hard.”
“We need to go faster.”

That’s not analysis. That’s guessing.

If you want to improve your DEKA Mile or HYROX performance,especially in teams, you need to look at what actually happened.

That’s where video comes in.

Why Filming Your Race Changes Everything

Video shows you what adrenaline hides. When we break down race footage, we’re looking for:

• Inefficient transitions
• Communication breakdowns
• Poor positioning
• Pacing mistakes
• Small time-wasters that quietly add up

Most athletes remember how the race felt but the video shows you the truth.

Case Study: Amelia & Staci

• First time racing DEKA Mile together
• Qualified for DEKA Worlds (Female Mile 60–79) last year
• Strong athletes but what stands out most is execution

You hear it immediately:

“Left.”  “Right.”  “You have 100m.”

Constant communication. No hesitation. That’s not luck. That’s preparation. They came in with their game plan written down with damper settings, each zone, each run and transitions. Our athletes can typically be seen wearing football playcall wristbands, laminated cards in pockets or their game plan written in sharpie on their arms. When you compete with multiple partners the strategy is always changing. 

Done Done Simulation Setup

We replicate race conditions as closely as possible:

• 160m runs = 2 loops in our front parking lot
• Tight, intentional zone layout
• Real transitions 

Pre-Race Setup (Where Most Time Is Lost)

Before the race starts, you should already know:

Equipment

• Rower & Ski damper settings
• Bike seat height + forward/back position

Rower

• Foot straps preset
• Entry/exit plan

RAM Strategy

• Side or overhead handoff if splitting
• How you will step in for your portion
• 2026 rule: RAM is not set down between after rep 30 before tag

Box Overs

• Entry side
• Exit side for fastest tag

Sit-Ups

• Ball placement
• Partner positioning

Tag Strategy

• Where and when tags happen
• Critical for: sit-ups, farmers, bike, tank

👉 If you’re figuring this out mid-race, you’re already behind.

Zone-by-Zone Coaching Breakdown

RAM Lunges

• Amelia is the stronger runner so she started to allow Staci a breather before her lunges. She did 14 & Staci 16
• Handed off overhead

Rower

• Staci on the rower ready for the tag. We split rower 250meters each here. They both are steady and pace rower well.
• Countdown communicated, Amelia loosened the straps for Staci, seat held, handle handed off. 
• Smooth transition with no time lost

Coaching tip: 👉Strong pulls. The goal here is to not kill yourself. Taller, more efficient rower should take more

Box Overs

• Taller athlete (Amelia) takes this zone. She’s faster on this zone. Also saves Staci’s legs for later in the race.

Coaching tip:👉 Strategy > ego  Save your partner’s legs for later.

Sit-Ups

Not about who is “better.” 

Coaching tip: 👉 It’s about order and flow  If you have a 65+ women’s partner → assign sit-ups to them

SkiErg

• Pre-set positioning but can’t be pulling.
• Split every 100meters.

Coach Notes:

• Staci’s cadence started too hot → wasted energy
• Slight transition delays (1–2 seconds each) on most transitions
• Over pulled 20+ meters over target with 2-3 extra pulls. This matters even more in Individual races.

Coaching tip: 👉 Taller, larger athletes should take more here. Cadence matters as well. Too fast=wasted energy

Farmers Carry

• Split 3 lengths / 2 lengths

Coaching tip: 👉 Stronger grip athlete should take more work. In this case Staci is the power athlete with extremely fast farmers. She should have taken more (she did at Worlds)

Air Bike

• On bike ready to go
• Seat adjusted mid-transition (still counting calories)

Coaching tip: 👉 Taller, larger athletes with more mass should take more calories here.

👉 Know your setup before race.  👉 Practice your transitions

Med Ball Overs

• Split evenly (10 / 10)

Coaching note: Delay in transition. Call it out. We didn’t know Worlds would have ginormous med balls

Coaching tip: 👉Shorter, power athletes tend to be faster here. They also have less range of motion to move through 👉 Preserves both athletes for final effort with splits. 10/10 or 8,6,6 are common ones we use

Tank Push

• Smooth, controlled movement

Coaching Note: Could Staci have yanked the tank on pull vs so many small steps of frying quads?

Coaching tip: 👉 If co-ed Have Male take more laps vs 1,1,1,1,1. 👉If tank is similar speeds to completion, have the stronger runner finish final lap. In case Staci was stronger on tank so swap didn’t occur. Amelia was taking more burpees as well.

Burpees

• Clean and efficient
• Communicate if tired

Coaching tip: 👉 Leave RAM down for next athlete. Notice how quickly they transitioned on top of the RAM?   No resets. No wasted time. 👉 Leave your ego-communicate if you need your partner to take more burpees. This is where races are won or lost.

What This Really Means

Even strong athletes:

• Lose seconds in transitions
• Overwork stations
• Waste energy early

But the difference?

👉 They communicate
👉 They stay composed
👉 They execute

How to Use This for Your Next Race

When you review your race video, look for:

• Transition speed
• Communication clarity
• Entry/exit positioning
• Extra reps or meters
• Setup mistakes

Levels of Racing

• Participation → learning to survive & get a medal
• Performance → chasing minutes
• Podium → chasing seconds

👉 Those seconds live in your execution

Want to Experience This Before Race Day?

We’re offering DEKA STRONG + DEKA Mile Video Simulations leading up to our May 16th event.

What You Get:

🎥 Full simulation
🎥 Video recording
🧠 Video breakdown with Coach Missy
📝 Coach Notes
🎯 Revised race strategy

👉 Purchase & book your simulation here:
https://donedone.pushpress.com/landing/plans/plan_814a58bec10248

Most athletes show up hoping it goes well. Our athletes show up knowing exactly what to do.

Amelia & Staci DEKA Mile 2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVX7j_13dNs

‍