CrossFit demands athletes are fast, strong, powerful and skilled. It’s a sport that tests a wide range of abilities, meaning the best competitors need to develop many skills to perform on competition day.
French actor Victor Hofer knows this all too well. His 25-hour training week highlights just how varied and demanding CrossFit is, a schedule the 22-year-old is confident will help him win at least one workout a day at the CrossFit Games this summer, after finishing 12th at the 2026 CrossFit Open.
Combining heavy strength work with lots of endurance training, Hofer also devotes time to refining her gymnastics skills to further improve performance.
But while those 25 hours — spread over 14 sessions and six days — are carefully crafted, not all are high-intensity. It’s a balance he’s learned over time, admitting he did too much, too soon when he was young.
“Start slowly and find a good training environment with experienced coaches,” he told Red Bull. ‘Ask and learn the moves correctly. Most importantly, set realistic short-term goals. Don’t try to go 150 percent on everything from day one. Build things step by step – brick by brick. Personally, I initially did the opposite and left immediately. I don’t have to recommend it.
Hofer’s Weekly Daily
power
Hofer completes four strength sessions each week, including two upper body and two
Lower body exercises. Olympic lifts, such as cleans and jerks, are combined with more traditional movements such as the bench press to build a strong, well-rounded physique.
Cardio
Aerobic capacity is a key part of the CrossFit athlete’s repertoire. Hofer runs at least twice a week, usually covering 5km to 8km, and completes four endurance machine sessions of up to 90 minutes each. This can include a bike, rowing machine or SkiErg – sometimes all in one session.
Gymnastics
Hofer started gymnastics at the age of three and continues to master her technique. He now trains it twice a week, focusing on the movements necessary for CrossFit athletes. It supports strength work while improving range of motion in a range of positions.
competition
If that wasn’t enough, Hofer also mimics the demands of competition with two high-intensity sessions each week, working at or near his limit.
‘Competition always brings situations that you may not be fully prepared for. Every experience teaches you how to react better next time,’ he says. Right now I’m adding more runs and more competitions to my schedule. The goal is to continue building experience so that when bigger opportunities come, I’m ready.
Ryan is a senior writer Men’s Health United Kingdom With a passion for storytelling, health and fitness. Graduating from Cardiff University in 2020, and subsequently gaining an NCTJ qualification, Ryan began his career as a coaching journalist for Sports Headlines. Golf Monthly, Cycling Week and The world of rugby Before being promoted to staff writer and later senior writer with Football Magazine four four two.
During his two-and-a-half-year tenure he wrote news for the website and features for the magazine, while he interviewed names such as Les Ferdinand, Ellie McQuist, Jamie Redknapp and Antonio Rudiger, among many others. His greatest memory, though, came when he got the chance to speak to then Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher as the club won League One in 2023.
Growing up as a keen footballer and playing for his boyhood side until the age of 16, Ryan had the opportunity to represent the Northern Ireland national futsal team eight times, scoring three goals against England, Scotland and Gibraltar. Now past his prime, Ryan prefers to mix weightlifting with running – he achieved a marathon PB of 3:31:49 in Manchester in April 2025, but doesn’t credit the heats for dropping below the 3:30 mark…
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