How to Train for Deadly Dozen: A 12-Week Vancouver Plan
You do not need to wing your first Deadly Dozen. Here is a simple, progressive 12-week plan that builds the exact engine the race rewards, with room to scale to wherever you are starting from.
Twelve runs. Twelve Labours. One finish line that feels a lot closer once you have a plan. The good news about Deadly Dozen is that it rewards the kind of fitness you can actually build: a repeatable running pace, strength that holds up when you are tired, and smooth transitions between the two. Here is a 12-week plan that puts all three together.
This is the same progression our coaches use with members prepping for hybrid races. You can run it solo, but it is far easier (and more fun) inside coached classes where someone scales the work and keeps you honest. If you want to train it with us, try 3 classes free first and we will plug you in.
How the race shapes your training
Deadly Dozen is 12 runs of roughly 400m, each followed by a functional station. The runs are short enough that you will be tempted to sprint and long enough that sprinting will wreck you. The Labours (carries, deadlifts, squats, dumbbell snatches, burpee broad jumps, bear crawls, and more) are simple movements that get hard fast under fatigue. So your training has to teach your body to run, work, and recover on repeat. That is what this plan does.
For a station-by-station look at what you will face, read our 12 Labours breakdown. To see how Deadly Dozen compares to the other big hybrid race, see Deadly Dozen vs HYROX.
Phase 1: Base building (Weeks 1–4)
The goal here is consistency, not intensity. You are laying down an aerobic base and grooving the movements so they feel natural later. Keep the running easy enough to hold a conversation. Keep the strength work clean and controlled.
- Run day: 20 to 30 minutes easy, plus 4 to 6 relaxed 400m efforts at a pace you could repeat all day. Walk or jog the recovery.
- Strength day: full-body basics. Squats, deadlifts or hinges, presses, rows, and loaded carries. Leave 2 to 3 reps in the tank.
- Mixed day: short circuits that pair a movement with light running. Think 3 to 4 rounds of a 400m run plus 2 Labour-style movements.
- Optional easy day: a walk, an easy bike, a swim, or a mobility session.
Phase 2: Strength endurance (Weeks 5–8)
Now we turn up the work capacity. The runs stay controlled, but the stations get longer and heavier so your muscles learn to keep producing force when your heart rate is high. This is where most of the race-day toughness is built.
- Run day: 6 to 8 x 400m at a moderately hard but repeatable pace, with shorter recoveries than Phase 1.
- Strength day: heavier carries, deadlifts, and unilateral work (lunges, single-arm carries, and single-leg work). Build the grip and the legs.
- Mixed day: longer intervals that alternate a 400m run with a sustained Labour effort. Practise breathing your way through the first 20 seconds of each station.
Phase 3: Race simulation (Weeks 9–11)
This is where it gets specific and fun. You rehearse the actual demand of the race: run, work, run, work, without long breaks. You do not need to do all 12 every time. Build up.
- Simulation day: start with 6 run-and-Labour couplets, then progress toward the full 12 over the phase. Use race-like loads and movements.
- Run day: keep one quality interval session to hold your pace.
- Strength day: maintain, do not max out. You are sharpening, not building from scratch now.
- Pacing practice: note the pace you can hold for the first six efforts and still finish strong. That is your race pace. Most people start too fast.
Phase 4: Taper and race week (Week 12)
Less volume, same intensity, more rest. You cannot add fitness in the last week, but you can ruin a good build by training tired into race day. Trim the volume by roughly 40 to 50 percent, keep a couple of short sharp efforts to stay primed, sleep well, eat normally, and show up fresh.
- Early week: one short, snappy run plus a light movement rehearsal.
- Two days out: rest or a gentle walk.
- Race day: warm up properly, start controlled, and trust the work.
Train for it at CrossFit BC
Every ingredient in this plan already lives in our weekly schedule: Run Club for the 400m engine, CrossFit classes for strength endurance, HYROX race prep for extra running and station conditioning, and personal training if you want to fast-track a weak point. A coach scales it all to you, so you never train alone or guess.
Want the bigger picture and a Training Camp interest list? Start at our Deadly Dozen Vancouver hub, then try 3 classes free and come build your race.