Terra Jackson is the kind of athlete who thinks in numbers. Velocity targets. Power outputs. Time saved per rep. When she decided wall balls were costing her podium spots in HYROX, she didn't just do more wall balls. She built a testing protocol with pause squats, speed overhead press, and thrusters at precise tempo variations, tracking exactly when cadence and power started to drop.
That analytical approach has taken her far. She's a two-time DEKA MILE World Champion who successfully defended her title in December 2024 with a 20:10 finish.
She won both DEKA FIT and DEKA STRONG World Championships in 2022. She holds the American record for DEKA MILE Female Teams. She qualified for the 2025 HYROX World Championships Elite 15 in Pro Doubles.
She's done all of this training 9-12 hours per week.
What makes her story relevant, whether you're chasing Elite 15 HYROX times or your first sub-90-minute finish, is how she gets there. Here's how she thinks about closing gaps, building power, and making every training hour count.
Reframing the Problem: Power, Not Just Strength
You've talked about being behind athletes with serious strength backgrounds. What made you realize the gap wasn't actually about pure strength?
In the last few months I realized my issue was actually less of a strength and more of a power issue. Obviously there's a good amount of strength in HYROX, but none of it is absolute strength—it's more power and endurance.
I've had foot issues for the last decade, but it really came to a head when those issues created imbalances left to right and ultimately led to a knee injury. In initial testing with my PT there was a large discrepancy from left to right. Not only was power less, but also isometric strength through my quads and hamstrings caused from over-compensation. This was making me less efficient through any explosive movements like jumping and sled work.
I've actually strung together three healthy months! This has allowed me to work on other deficits like aerobic endurance I'd been neglecting.
When Injury Forces Innovation
When did you first encounter the VOLTRA I, and what specific problem were you trying to solve?
I first encountered it back in June. I was dealing with a year-and-a-half issue with my knee. Lunges, squats, jumping were all pain-producing and even running had its limits. I was at a crossroads—I needed to address the issues I was dealing with or I was going to stay in this same cycle of chronic injury.
What's your training focus currently? What does a typical training session look like for you right now, and how are you using the data from VOLTRA I to ensure you're actually building strength without accumulating fatigue that interferes with recovery?
Some of my current weaknesses in HYROX are burpee broad jumps, wall ball cycling, and lunges. I've introduced the VOLTRA as a way to have measurable progress of speed and power. Particularly with fast squat variations to increase power out of the bottom of the movement.
I'm actually out of a "strength" phase at the moment. Most of my training is around moving similar weights at rapid speeds. I only load the VOLTRA slightly heavier than wall ball weight and go for fast interval reps of 20-30 reps, stopping for full rest when speed starts to fall. I've also been playing with the resistance band option to work on more of a spring-back-into-the-hole kind of idea.
Strategy: Building Up, Finishing Strong
You've talked about being a "slow start, fast finish" racer, which goes against how most hybrid athletes race. When you're training resistance movements, are you applying that same philosophy—building up gradually—or does strength work require a different approach?
I always like a good build into my strength and power work as they are often higher-risk movements if performed under a lot of fatigue. I generally spend a good amount of time warming up and building into speed and power. I always like to finish with a last-set-best-set mentality.
For someone coming from a pure running background, how steep was the learning curve in understanding when and why to use different tools to support your training goals?
Training is so much different than just strength training for running. For running I took much more of a contrast approach—heavy lifts, lower reps on strength days. But HYROX requires a huge level of actual muscle endurance and power.
The sport is so new I think people are still learning what works best, or even what works best for them. If you're a runner moving into HYROX, I think a good strength foundation is important, but then to work more towards plyometrics and power movements.
The Numbers That Matter
You mentioned you "run the numbers" constantly when analyzing race strategy. Does that extend to your strength training? What metrics from the VOLTRA I are you actually tracking session-to-session?
The main numbers I'm looking at right now are velocity and power. Right now I'm working with lighter weights trying to keep mean velocity around 0.8 and 1.0 m/s. At the moment I'm capping my weights because I'm in race mode and trying to keep velocity as high as I can.
When I finish my last race of the season I'll go into some heavier loaded power movements with a slight decrease in velocity to 0.7-0.8 m/s.
Solving Wall Balls: Tackling Weak Points With Precision
In your recent Instagram posts, you mentioned struggling with wall balls throughout your HYROX career—specifically depth, speed out of the bottom, and muscular endurance. Walk us through why you decided to use VOLTRA I to address this weak point rather than just doing more wall balls.
Lots of squat variations, some with press and some without. I'm actually finding I'm pretty close to my first unbroken set, but then the focus will be to continue to build my cycle speed. Endurance has come along, and I'm faster than in the past, but can be faster.
VOLTRA thrusters though are killer! The weight really pulls you back pretty quick into the bottom of the squat, faster than you could cycle a normal wall ball.
You're doing pause squats, speed squats, speed overhead press, and thrusters on VOLTRA I—all at different tempos and intensities. How did you figure out this specific combination would transfer to better wall ball performance?
I'm still perfecting what I think transfers best. Really just trial and error. I've never been able to string wall balls like I can now in a race. Even when I was just training wall balls and could do 200 unbroken, it wasn't transferring into the race.
So I think the varying speeds, power, progressions have allowed me to train wall balls differently than I could with just the standard movement and just lighter/heavier weights.
Follow-up: Why does doing thrusters faster than your wall ball pace help you "get more speed to your catch"?
Well, if you're really good you can start pulling the ball into your squat and cycle faster, but by doing that you're taking out the lag-time rest you get from the ball falling. So if you can pull the ball into catch you can save maybe a quarter second per rep (my estimate), but then if you go unbroken maybe you could be looking at 20-25 seconds saved.
I think thrusters help you naturally move faster back into the catch position of the squat.
You mentioned tracking "speed per rep, when my cadence and power start to decrease." What has the data shown you about your fatigue patterns that you couldn't feel just by doing the work? Has seeing the numbers changed how you program rest intervals during training blocks?
When I'm working in my 0.8-1.0 range I've found I can do more reps at that range than in the past. Where before I might be able to stay there 10-12 reps, now I can go over 20 if my legs aren't too fatigued from other training.
For the overhead press work, you said you "prefer these to dumbbells as I feel like you can increase the speed of the return." What makes using VOLTRA I more effective for shoulder endurance?
The front rack position with the dumbbells I find not as natural. I like the double handles close grip. I think it feels closer to the position you use for wall balls, but also just feels more comfortable for my wrists and shoulders.
Building the Minimalist Elite Home Gym
If you were building a minimalist home gym specifically for someone trying to break into elite hybrid racing like HYROX or DEKA at the top-15 caliber, what would be the 3-4 non-negotiable pieces of equipment?
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VOLTRA I
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Rower
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Dumbbells (I could manage with 30/35/40/45 lbs)
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Sled
Strategic Volume with Recovery
Now that you're healthy again, how has your training philosophy evolved? Are you still in that "train smarter" camp, or has your approach shifted?
For HYROX I'm actually moving more towards a volume-based plan, but taking my easy days easy. I've been focused more on quality than volume because of injury, but now that I'm healthy I'm building into more Zone 1-Zone 2 work which I hadn't done in the past.
That being said, I have a very flexible schedule that allows me to train this way. Not everyone is as fortunate.
What's one thing you wish you'd known about equipment or training methodology when you first transitioned from running to hybrid sports? And what would you tell a runner making that same transition today?
Take it slow. Do every workout with intention. I get easily excited when I'm going well and my 6:20 pace could turn into 6:00 and then I'm regretting it my next workout. Looking at big pictures instead of short-term goals.
Still working on that, which is why I've dialed back my cardio intensity workouts to three good ones with more sub-threshold work and easy volume. It's also helped me be more powerful through my strength sessions.
The Honest Truth About Comparison
You've been vocal about body image, eating disorders in running, and finding a sport where different body types succeed. What's one thing you wish coaches and athletes understood about the relationship between training volume, fueling, and actual performance?
I still struggle, and I'm constantly learning. I would say the biggest takeaway though is stop the comparisons. Performance, body, diet. You have to find what works for you. Be honest with yourself, experiment with different things. Allow yourself to fail. Failure doesn't define you, and without it we don't grow.
My favorite quote currently is "be stubborn with your goals, but flexible with your plan." Find a goal that gets you excited and fight for it!
What Sets Her Apart
Terra's success comes down to something simple: she treats training like the engineering problem it is. She identifies weak points, builds testing protocols, tracks the right metrics, and adjusts based on data. She doesn't chase volume for volume's sake. She doesn't compare herself to athletes with completely different schedules and physiology.
That precision, combined with the wisdom to know when to push and when to back off, is what allows someone to defend a world championship title while working as a personal trainer, running 25-30 miles per week instead of 60, and training 9-12 hours instead of 20.
It's the advantage that doesn't show up on Instagram. The one that turns limited hours into championship performances.
In The Setup
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1 × VOLTRA I
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1 × Strap Mount
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1 × Basic Handle
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1 × Travel Platform
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1 × Ring Handle
About Community Chronicles
Community Chronicles is a collection of stories and media from the Beyond Power community, designed to highlight bold and innovative ways in which our products are used. Periodically, editors will share setups, stories, or tips to better serve our growing community.
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Follow Terra's training and competitions on Instagram.
