The Complete Hyrox Training Guide

The first station after the opening 1 km run. The SkiErg tests upper body pulling power and lat endurance. Strategy: keep a steady damper setting (6-7 for most athletes) and aim for a consistent stroke rate. Avoid sprinting the first 200m — you have 7 more stations ahead. Target pace: 1:45-2:15/500m for competitive athletes.

A pure test of lower body pushing power and mental toughness. Keep your body angle low (45 degrees), drive through your legs, and take short, powerful steps. The key is maintaining momentum — once the sled stops, restarting is exponentially harder. Practice sprinting the sled in training to build the leg drive needed.

Uses a rope to pull the weighted sled toward you. Grip strength and lat endurance are critical. Use a hand-over-hand technique, sitting back in your hips for leverage. Keep the rope taut between pulls. Train this movement with heavy rope pulls or heavy rows — your forearms will be the first to fatigue.

A bodyweight station that destroys your heart rate and legs. Perform a burpee, then broad jump forward as far as possible. Cover 80 meters total. Pacing is everything — find a sustainable rhythm early. Aim for 1.5-2m per jump. This station separates conditioned athletes from the rest. Build capacity with EMOM burpee sets in training.

Coming at the halfway point of the race, the 1000m row is where fatigue really sets in. Efficient technique matters more than raw power here. Drive through the heels, lean back to 1 o'clock, and control the recovery. Target pace: 1:45-2:10/500m. Damper setting 5-7 for most. This station provides a brief "rest" for the legs before the brutal second half.

Carry two heavy kettlebells or dumbbells for 200m. Grip strength is the limiter — if your hands give out, you lose time picking the weights back up. Train with heavy farmers walks for distance. Keep your shoulders packed, core braced, and take steady steps. Mental tip: break it into 4 × 50m segments in your head.

Walking lunges with a sandbag on your shoulder for 100m. This station comes 7th and your legs are already destroyed. The sandbag position (shoulder) adds an asymmetric challenge. Switch shoulders at the halfway mark. Keep your torso upright, take controlled steps, and drive through the front heel. Train with weighted lunges at least twice a week.

The final station: 100 wall ball shots. This combines a squat with a push press, targeting quads, glutes, shoulders, and cardio simultaneously. After 7 stations and 7 km of running, this is a pure gut check. Break it into sets (25-20-15-15-10-10-5 or similar) with planned micro-rests. Train wall balls under fatigue — not fresh.

Weeks 1-4: Base Building

Focus on aerobic capacity and movement proficiency. Run 3x/week (building to 8-10 km total weekly volume). Practice each station movement 2x/week with light to moderate loads. Use EMOM and interval formats to build work capacity.

Use the EMOM timer for station work intervals.

Weeks 5-8: Intensity Development

Increase running volume to 12-15 km/week. Add race-weight station work. Introduce combo sessions: run 1 km + 2 stations, repeat. Start practicing transitions between running and stations. Add one longer endurance session (60-75 min at moderate pace).

Build custom Hyrox workouts with the WOD Generator or Workout Builder.

Weeks 9-11: Race Specificity

Full race simulations every 10-14 days. Practice all 8 stations at competition weight with 1 km runs between them. Focus on pacing strategy — practice negative splits. Maintain fitness with shorter, intense AMRAP and Tabata sessions on non-simulation days. Dial in your nutrition and hydration plan.

Use AMRAP and Tabata timers for conditioning maintenance.

Week 12: Taper & Race

Reduce volume by 40-50%. Keep intensity high but sessions short (20-30 min max). No new movements, no heavy loads. One light station run-through early in the week. Rest completely 2 days before the race. Trust your training.