HYROX STATIONS GUIDE: ALL 8 EXERCISES EXPLAINED
A Hyrox race consists of 8 rounds of 1 km running followed by a functional station. Most athletes can run, the stations are where races are won and lost. This guide covers technique, weights, the most common mistakes, and how to train each station specifically.
1. SKIERG. 1000 M
Drive with your arms and hips simultaneously, not arms only. Keep your back flat, core braced. At the catch (top), hands should be just above head height. Pull through full extension. Pace yourself: 1000 m is long enough to blow up if you go too hard at the start.
Most athletes pull too hard for the first 200 m and die on the back half. Start at 80% effort and build, the split you want is even or negative.
Train: 5–8 × 250 m intervals on a ski erg with 60 s rest. Build to 4 × 500 m. Race pace practice: 1000 m time trial every 3 weeks.
2. SLED PUSH. 50 M
Low body position, drive from the hips, short powerful steps. Hands wide on the sled frame. Do NOT straighten up, the moment you lose the forward lean, you lose power output. Eyes down. Short stride rhythm beats long slow strides.
Straightening the torso midway through the push. This transfers force upward instead of forward. Also common: starting too fast and stalling on the turnaround.
Train with competition weight from week 5 onwards. Superset: sled push × 25 m, immediately 800 m run. Builds compromised running tolerance for the most brutal transition in Hyrox.
3. SLED PULL. 50 M
Face the sled, lean back, pull hand-over-hand on the rope. Keep your hips low and your steps short. Do not yank, smooth continuous tension is faster than jerky pulls. At the turnaround, get repositioned quickly, the seconds lost there add up.
Standing too upright and pulling with arms only. Your legs should be doing most of the work via hip drive and a low backwards walk.
Train: sled pull 25 m + immediate 1 km run. If you don't have a sled, rope pulls on a cable machine with a weight plate simulate the movement well.
4. BURPEE BROAD JUMP. 80 M
Chest to floor, explosive jump forward, land softly and immediately drop again. Consistent jump distance is more efficient than max-effort jumps, aim for 1.2–1.5 m per rep. Breathe on the way down, not at the top. Keep a steady rhythm; do not sprint the first 20 m.
Jumping for maximum distance rather than consistent distance. Explosive start followed by dying rhythm loses more time than a steady moderate pace. Also: looking up too early causes back strain.
Train: 5 × 20 burpee broad jumps with 90 s rest. Time each set, your goal is consistent splits. Add to the end of a run session for compromised conditioning.
5. ROWING. 1000 M
Drive legs first, then hinge the torso back, then pull the handle to the lower chest, in that order. Do not rush the recovery (forward movement). Damper setting: 4–5 for most athletes (not maximum, higher damper = more resistance = more fatigue). Target stroke rate: 24–28 s/m.
Pulling with arms first. Arms-first rowing wastes energy and burns out your biceps early. The legs generate 60–70% of the power, use them.
Train: 5 × 200 m hard with 60 s rest, building to 4 × 500 m. Row the day after a hard leg session to practice fatigued rowing technique, this is what Hyrox feels like.
6. FARMERS CARRY. 200 M
Tall posture, shoulders back and down, core braced. Short fast steps. Do NOT lean to one side to compensate for grip fatigue, it puts asymmetric load on your spine. Switch hands at the turnaround (100 m mark). Breathe rhythmically, farmers carry affects breathing more than people expect.
Dropping the handles and re-gripping too many times. Every drop costs 2–3 seconds. Train grip endurance specifically, most athletes neglect this.
Train: farmers carry 50 m × 4 sets with competition weight. If grip fails first, add dead hangs and plate pinches to your strength sessions. Grip failure is fixable with specific work.
7. SANDBAG LUNGES. 100 M
Sandbag on one shoulder (alternate each rep or keep it shoulder-side). Tall torso, front knee tracks over the toe, do not let it cave inward. Step length: medium. Full hip extension at the top of each rep. Do not rush, sloppy lunges under a loaded bag cause knee strain.
Leaning forward with the torso to 'help' the movement. This puts the load on the lower back rather than the quads and glutes. Also: going too heavy too early in training and developing a compensation pattern.
Train: walking lunges 20 m × 4 sets with competition weight, 90 s rest. Add to the end of leg sessions. Unilateral leg strength (single-leg press, split squats) is the best accessory work.
8. WALL BALLS. 100 REPS
Target height: 10 feet (3 m) for men, 9 feet (2.75 m) for women. Full squat depth (hip crease below knee), explosive drive, release at the top, catch and use the momentum into the next squat. Keep elbows in. Breathe out on the throw. Break into sets: 25-25-25-25 or 30-30-20-20 for beginners.
Catching the ball at chest height and letting it die before the squat. Let the ball come to your face-level, it gives you free momentum into the squat. Also: breaking too early (first 20 reps) and creating a recovery debt.
Train: 4 × 25 reps with 60 s rest, progressing to 3 × 35 reps. Goal: be able to do 50 unbroken before race day. Wall balls are trainable fast, most athletes see major improvement in 4–6 weeks of focused practice.
TRAIN ALL 8 STATIONS WITH A PERSONALIZED PLAN
YOURROX builds a Hyrox training plan that trains all 8 stations at the right weights, in the right order, with the right frequency. Based on your weakest stations, your race date, and your current fitness level.
Build my plan. 7 days free →