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Exercises

HYROX workout: station sessions and the strength training behind them

Published October 24, 2026

A HYROX workout mixes short runs with the race stations: for example 400 m at race pace, then 500 m on the ski erg, two sled push lengths, two sled pull lengths, 15 to 20 burpees, 500 m on the rower, 20 to 30 lunge steps and 25 wall balls, running between each. Pair that with one or two strength days built on the front squat, trap bar deadlift, split squat, push press and farmers carry, because the sled push, sled pull and carry are strength stations as much as cardio. Lift 2 to 3 reps short of failure so your runs do not suffer.

  1. Sled Push Quads, Glutes
  2. Sled Rope Pull Upper Back, Lats, Biceps
  3. Ski Erg Shoulders, Upper Back
  4. Rowing Machine Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Lats
  5. Wall Ball Quads, Glutes, Shoulders
  6. Farmer's Walk Forearms, Traps, Shoulders
  7. Front Squat Quads, Glutes, Adductors
  8. Trap Bar Deadlift Quads, Glutes

Running and the engine stations

The ski, the row and the burpees are cardio stations, and the runs connect everything. Train them as steady intervals at race effort, with short runs in between, so you learn to run on tired legs.

Race running, 8 x 1 km

Running

Quads, Hamstrings, Calves

Half or more of your race time is spent running between stations, and the hard part is running well on legs that just pushed a sled. Running is a separate part of your week; in these sessions short runs sit between stations so you practice that feeling.

How to do it

  1. Start each run at a pace you could hold for the whole race, not your fresh 1 km pace.
  2. Keep your steps short and quick for the first minute after a station while your legs come back.
  3. Breathe in a steady rhythm and relax your shoulders and hands.
  4. Settle into race pace by the second half of each run.

Cues

  • Short steps out of the station
  • Race pace, not best pace
  • Loose shoulders

Common mistakes

  • Sprinting out of every station: the first 200 m should feel too easy.
  • Skipping runs in station sessions: the transition is what you are training.

Swap for: Treadmill Run, Rowing Machine, Air Bike

Build a session with Running

Station 1, upper-body engine

Ski Erg

Shoulders, Upper Back

The ski erg opens the race and leans on your lats, triceps and trunk more than your legs. Steady intervals teach a stroke you can hold for 1,000 m without frying your arms before the sled.

How to do it

  1. Face the machine, feet under your hips, arms reaching up to the handles.
  2. Hinge at the hips and pull the handles down past your thighs in one motion as your trunk crunches.
  3. Finish with hands by your hips and knees softly bent.
  4. Stand back up and let the handles rise before the next pull.

Cues

  • Hips and trunk start the pull
  • Hands finish past the hips
  • Long, steady strokes

Common mistakes

  • Pulling only with the arms: bend at the hips so the body drives the handles.
  • Starting too fast: hold a split you could keep for the full distance.

Swap for: Rowing Machine, Straight-Arm Pulldown, Battle Rope Slam

Build a session with Ski Erg

Station 5, full-body engine

Rowing Machine

Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Lats

The 1,000 m row comes after the burpees, when your legs are already tired. Practicing it between runs teaches you to keep pushing with the legs instead of hauling with your back.

How to do it

  1. Sit with your feet strapped in, shins vertical, arms reaching for the handle.
  2. Push with your legs first, then swing your torso back slightly, then pull the handle to your lower ribs.
  3. Return in reverse order: arms forward, lean forward, then bend your knees.
  4. Keep a steady rhythm, roughly one recovery twice as long as the drive.

Cues

  • Legs, body, arms
  • Arms, body, legs back
  • Drive hard, recover slow

Common mistakes

  • Pulling with the arms before the legs finish: let the legs straighten first.
  • Rushing the slide back: a fast return wastes the stroke.

Swap for: Ski Erg, Air Bike, Stationary Bike

Build a session with Rowing Machine

Station 4, full-body conditioning

Burpee

Quads, Glutes, Chest, Shoulders

The race burpee is a broad jump version, but the floor-to-standing part is what costs you. Steady burpee sets build the rhythm of getting down and up without spiking your heart rate.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall, then squat and put both palms down.
  2. Jump or step your feet back into a plank and lower your chest to the floor.
  3. Push up, bring your feet back under you, and stand.
  4. Jump forward or up, land softly, and go straight into the next rep.

Cues

  • Steady, not frantic
  • Chest to the floor
  • Land soft

Common mistakes

  • Going all out for the first 10 reps: pick a pace you can keep for every rep.
  • Landing with locked knees: bend to absorb each jump.

Swap for: Half Burpee, Dumbbell Burpee, Mountain Climber

Build a session with Burpee

Sled stations and leg strength

The sled push and pull are strength stations dressed up as cardio. Heavy lengths in training plus a squat, a deadlift and a split squat once or twice a week make race weight a smaller share of what your legs can do.

Station 2, quads and drive

Sled Push

Quads, Glutes

The sled push is the station that most often wrecks a race plan, because it is mostly leg strength. Heavy lengths in training make race weight feel manageable, and the squat and split squat make your legs stronger behind it.

How to do it

  1. Grip the poles with your arms long and lean in until your body is at a low angle.
  2. Drive the sled with short, fast steps, pushing through the balls of your feet.
  3. Keep your hips low and your back flat as the sled moves.
  4. Keep the steps coming to the end of the length; restarting a stopped sled is the hardest part.

Cues

  • Long arms, low hips
  • Short, fast steps
  • Never let it stop

Common mistakes

  • Standing too tall with bent arms: lean in and let your legs do the work.
  • Taking long strides: short steps keep the sled moving.

Swap for: Sled Rope Pull, Front Squat, Bulgarian Split Squat

Build a session with Sled Push

Station 3, back and posterior chain

Sled Rope Pull

Upper Back, Lats, Biceps

Hand-over-hand rope pulling to bring the sled to you hammers your grip, upper back and hips. Training it heavy, along with rows and deadlifts, keeps it from turning into a long wait at the line.

How to do it

  1. Stand facing the sled with the rope in your hands and your feet set wide.
  2. Sit your hips back and pull the rope hand over hand toward your body.
  3. Use your legs and hips to lean back on each pull, not just your arms.
  4. Step back as the rope piles up so you keep a good pulling position.

Cues

  • Hips back, chest up
  • Hand over hand
  • Lean with the legs

Common mistakes

  • Standing upright and pulling only with the arms: sit into each pull.
  • Letting the rope tangle at your feet: step back as you go.

Swap for: Sled Rope Pull, One-Arm Dumbbell Row, Trap Bar Deadlift

Build a session with Sled Rope Pull

Leg strength, squat

Front Squat

Quads, Glutes, Adductors

A bar on your front shoulders keeps your torso upright, like the sled push, lunges and wall balls. Getting stronger here makes every leg station a smaller part of your maximum.

How to do it

  1. Rest the bar on the front of your shoulders with your elbows high.
  2. Brace your trunk and sit straight down between your heels.
  3. Go as deep as you can with your chest up and elbows high.
  4. Stand up by driving through your whole foot.

Cues

  • Elbows high
  • Sit between your heels
  • Chest proud

Common mistakes

  • Elbows dropping so the bar rolls forward: lift them up as you stand.
  • Rising hips-first: lead with your chest.

Swap for: Goblet Squat, Dumbbell Front Squat, Barbell Back Squat

Build a session with Front Squat

Hip and back strength, hinge

Trap Bar Deadlift

Quads, Glutes

The deadlift builds the hips, back and grip used in the sled pull and carry. The trap bar lets you lift heavy while sparing your lower back, so it does not cost you your next run.

How to do it

  1. Stand inside the trap bar, feet under your hips, and grip the handles.
  2. Sit your hips down until your back is flat and your chest is up.
  3. Push the floor away and stand up tall.
  4. Lower by sending your hips back first, knees following.

Cues

  • Push the floor away
  • Flat back
  • Stand tall at the top

Common mistakes

  • Yanking the bar off the floor: squeeze it up.
  • Leaning back at the top: just stand tall.

Swap for: Barbell Deadlift, Kettlebell Deadlift, Romanian Deadlift

Build a session with Trap Bar Deadlift

Single-leg strength

Bulgarian Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

Every station and every run step happens one leg at a time. Split squats with your back foot raised find and fix the weaker leg before the lunges do it for you on race day.

How to do it

  1. Stand a stride ahead of a bench and rest one foot on it, laces down.
  2. Hold dumbbells by your sides and lower your back knee toward the floor.
  3. Keep most of your weight on your front foot.
  4. Drive the front heel down to stand back up, then finish the set and switch legs.

Cues

  • Front foot does the work
  • Straight down, not forward
  • Control the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Standing too close to the bench: move out until the front shin stays nearly vertical.
  • Bouncing off the bottom: pause for a beat.

Swap for: Dumbbell Split Squat, Reverse Lunge, Step-Up

Build a session with Bulgarian Split Squat

Carry, lunges and wall balls

The last three stations come when your grip and legs are already tired. Practice them in sets close to race length so the rhythm is familiar when you get there.

Station 6, grip and trunk

Farmer's Walk

Forearms, Traps, Shoulders

The farmers carry is short, but it comes when your grip is already tired from the sled pull and ski. Heavy carries in training make your grip and trunk the last thing to give out.

How to do it

  1. Pick up a heavy kettlebell or dumbbell in each hand, back flat.
  2. Stand tall with your shoulders down and your arms straight by your sides.
  3. Walk with short, quick steps, keeping the weights from swinging.
  4. Set them down only when the distance is done.

Cues

  • Tall and tight
  • Quick steps
  • Crush the handles

Common mistakes

  • Leaning forward as your grip fades: stay upright and shorten the step.
  • Putting the weights down early: use a lighter load in training and finish every length.

Swap for: Dumbbell Suitcase Carry, Trap Bar Deadlift, Dumbbell Shrug

Build a session with Farmer's Walk

Station 7, quads and glutes under load

Dumbbell Front Rack Lunge

Quads, Glutes

The race lunge carries a sandbag on your shoulders. Lunging with dumbbells held at your shoulders trains the same thing: an upright torso, a loaded trunk, and legs that keep stepping when they burn.

How to do it

  1. Hold a dumbbell at each shoulder, elbows forward, and stand tall.
  2. Step forward and lower until your back knee nearly touches the floor.
  3. Stay tall, front knee tracking over your toes.
  4. Push through your front foot to step through into the next lunge.

Cues

  • Torso tall
  • Back knee kisses the floor
  • Drive the front heel down

Common mistakes

  • Short, shallow steps: every rep goes low enough for the back knee to nearly touch.
  • Letting the dumbbells pull you forward: keep the elbows up.

Swap for: Walking Lunge, Reverse Lunge, Bulgarian Split Squat

Build a session with Dumbbell Front Rack Lunge

Station 8, legs and shoulders

Wall Ball

Quads, Glutes, Shoulders

The last station is 100 wall balls, and it decides a lot of finish times. Sets of 15 to 25 build a rhythm where the squat throws the ball and the arms only guide it.

How to do it

  1. Hold the ball at your chest with elbows under it and stand an arm's length from the wall.
  2. Squat until your hips go below your knees.
  3. Drive up hard and use that drive to throw the ball to the target above you.
  4. Catch it at your chest and go straight down into the next squat.

Cues

  • Full squat every rep
  • Legs throw, arms guide
  • Catch and sink

Common mistakes

  • Throwing with the arms from half squats: the legs do the work.
  • Standing too far from the wall: the ball comes back out of reach.

Swap for: Barbell Thruster, Goblet Squat, Medicine Ball Overhead Throw

Build a session with Wall Ball

Pulling and pressing for the stations

A row and a press round out the strength days. The row builds the back for the ski, row and sled pull, and the push press builds shoulders for wall balls.

Upper back and grip, pull

One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Lats, Upper Back

Rows build the back muscles that hold your posture on the ski, the row and the sled pull. One arm at a time also trains grip without needing a bar.

How to do it

  1. Brace one hand and knee on a bench, flat back, a dumbbell in the other hand.
  2. Let the dumbbell hang with your arm straight.
  3. Row it toward your hip, elbow close to your side.
  4. Lower until the arm is straight again, then switch sides after the set.

Cues

  • Elbow to the hip
  • Flat back
  • Straight arm at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Twisting your torso to lift more: keep both shoulders level.
  • Half reps: start every rep from a straight arm.

Swap for: Seated Cable Row, Kettlebell Row, Inverted Row

Build a session with One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Shoulders and leg drive, press

Dumbbell Push Press

Shoulders

The push press uses a dip and drive from the legs to put dumbbells overhead, the same sequence as a wall ball throw. It builds shoulders that can handle 100 throws.

How to do it

  1. Hold a dumbbell at each shoulder, feet under your hips.
  2. Dip a few inches by bending your knees, chest tall.
  3. Drive up hard through your legs and press the dumbbells overhead.
  4. Lower them back to your shoulders under control.

Cues

  • Short dip, hard drive
  • Arms finish what the legs start
  • Lock out overhead

Common mistakes

  • Dipping too deep, turning it into a squat: keep it short.
  • Pressing before the legs finish: let the drive send them up.

Swap for: Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Barbell Thruster, Kettlebell Overhead Press

Build a session with Dumbbell Push Press

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

Base phase, 12 or more weeks out

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets27 a week
  • Per workout~45 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Dumbbells, Sled, Trap Bar +1

Your race is months away, you run two or three times a week, and you want to raise your strength before getting race-specific.

With time to spare, the gym days lift heavier, at 2 to 3 reps in reserve so your runs the next day are not wrecked. Each day ends with one short station block to keep the movements familiar. Two days of about 16 sets each fit around three runs.

Strength A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Front Squat2 warm-up sets first 4 × 4–6 2 3 min
Bulgarian Split SquatPer leg. 3 × 6–10 2 2 min
One-Arm Dumbbell RowPer arm. 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Sled Push1 rep = one 15 to 20 m length. Heavier than race weight. 4 × 2–3 2 2 min

Open Strength A in the session builder

Strength B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Trap Bar Deadlift2 warm-up sets first 4 × 4–6 2 3 min
Dumbbell Push Press 3 × 6–10 2 2 min
Farmer's Walk1 rep = 40 m. Heavier than race weight. 3 × 1–2 2 2 min
Wall Ball 3 × 15–20 3 90 s

Open Strength B in the session builder

How to run it
Do Strength A and Strength B twice a week with your runs on other days or after the lift. Sled lengths and erg intervals are logged as reps in the rep field; the notes say what one rep is.
How to progress
Add weight to the squat and deadlift when every set hits the top of its range at the target reps in reserve. Push the sled heavier each week while keeping the same number of lengths.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Race prep, final 6 to 8 weeks

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets31 a week
  • Per workout~40 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Trap Bar, Dumbbells, Ski Ergometer +3

You have a race in about two months, you have a solid base, and now the training has to look like the race.

One shorter strength day holds onto the base at 2 to 3 reps in reserve, and the second day is a station session with 400 m runs between stations at race effort. Strength volume drops so the station day and your runs get your energy.

Strength
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Front Squat2 warm-up sets first 3 × 3–5 2 3 min
Trap Bar Deadlift 3 × 3–5 3 3 min
Dumbbell Push Press 3 × 6–8 2 2 min

Open Strength in the session builder

Stations
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Running1 rep = 400 m at race pace. 8 × 1 3 1 min
Ski Erg1 rep = 500 m. 2 × 1 2 90 s
Sled Push1 rep = one 25 m length. 2 × 2 2 90 s
Sled Rope Pull1 rep = one 25 m length. 2 × 2 2 90 s
Burpee 2 × 15–20 2 90 s
Rowing Machine1 rep = 500 m. 2 × 1 2 90 s
Dumbbell Front Rack LungeTotal steps. 2 × 20–30 2 90 s
Wall Ball 2 × 25 2 90 s

Open Stations in the session builder

How to run it
Do Strength once a week and Stations once a week, at least two days apart. In Stations, run 400 m before each block and keep moving between blocks.
How to progress
Each week, shorten the rest or add a block until you can move through all blocks with 60 seconds or less of rest. Keep strength loads the same and drop to 3 reps in reserve in the final two weeks.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

First race, new to lifting

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets30 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Dumbbells, Ski Ergometer, Medicine Ball +2

You signed up for your first race, you run a bit, but you have never followed a strength plan.

New lifters get stronger from moderate weights, so both sessions are full body at 2 to 3 reps in reserve with moderate rep ranges, which keeps your technique clean and soreness low before your runs. Each session ends with two stations so the race movements are not new on race day.

Session A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Front SquatOr a goblet squat. 3 × 8–10 3 2 min
One-Arm Dumbbell RowPer arm. 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Dumbbell Front Rack LungeTotal steps. 3 × 10–16 2 90 s
Ski Erg1 rep = 250 m. 3 × 1 2 90 s
Wall Ball 3 × 10–15 2 90 s

Open Session A in the session builder

Session B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Trap Bar Deadlift 3 × 6–10 3 2 min
Dumbbell Push Press 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Farmer's Walk1 rep = 40 m. 3 × 1 2 90 s
Rowing Machine1 rep = 250 m. 3 × 1 2 90 s
Burpee 3 × 8–12 2 90 s

Open Session B in the session builder

How to run it
Do Session A and Session B each week, with a run or two on other days.
How to progress
Add a rep each week until every set hits the top of its range, then add a little weight. Every other week, add one more round to the stations at the end.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What is included in a HYROX workout?

The race is 8 km of running, split into 1 km runs, each followed by a station: ski erg, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jumps, row, farmers carry, sandbag lunges and wall balls. A training workout mixes shorter runs with shorter versions of those stations, and separate strength days build the legs, back and grip behind them.

What are the 8 exercises in HYROX?

In race order: 1,000 m ski erg, 50 m sled push, 50 m sled pull, 80 m burpee broad jumps, 1,000 m row, 200 m farmers carry, 100 m sandbag lunges and 100 wall balls.

How many days a week should I strength train for HYROX?

Two strength days fit well next to three runs, and they can drop to one in the last six to eight weeks when a station session takes the second slot. Stopping sets 2 to 3 reps short of failure keeps the lifting from eating into your runs.

What weights should I train with for HYROX?

Check the current race standards for your division, then train the sled push, sled pull and carry heavier than race weight in shorter lengths. For the lifts, pick weights you can move for the listed reps while leaving 2 to 3 reps in the tank.

How long should a HYROX training plan be?

With a running base, 12 to 16 weeks is enough to build strength first and then switch to race-specific work. The plans here split that into a base phase and a final 6 to 8 weeks of race prep.

Is a HYROX workout good for weight loss?

It burns a lot of energy and builds muscle, which helps, but fat loss comes down to eating less than you burn. Train for the race and get your eating right; the workout alone will not do it.