Why I Wrote This Post
I sell supplements to a lot of people training for HYROX. Runners who have never touched a sled. Gym regulars who have never run more than a warm-up mile. They all come in with roughly the same question: what actually happens on race day?
- I sell supplements to a lot of people training for HYROX.
- HYROX is structured the same way every time.
- The table below covers distances or reps and the weights for the standard Open divisions.
The full picture on training, fuelling and recovery lives over on our HYROX hub. But this post is just about the stations themselves. What each one involves, how heavy the kit gets, and where first-timers give up the most time. Not because they are unfit. Because they did not know what was coming.
The Format in Brief
HYROX is structured the same way every time. You run 1km, do a functional exercise station, run another 1km, do the next station, and repeat eight times. Total: 8km of running plus eight exercise stations. The order is fixed, which is part of what makes it trainable.
- Station 1 - SkiErg
- Station 2 - Sled Push
- Station 3 - Sled Pull
- Station 4 - Burpee Broad Jumps
- Station 5 - Rowing
- Station 6 - Farmers Carry
- Station 7 - Sandbag Lunges
- Station 8 - Wall Balls
Station Weights by Division
The table below covers distances or reps and the weights for the standard Open divisions. Always verify with the official HYROX event listing for your race, as Pro divisions carry more and standards can be updated.
| Station | Distance or Reps | Women (Open) | Men (Open) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. SkiErg | 1,000m | Bodyweight | Bodyweight |
| 2. Sled Push | 50m | 102kg total | 152kg total |
| 3. Sled Pull | 50m | 78kg total | 103kg total |
| 4. Burpee Broad Jumps | 80m | Bodyweight | Bodyweight |
| 5. Rowing | 1,000m | Bodyweight | Bodyweight |
| 6. Farmers Carry | 200m | 2 x 16kg | 2 x 24kg |
| 7. Sandbag Lunges | 100m | 10kg | 20kg |
| 8. Wall Balls | 100 reps | 4kg to 9ft | 6kg to 10ft |
Each Station and Where Time Goes
1. SkiErg
A cable machine you pull downward with both arms. One thousand metres. Most gym-goers have never used one. The trap is going off too hard early. Your heart rate spikes fast and takes longer to recover than people expect. Pace it like a row. Without the kit, lat pulldowns and banded pull-downs build the pattern.
2. Sled Push
Fifty metres with a loaded sled. The weights sound manageable until you are pushing them on a competition floor after a 1km run. Low body position, drive from the legs, keep moving. Stopping makes it dramatically harder to restart. This is the station that shocks first-timers most. Without a sled, heavy resisted pushing movements work well.
3. Sled Pull
Fifty metres pulling the sled toward you using a rope, hand over hand, walking backward. Your grip, forearms and upper back take the hit. People with a running background find this humbling. Rope pulls at the gym translate directly. Build the hand-over-hand pattern if you can.
4. Burpee Broad Jumps
Eighty metres of burpees where each rep ends with a forward jump. This quietly wrecks your run splits for the rest of the race. There is no pacing trick other than keeping moving steadily. Going fast early and dying is the most common error. No kit needed. Add these to your conditioning work regularly.
5. Rowing
One thousand metres on a Concept2 or similar. Smooth and rhythmic beats hard and messy every time. Technique under fatigue is different to a fresh row. Row regularly in training. Pair it with the SkiErg in the same session so your body learns to transition between the two patterns.
6. Farmers Carry
Two hundred metres carrying two kettlebells. Grip fatigue is the enemy, especially after the sled pull. Walk tall, shoulders back. Train longer than race spec so the distance is not a surprise on the day.
7. Sandbag Lunges
One hundred metres of lunges with a sandbag at chest height. Quad fatigue compounds everything that came before. Short steps are faster and more stable than dramatic long strides. Weighted lunges with a dumbbell at chest height replicate this well. Train the full distance occasionally.
8. Wall Balls
One hundred reps throwing a medicine ball to a wall target. Last station. You will be tired. Pacing into sets of 10 or 15 with short breaks is more efficient than grinding to failure. Hip drive matters more than arm strength. Practice until 100 reps feels routine.
Where First-Timers Actually Lose Time
- Sled Push - Stopping mid-set and losing momentum, then restarting a near-static load
- Burpee Broad Jumps - Going too fast early and needing long rests by the halfway mark
- Wall Balls - Not training the volume. Hitting 60 reps and stopping is very common in a first race
- Transitions - Standing around between the station finish and the next run start. These seconds add up
- Run splits - Not because people are slow, but because they train stations in isolation and never run on fatigued legs
Fuelling and Recovery
This is where I have something genuine to add. I am not a coach. But I know what supports training output and recovery, and I see what people get wrong consistently.
For sessions combining running and loaded functional work, you need carbohydrates available before and during. You need protein to support muscle repair afterward. Magnesium depletion is real when you are training hard. So is the need for adequate vitamin C to support connective tissue. I wrote a guide on Vitamin C Supplements in the UK: How to Choose the Right One if you want to understand what form to look for.
The The HYROX Stack is what I put together specifically for people training for this event. It covers the bases that matter for endurance, muscular output and recovery without anything that is just clever packaging.
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FAQ
How long does it take to complete HYROX?
Most first-timers finish somewhere between 1 hour 15 minutes and 2 hours. The goal for a beginner should be finishing strong and knowing what to improve, not chasing a time.
Can you train for HYROX without specialist gym kit?
You can cover most of it with running, bodyweight work and kettlebells. The sled stations are harder to replicate, but if you can access a gym occasionally for those patterns, the rest is trainable with standard equipment.
Do weights change for Masters age groups?
HYROX has age-group divisions with adjusted standards. Check the official HYROX event specs for your specific division before race day.
Is HYROX suitable for someone new to functional fitness?
Yes, but give yourself adequate preparation time. The movements are not technically complex, but running on fatigued legs with a loaded station every kilometre is a specific demand. If you have existing joint issues, talk to your GP before starting a programme like this.