If you can run 5 km and you can set aside three or four sessions a week, you can get to the start line of your first HYROX ready to enjoy it. This 12-week plan builds your running base, teaches you the eight stations, and then brings it all together so race day feels familiar instead of frightening. It is written for the Open division, but the structure works for Doubles too.
This is general guidance, not medical advice. Check with a qualified professional if you have injuries or health conditions.
What You Are Training For
A HYROX race is eight 1 km runs, each followed by one functional station. The order never changes:
| # | Run | Station | Open women | Open men |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 km | 1000 m SkiErg | — | — |
| 2 | 1 km | 50 m sled push | 102 kg incl. sled | 152 kg incl. sled |
| 3 | 1 km | 50 m sled pull | 78 kg incl. sled | 103 kg incl. sled |
| 4 | 1 km | 80 m burpee broad jumps | — | — |
| 5 | 1 km | 1000 m row | — | — |
| 6 | 1 km | 200 m farmers carry | 2 × 16 kg | 2 × 24 kg |
| 7 | 1 km | 100 m sandbag lunges | 10 kg | 20 kg |
| 8 | 1 km | 100 wall balls | 4 kg to 2.70 m | 6 kg to 3.00 m |
That adds up to 8 km of running plus a lot of full-body work. The challenge is not any single piece. It is doing all of it back to back, with tired legs, for well over an hour. Your training should reflect that.
How the Plan Works
Weekly structure
You will train three or four times per week. Three sessions are the minimum; the fourth is a bonus easy run or extra station practice.
| Day | Session type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Session A | Easy run | Build aerobic base without fatigue |
| Session B | Strength + station skills | Get strong and learn technique |
| Session C | Mixed "hybrid" session | Run and station work combined |
| Session D (optional) | Easy run or long walk/jog | Extra volume, recovery |
Keep at least one full rest day between your hardest sessions, and take at least two complete rest days per week. Sleep, food and rest days are where the adaptation happens.
Effort guide
Use a simple 1–10 scale of perceived effort (RPE):
- RPE 3–4 (easy): you can hold a full conversation.
- RPE 5–6 (steady): you can speak in short sentences.
- RPE 7–8 (hard): a few words at a time.
- RPE 9–10: all-out. You will rarely go here in this plan.
Most of your running should be easy. Beginners often run every session too hard and arrive at week 8 tired and sore.
The three phases
- Base (weeks 1–4): consistent easy running, foundational strength, station technique with light loads.
- Build (weeks 5–8): longer runs, heavier station work, the first combined run-plus-station sessions.
- Race-specific + taper (weeks 9–12): race-like sessions, a partial simulation, then a gradual reduction in load so you start fresh.
Phase 1: Base (Weeks 1–4)
The goal is to make training a habit and to learn the movements well before you load them.
Sample week (week 2)
| Session | Workout |
|---|---|
| A: Easy run | 30 min at RPE 3–4. Walk breaks are fine. |
| B: Strength + skills | Goblet squats 3×10, walking lunges 3×10 per leg, push-ups 3×8–12, dumbbell rows 3×10 per arm, plank 3×30 s. Then 3 × 250 m SkiErg technique practice and 3 × 250 m row technique practice, easy. |
| C: Hybrid | 4 rounds: 500 m easy run, 10 wall balls (light ball, focus on depth and target), 10 m farmers carry walk with moderate dumbbells. Rest 1–2 min between rounds. |
| D (optional) | 20–30 min easy run or brisk walk. |
Progression in this phase: add about five minutes to your easy run each week, and add a set or a few reps to strength work only when the current amount feels controlled. Week 4 is a lighter week: cut volume by roughly a third and let your body catch up.
Phase 2: Build (Weeks 5–8)
Now you start to stack runs and stations, which is the core skill of HYROX. Loads increase, but technique stays the priority.
Sample week (week 6)
| Session | Workout |
|---|---|
| A: Easy run | 40–45 min at RPE 3–4. |
| B: Strength + skills | Front or goblet squats 4×8, Romanian deadlifts 3×8, reverse lunges 3×10 per leg, overhead press 3×8, farmers carry 4 × 40 m at moderate load. Finish with 2 × 20 m sled push and 2 × 20 m sled pull if your gym has a sled. |
| C: Hybrid | 4 rounds: 1 km run at RPE 6, then one station (rotate: 500 m SkiErg, 20 burpee broad jumps, 500 m row, 30 wall balls). Rest 2 min between rounds. |
| D (optional) | 30 min easy run. |
Progression in this phase: each week, choose one thing to increase: a little more run distance, a slightly heavier carry, or one more hybrid round. Not all three. Week 8 is another lighter week.
Phase 3: Race-Specific and Taper (Weeks 9–12)
Weeks 9–10: Race rehearsal
This is where you practice the race in chunks. In week 10, try a half simulation: runs 1–4 with stations 1–4 (SkiErg, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jumps), at race weights if possible, at a controlled RPE 6–7. Note how your legs feel on the run after the sleds. That feeling is "compromised running," and getting used to it is half the battle.
| Session | Workout (week 10) |
|---|---|
| A: Easy run | 40 min at RPE 3–4. |
| B: Strength (reduced) | Squats 3×6, lunges 2×10 per leg, farmers carry 3 × 50 m at race weight, 3 × 25 wall balls. |
| C: Half simulation | 4 × (1 km run + station 1–4 in order). Warm up and cool down well. |
| D (optional) | 20 min very easy jog or mobility. |
Weeks 11–12: Taper
Reduce training volume by about 30–40% in week 11 and by about half in race week. Keep a little intensity so you feel sharp, but nothing that leaves you sore.
- Week 11: easy run 30 min; short strength session at moderate weights; 3 × (500 m run + 20 wall balls + 250 m row) at race effort.
- Race week: two short easy runs with a few 20-second pick-ups, light mobility, and plenty of rest. Do nothing new.
Station Technique Basics
Good technique saves more energy than fitness alone. Practice every station at least a few times before race day.
SkiErg
Hinge at the hips and drive the handles down with your lats and core, not just your arms. Let your arms come back up long and relaxed. Find a steady rhythm rather than sprinting the first 200 m.
Sled push
Arms extended or slightly bent, body at a low angle, short powerful steps. Keep moving. Stopping and restarting a heavy sled costs far more energy than pushing slowly and continuously.
Sled pull
Set a wide, athletic stance, sit your hips back, and pull the rope hand over hand, using your legs and back as well as your arms. Check the current rulebook for where you may stand during the pull, and keep the slack rope tidy so you don't trip.
Burpee broad jumps
Chest to the floor, then jump forward with both feet. Step up from the floor instead of jumping up if it saves energy. A steady, repeatable rhythm beats fast bursts and long pauses.
Row
Legs first, then lean back, then arms; reverse on the way in. Most beginners pull too much with their arms. Settle into a sustainable stroke rate.
Farmers carry
Stand tall, shoulders back and down, short quick steps. Grip is usually what fails, so train it with carries and dead hangs.
Sandbag lunges
Bag across your shoulders, back knee touching the ground lightly each rep, torso upright. Take consistent steps and breathe on every rep.
Wall balls
Full squat, then drive up and use your legs to launch the ball. Catch it high and sink straight into the next squat. Break the 100 reps into planned sets early, before you are forced to.
How to Scale the Plan
Everyone starts in a different place. Adjust honestly:
- If 5 km is still a stretch: use run-walk intervals in your easy runs and replace 1 km hybrid runs with 600–800 m.
- If you have no sled: push a loaded plate on a towel across turf, do heavy prowler-style pushes against a wall, or use heavy step-ups and backward walking lunges to build similar leg strength.
- If you can only train three times: keep A, B and C; drop D.
- If you miss a week: don't try to make it up. Repeat the previous week and carry on.
- If something hurts (sharp, worsening or lasting pain): stop that movement and get it checked.
- If you feel great: add the optional fourth session before you add intensity.
- If you race Doubles: the loads are the same as singles, but you split the station work with your partner and run every kilometer together. Practice changeovers on stations so you both know who does what.
Race Day Reminders
- Start the first run slower than you think you need to. The race is long.
- Eat a familiar breakfast and arrive early to see the layout.
- Treat the transitions as part of the race: walk with purpose, don't wander.
- Smile at the finish. Your first HYROX is a personal record no matter what.
Next Steps
- Learn every load and standard in detail in our HYROX stations and weights guide.
- Ready to sign up? Find an event near you on the races page.