The best HYROX workouts mix running with the eight stations so you practise the one thing the race really tests: moving well on tired legs. Below are 10 proven session formats, from compromised-running intervals and station EMOMs to a no-sled version and a half simulation, each with the goal, the workout, and how to scale it. Slot one or two into a normal week of easy running and strength, or use them inside a full training plan.
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A week-by-week plan to your race
- 8 × 1 kmruns in a race
- 8stations in a fixed order
- 1–2hybrid workouts a week for most people
This is general guidance, not medical advice. Check with a qualified professional if you have injuries or health conditions.
How to use these workouts
A HYROX race is eight 1 km runs, each followed by a station: SkiErg, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jumps, row, farmers carry, sandbag lunges and wall balls. A good week of training doesn't look like that every day. Most of your running should be easy, and only one or two sessions a week need to be hard "hybrid" workouts.
Some ground rules:
- Warm up for 10–15 minutes first: easy jog or row, mobility, then a few short pick-ups and light reps of the stations you'll use.
- Use RPE (rate of perceived effort, 1–10) to pace. Most of these sit at RPE 6–8. Only the last rounds of a few should feel close to 9.
- Scale loads to keep good form. Race weights by division are in the stations and weights guide.
- Leave 48 hours between two hard hybrid sessions.
Compromised running workouts
These teach your legs to run straight after a station, which is the core skill of HYROX.
1. Compromised kilometres
Goal: run at goal pace after a station. Time: about 40 minutes.
4 rounds, 2 minutes rest between rounds:
- One station "primer": 500 m row, then 25 wall balls, then 100 m farmers carry, then 15 burpee broad jumps (one per round)
- Straight into 1 km run at your goal HYROX run pace
Scale it: run 600–800 m instead of 1 km, or rest 3 minutes.
2. Sled then run
Goal: get used to running on heavy, "wooden" legs. Time: about 35 minutes.
3 rounds, 3 minutes rest:
- 25 m sled push at race weight
- 25 m sled pull at race weight
- 1 km run, holding your goal pace for the first 400 m even though it feels hard
Scale it: use a lighter sled and push for longer, or swap the sled for 20 heavy walking lunges.
3. Strength into running
Goal: general fatigue before running, good early in a training block. Time: about 30 minutes.
5 rounds:
- 8 deadlifts at a weight you could lift about 15 times
- 4 minutes running at a steady RPE 6
- 1 minute walk
Scale it: use goblet squats or kettlebell deadlifts instead of a barbell.
Station workouts
These build station capacity and technique under fatigue, without the running.
4. Wall ball and lunge ladder
Goal: the two leg-heavy finishers. Time: about 20 minutes.
Rounds of 10, 15, 20, 25, 20, 15, 10:
- Wall balls (race weight and target height)
- Walking lunges with the same number of steps, sandbag or dumbbells
Rest as needed, but try to keep each set unbroken. Count reps with the wall ball counter if you train alone.
Scale it: stop at 20 and come back down.
5. SkiErg and row EMOM
Goal: steady erg pacing. Time: 20 minutes.
Every minute on the minute, alternating:
- Odd minutes: 200 m SkiErg (beginners 150 m)
- Even minutes: 200 m row (beginners 150 m)
The rest is whatever is left of the minute. Aim for the same split every round. If you can't finish inside 45 seconds, reduce the distance.
6. Grip and carry circuit
Goal: a farmers carry that doesn't fall apart. Time: about 25 minutes.
4 rounds:
- 100 m farmers carry at race weight or slightly heavier
- 30 s dead hang
- 10 kettlebell Romanian deadlifts
- 90 s rest
Put the kettlebells down before your grip fails, not after. That's what you'll do in the race. The station tips guide covers grip strategy.
Longer engine workouts
7. HYROX "half and half"
Goal: a big aerobic session with station skills. Time: about 50 minutes.
Two blocks of 20 minutes, 5 minutes easy in between:
- Block 1: as many rounds as possible at a steady RPE 6 of 400 m run, 250 m SkiErg, 10 burpee broad jumps
- Block 2: as many rounds as possible at RPE 6 of 400 m run, 250 m row, 15 wall balls
Try to match your round count in block 2. It's a pacing lesson as much as a fitness one.
8. Threshold runs with stations
Goal: raise the pace you can hold for a long time. Time: about 45 minutes.
3 × 2 km at threshold (a "comfortably hard" pace you could hold for about an hour), with 3 minutes between. In each rest: 15 wall balls or 20 m farmers carry, at an easy rhythm.
No-sled and home versions
9. No-sled HYROX circuit
Goal: most of the race demands with basic kit. Time: about 40 minutes.
4 rounds, 2 minutes rest:
- 800 m run
- 20 heavy step-ups per leg (sled push substitute)
- 20 band or rope backward walks, or 15 heavy rows (sled pull substitute)
- 10 burpee broad jumps
- 20 dumbbell thrusters (wall ball substitute)
Scale it: 400 m runs, lighter dumbbells.
Race rehearsal
10. Half simulation
Goal: rehearse pacing, transitions and fueling. Time: 35–60 minutes.
4 × (1 km run + one station), in race order, at race weights if possible:
- Option A, stations 1–4: 1,000 m SkiErg, 50 m sled push, 50 m sled pull, 80 m burpee broad jumps
- Option B, stations 5–8: 1,000 m row, 200 m farmers carry, 100 m sandbag lunges, 100 wall balls
Do it at about RPE 7, not flat out, and record every split. Repeat it 3–4 weeks later to see whether your runs after the stations hold their pace. Beginners need one, two to three weeks before the race. Intermediate athletes can do one every three to four weeks.
Which workouts should you do each week?
Beginner (3–4 sessions)
Rotate workouts 1, 4 and 9, plus one easy run and one strength session. Half simulation 2–3 weeks out.
Intermediate (4–5 sessions)
Workouts 1, 2 or 8 as your hard day, 5 or 6 as a lighter station day, and a half simulation every 3–4 weeks.
Advanced (5–6 sessions)
Workouts 2, 7 and 8, heavier sleds, and race-weight simulations in the final block.
If you want the weeks laid out for you, use the 8-week plan or the 12-week beginner, intermediate and advanced plans.
Common HYROX workout mistakes
- Every session is a hybrid session. You'll get tired, not fitter. Keep most running easy.
- Racing the stations. In the race you have to run again straight after. Train the same pace you'll race.
- Light loads forever. Spend some time at race weight, especially on the sleds and carries, in the last 6–8 weeks.
- Skipping the boring stuff. Easy runs and strength sessions do the heavy lifting.
- Ignoring movement standards. Practise full-depth wall balls, a clear knee touch on lunges and chest-to-floor burpees, so you don't learn habits that collect penalties. See what's not allowed at HYROX.
FAQ
What is a good HYROX workout?
One that mixes running with stations so you practise running on tired legs. A classic is 4 rounds of a station followed by a 1 km run at goal race pace, with 2 minutes rest between rounds.
How many HYROX workouts should I do a week?
Most people do one or two hard hybrid workouts a week, on top of easy running and one strength session. More than that usually adds fatigue faster than fitness.
Can I do HYROX workouts without a sled?
Yes. Heavy step-ups, walking lunges and pushing a plate on a towel can replace the sled push, and backward band walks or heavy rows can stand in for the pull. Try to practise on a real sled a few times before race day.
What is compromised running?
Running straight after a hard station, when your legs feel heavy and your heart rate is high. It's the defining feeling of a HYROX race, and workouts that pair a station with a run train you for it.
Should I do a full HYROX simulation in training?
Not often. A half simulation of four runs and four stations teaches most of the same lessons with far less recovery. Advanced athletes might do one full simulation in the middle of a training block.
Can I train for HYROX at a regular gym?
Yes. The 10 workouts in this guide can be done in any gym, and they mix running with the eight stations: SkiErg, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jumps, row, farmers carry, sandbag lunges and wall balls. If your gym has no sled, heavy step-ups, walking lunges or pushing a plate on a towel can replace the push, and backward band walks or heavy rows can stand in for the pull. Try to practise on a real sled a few times before race day.
Next steps
Set your target splits with the HYROX pace calculator, learn the station technique in the sled guide and wall ball guide, and pick a target race from the race calendar.
About the author
Tim Grassin, Founder of RoxSkin. Tim founded RoxSkin to help amateur HYROX athletes get sponsored. He races HYROX himself as an amateur, and checks each guide against the sources listed at the end before it goes live.
Sources
The pages we checked this guide against, last on October 22, 2026. Spotted something out of date? Email us.