# HYROX workouts: 10 sessions you can do in any gym

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](/guides/how-to-train-for-hyrox).

- **8 × 1 km** runs in a race
- **8** stations in a fixed order
- **1–2** hybrid 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.

> **Key takeaway:**
> Treat these workouts as the spice, not the meal. One or two a week on top of easy running and a strength session beats four hard HYROX workouts and no recovery.

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](/guides/hyrox-stations-weights).
- **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](/tools/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](/guides/hyrox-station-tips) 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.

> **Tip:**
> No sled at your gym? Push a weight plate on a towel across turf. It isn't the same as the race carpet, so try to get a few sessions on a real sled before race day.

## 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.

> **Watch out:**
> A simulation is not a race. Going all-out close to race day only leaves you tired. Keep the full-distance simulation for the middle of a training block, if you do one at all.

## Which workouts should you do each week?

- **Beginner (3–4 sessions)** — 1 hybrid a week — First race — Rotate workouts 1, 4 and 9, plus one easy run and one strength session. Half simulation 2–3 weeks out.
- **Intermediate (4–5 sessions)** — 1–2 hybrids a week — Faster finish — 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)** — 2 hybrids a week — Pro or sub-70 — 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](/guides/hyrox-training-plan-8-weeks) or the [12-week beginner](/guides/hyrox-training-plan-beginner), [intermediate](/guides/hyrox-training-plan-intermediate) and [advanced](/guides/hyrox-training-plan-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](/guides/hyrox-rules-what-is-not-allowed).

## 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](/tools/hyrox-pace-calculator), learn the station technique in the [sled guide](/guides/hyrox-sled-push-pull-tips) and [wall ball guide](/guides/hyrox-wall-balls-tips), and pick a target race from the [race calendar](/races).

Source: https://roxskin.io/guides/hyrox-workouts