The 8 HYROX Stations: Technique, Pacing & Training

The station order never changes: every HYROX in the world runs the same eight, in the same sequence, each preceded by a 1 km run. That predictability is a gift — you can rehearse the exact race. The catch is that you enter every station already breathing hard, which is the whole race's demand in miniature: nothing here is hard fresh, and none of it happens fresh. For each station below: what it taxes, where the time goes, and how to train it in a normal gym.

1. SkiErg — 1,000 m

An upper-body aerobic effort driven by the lats and trunk, not the arms. It opens the race, which makes it the most commonly botched station: adrenaline says sprint, and every second under your sustainable pace here is repaid on the next seven runs. Train with 3×1,000 m pieces at a controlled, even split, learning the hinge-and-pull rhythm. Time lost: going out at maximum and drifting 20 seconds slower per 500 by the end.

2. Sled Push — 50 m

The biggest leg-strength tax in the event, and the station where race day surprises people most — competition carpet is far slower than any gym track. Time is lost by stopping mid-lane and by pushing too upright: get low, arms locked, and drive with short punchy steps. Train heavy prowler pushes (6×20 m with full recoveries) and high-bar squats. No sled? Steep-incline treadmill hiking with the power off, or heavy plate pushes on turf.

3. Sled Pull — 50 m

Posterior chain and grip: hand-over-hand rope pulling that exposes any weakness in your back, hamstrings and forearms. Time is lost pulling with the arms alone and letting slack build in the rope — brace, lean back, and pull with your hips and lats in long strokes. Train hand-over-hand cable rows and heavy rack pulls; towel-grip pulldowns are a fine substitute for the rope.

4. Burpee Broad Jumps — 80 m

Deceptively aerobic — the station that redlines heart rate fastest. The mistake is jumping far: maximum-distance leaps feel productive and cost double. Smooth, submaximal reps at around 60–70% effort, landing soft and stepping straight into the next burpee, beat explosive ones every time. Train it in sets of 10 at that deliberately restrained effort until the rhythm is automatic.

5. Rowing — 1,000 m

The one station where good athletes recover. Legs and back share the load, and if you resist the urge to sprint the first 300 m you can settle your heart rate noticeably while still moving well. Train 2,000 m pieces at a conversationally-hard split so race pace feels routine. Time lost: attacking the first ten pulls and paying for it on the lunges two stations later.

6. Farmers Carry — 200 m

Grip, traps, and trunk stability under load. The only real failure mode is putting the weights down — every drop costs 10–15 seconds and they get harder to pick up each time. Train heavy carries, 4×40 m, heavier than race weight, so the race-day kettlebells feel routine. Dumbbells or a trap bar substitute fine.

7. Sandbag Lunges — 100 m

Late-race leg endurance with a bag on your shoulders, and the station that most brutally audits your strength reserves. Time is lost through short shuffling steps and repeated rests with the bag down. Train walking lunges — back-loaded, building toward 100 m unbroken — and the race version becomes a grind instead of a crisis.

8. Wall Balls — 75/100 reps

The finisher. Legs, shoulders and breathing fail together, and the no-rep judge is watching your squat depth. Time is lost to shallow reps that don't count and to long breaks between sets — plan your break structure before you start (say, 25/20/15/15) instead of going to failure. Train high-rep sets, 3×25 building toward 75 with minimal breaks, on legs that are already tired — the 8-week plan pre-fatigues legs before wall-ball practice deliberately.

Threshold's session library maps every one of these stations to strength and engine work you can do in a normal gym — and its plans decide when each shows up in your week.

Frequently asked questions

What are the 8 HYROX stations in order?

SkiErg 1,000 m, sled push 50 m, sled pull 50 m, burpee broad jumps 80 m, rowing 1,000 m, farmers carry 200 m, sandbag lunges 100 m, and 75–100 wall balls. A 1 km run precedes every station.

Which HYROX station is the hardest?

For most athletes the sled push — it is the biggest leg-strength tax in the race and race-floor carpet is slower than any gym surface. Wall balls are a close second because they arrive last, when your legs and shoulders are already spent.

How do I train for HYROX without the equipment?

Substitute: heavy prowler or plate pushes (or steep-incline treadmill hiking) for sled push, hand-over-hand cable rows or heavy towel pulls for sled pull, dumbbell or trap-bar carries for farmers carry, and standard wall balls at 6/9 kg. The engine work — SkiErg, row, run — transfers from any equivalent cardio machine.

What weight are the HYROX sleds?

Open division: sled push 152 kg for men and 102 kg for women (including the sled), sled pull 103 kg / 78 kg. Pro adds roughly 50 kg to the push. Numbers occasionally change season to season — check the current ruleset before racing.