Everyone who hears about HYROX for the first time asks the same question: so what exactly do you do?
The answer is simple to say and hard to do. You run 1 km, you do a station. You run another 1 km, you do the next station. Eight times. By the end, you've covered 8 km of running and gone through eight exercises that test different things in your body.
What nobody tells you is that the order is not random, and that the race is designed to break you at a specific point. Let us go through each one, with the loads for each division.
The race order, always the same
HYROX doesn't change the format. Whether it's in Lisbon, Hamburg or Chicago, the sequence is this:
| # | Running | Station | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 km | SkiErg | 1000 m |
| 2 | 1 km | Sled Push | 50 m |
| 3 | 1 km | Sled Pull | 50 m |
| 4 | 1 km | Burpee Broad Jumps | 80 m |
| 5 | 1 km | Rowing | 1000 m |
| 6 | 1 km | Farmers Carry | 200 m |
| 7 | 1 km | Sandbag Lunges | 100 m |
| 8 | 1 km | Wall Balls | 100 reps |
The distances and reps are the same everywhere and for everyone. What changes is the load, and that's where the race adapts to who you are.
The loads for each division
There are two individual divisions: Open, where most people start, and Pro, with heavier loads. Here's the full table.
| Station | Open women | Men's Open | Women's Pro | Pro men |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sled Push | 102 kg | 152 kg | 152 kg | 202 kg |
| Sled Pull | 78 kg | 103 kg | 103 kg | 153 kg |
| Farmers Carry | 2 × 16 kg | 2 × 24 kg | 2 × 24 kg | 2 × 32 kg |
| Sandbag Lunges | 10 kg | 20 kg | 20 kg | 30 kg |
| Wall Balls | 4 kg | 6 kg | 6 kg | 9 kg |
| Target height | 2.70 m | 3.00 m | 2.70 m | 3.00 m |
Notice something that helps you understand the scale: the Pro women's loads are exactly the same as the Open men's, at every station. It's the same race, with the same weight, and a good benchmark for anyone thinking of moving up a division.
The sled weights are the total weight, sled included, not the weight of the plates you put on it. It's the most common mix-up for people who train at home and then get a surprise on race day.
There are also the Doubles divisions, where two athletes split the work, and Relay, with teams of four. The weights follow the table above according to the team's gender. Always check the season's rulebook before signing up, as the figures may be revised.
1. SkiErg, 1000 metres
What it is: a machine that mimics the cross-country skiing motion. You pull two handles from top to bottom, using your arms, trunk and legs. There are no different loads by division.
What it demands: aerobic endurance and, above all, the ability to use your torso rather than just your arms.
The most common mistake: starting too hard. It's the first station, you're fresh, and the temptation is to attack. Those who do pay for it at stations 6 and 7, when their forearms stop responding.
How to train it: 500 m intervals with short rest, so you learn the pace you can hold without going into debt. And train the stroke: most people pull with their arms only and waste half the power they have.
2. Sled Push, 50 metres
Weights: 102 kg in Women's Open, 152 kg in Men's Open and Women's Pro, 202 kg in Men's Pro. Total weight, including the sled.
What it is: pushing a loaded sled over 50 metres, usually in four 12.5 m lengths with turns in between.
The most common mistake: pushing with straight arms and a high back. The sled does not move, you burn twice the energy, and your legs are wrecked for the rest of the race. The right position is low, with the body leaning forward, arms firm and the power coming from the legs.
How to train: short, heavy pushes with full rest. This is the station where technique saves the most time, and where the floor surface makes the biggest difference. If you can, train on the same type of surface you'll compete on.
3. Sled Pull, 50 metres
Loads: 78 kg for Open women, 103 kg for Open men and Pro women, 153 kg for Pro men.
What it is: pulling a sled with a rope, with your back to it, over 50 metres.
The most common mistake: pulling the rope with your arms, standing, hand over hand. It works, but it's slow and burns the grip you'll need for the Farmers Carry. The efficient way is to sit your weight back, use your legs and bodyweight, and pull in big blocks instead of lots of small tugs.
How to train it: if you don't have a sled with a rope, use heavy rows, rope pulls and specific grip work. But if you can train the real movement, do it, because it's one of the ones that benefits most from practice.
4. Burpee Broad Jumps, 80 metres
What it is: burpees with a broad jump. You do the burpee and, instead of jumping on the spot, you jump forward. You repeat until you've covered 80 metres. No weights, the same in every division.
What it demands: everything. It's the station most people describe as the worst.
The most common mistake: jumping too far. It seems counterintuitive, but huge jumps tire you out disproportionately and gain little distance. Steady, medium jumps get you to the end faster, because they don't force you to stop.
How to train it: sets of 10 to 15 burpee broad jumps with short rest, working on pace. And train them tired, not fresh. In the race you'll get here with half the running already done.
5. Row, 1000 metres
What it is: 1000 metres on the rowing machine. No different loads by division.
The most common mistake: rowing with your arms and pulling fast. The right sequence is legs, body, arms, then the reverse. People who row well take fewer strokes and go faster.
How to train: 250 m and 500 m intervals, paying attention to pace per stroke. If nobody has ever corrected your rowing technique, that's the best-invested hour of your HYROX training.
6. Farmers Carry, 200 metres
Loads: 2 × 16 kg in Open women, 2 × 24 kg in Open men and Pro women, 2 × 32 kg in Pro men. The weights are per hand.
What it demands: grip, core and a cool head. By now you're tired and your forearms will burn.
The most common mistake: dropping the weights too early. Every time you put them down and pick them up again you lose time, and your grip doesn't recover that quickly. Better to walk slowly without stopping than to walk fast and stop three times.
How to train it: heavy carries for time, not distance. And work your grip specifically: hanging from a bar is one of the most useful exercises there is for this station.
7. Sandbag Lunges, 100 metres
Weights: 10 kg in Women's Open, 20 kg in Men's Open and Women's Pro, 30 kg in Men's Pro.
What it demands: legs, balance and tolerance for discomfort. For many people this is where the race is decided.
The most common mistake: letting the bag slip and spending the whole station adjusting it. Sort out the bag position before you start, not halfway through.
How to train it: weighted lunges over distance, always. And practise picking up the bag and getting it onto your shoulders, which is where lots of people lose twenty seconds for not having practised.
8. Wall Balls, 100 reps
Weights: a 4 kg ball in Women's Open and 6 kg in Men's Open, 6 kg in Women's Pro and 9 kg in Men's Pro. The target is at 2.70 m for women and 3.00 m for men. It's 100 reps in every division.
What it demands: legs you no longer have and a head you still do.
The most common mistake: doing big sets at the start. Anyone who does 30 in a row at the beginning ends up doing 3 at a time at the end, and takes longer. Small, steady sets with short, planned breaks get to the finish faster.
How to train: sets by number, with rest set in advance. Get used to stopping when you planned to, not when you can't go on.
How long does all this take?
It depends a lot on your level, but as a guide:
- First race, no specific preparation: between 1h30 and 2h
- With a few months of preparation: between 1h10 and 1h30
- Experienced athletes: under 1h10
- Elite: under 60 minutes
What separates these times usually isn't the running. It's the time lost in transitions and in poorly executed stations.
What to train first
If you're short on time and want to know where to invest it, this is the order:
- Sled technique, push and pull. It's where most time is lost through poor execution.
- The ability to run tired. Running 1 km fresh is nothing like running the sixth kilometre after some sandbag lunges.
- Grip. For a lot of people it fails before their legs do, and it limits two whole stations.
- Pacing. Knowing your sustainable pace is worth more than any strength gain.
If you want a week-by-week plan, we wrote one separately: HYROX training plan for your first race.
Where to train the stations in Figueira da Foz
At Revolution Fitness, in Buarcos, you have the kit for all eight stations and direct access to outdoor running, which lets you train the race as it really is, not in parts.
We are a HYROX Official Gym, which means the equipment is the approved kind and the workouts follow the structure of the competition. You do not need to be thinking about competing to train here: most people who do HYROX with us have never entered a race, and they train because the format is demanding and measurable.
If you're not quite sure what the sport is yet, start with the guide to what HYROX is. If you already know and want to try it, the first class is free and you don't need any experience.
The stations are half the race. The other half happens between them: read what the roxzone is and how much time gets lost in there, and why going through the wrong arch costs you two minutes.
If what interests you now is the weight at each station, we have the table with the official HYROX weights, station by station, in Open and Pro, for men and women.
In class you don't use race weights from day one: see what a HYROX class is like and what weight you'll actually use when you start.
Of the eight stations, the two sled ones demand the most from your legs right at the start. See how to push and pull the HYROX sled without stopping halfway, length by length.
