What are the 8 Exercise Stations in HYROX?

One of its defining features is the 8 workout stations, each designed to challenge different aspects of your fitness. Despite the physical demands, these stations require minimal technical skill, making HYROX a “sport for everyone” – from weekend warriors to elite competitors.

After completing your initial 1km run, the SkiErg is the first station you are faced with. The requirement here is to cover a total of 1km on the Concept2 SkiErg machine. Competitors pull the handles of the SkiErg downward, mimicking the motion of ski poles. It’s a steady, controlled movement, requiring rhythm, endurance and a good technique to keep a strong pace without burning out early on in the race.

While it’s easy to look at this and assume it’s a workout primarily for the arms and shoulders, when completed efficiently, it’s very much a full body workout which also incorporates the core and lower body muscles.

Following your second 1km run, it’s on to the sled push. One of the most physically demanding stations, the sled push tests your leg strength and full-body power. Participants push a weighted sled down a track, using leg drive and core engagement, to cover a total distance of 50 metres.

This station can often catch athletes out, especially if they don’t pace the station sensibly. It’s easy to tire your legs out here very early on in the race and make the remainder of the event a huge struggle. The run immediately after this station too, on tired heavy legs, can be difficult for some athletes who aren’t used to it. A mistake I personally made in my first race was not taking enough short pauses during the push and even though my time on the station itself was reasonably quick, I really struggled to run afterwards!

When training for this station, if you haven’t done a HYROX before, it’s difficult to know how it will truly feel on race day. This is because the sled you’re using, the surface you’re pushing on, the humidity in the room etc can all affect how well the sled moves. You can’t assume that a 152kg sled weight in your gym will feel the same as on race day.

Distance: 50 metres (4 x 12.5-metre pushes)

After your 3rd 1km run, it’s on to the sled pull, another test of strength. Competitors drag the sled backward using a rope, for a total of 50 metres. At the end of each lane, you have a small box you are able to work within which is about 1.7 metres in depth. This means that rather than the sled pull being purely an upper body exercise, you do have a small amount of space you can step back into to help move the sled. Therefore, it’s an exercise which tests the posterior chain (back, glutes, and hamstrings).

One element to be careful of on this station is technique, and rope management. The further you pull the sled the more rope starts to build up around your feet which becomes easy to trip over if you aren’t careful.

Both the sled and participant must be behind the line when you start this station. You then pull the sled the length of your lane (which is 12.5 metres in length), past the line, walk back to the other end of your lane and pull the sled back. You then need to repeat this process to make up the 50 metres. Resting at any point is fine if you need to. You will receive a penalty if you step outside of your designated area at the end of your lane.

Distance: 50 metres (4 x 12.5-metre pulls)

Run 4 is followed by 80 metres of burpee broad jumps (BBJ). Combining two brutal movements, burpees and broad jumps, this station challenges cardiovascular endurance and leg explosiveness.

You must start with your hands placed behind the line and your chest touching the floor. You then step or jump up, ensuring your feet don’t pass your hands, and perform a broad jump (ensuring you take off and land with parallel feet – no staggered take offs are allowed). You then drop, placing your hands no further than one foot length in front of your feet, and your chest back to the floor.

This cycle repeats until the distance is covered. It can be a brutally tough station which, if possible, you should look to maintain an efficient, steady rhythm on throughout (easier said than done!).

After your 5th 1km run, you finally get a chance to sit down! However, there’s no rest to be had as you must cover a total of 1km on the Concept2 rowing machine. The rowing machine provides a full-body cardiovascular workout that tests both endurance and muscular stamina. A good efficient technique can be very critical here and is something that many athletes get wrong (which costs them time and energy).

Appropriate pacing is important throughout HYROX, but especially so on this station. What you put into the rower doesn’t always pay you back with a significantly faster time. For example, if you row too fast, you may finish the station, say, 10 seconds quicker, but cause yourself a huge amount of fatigue for the remainder of the race.

The farmers carry is the 6th station in HYROX. Participants carry two heavy kettlebells, one in each hand, while walking / running as fast as possible to cover a distance of 200 metres.

You are allowed to place the kettlebells down on the floor as often as needed but obviously if you can complete the whole thing unbroken it will likely mean you save time. It’s a station that tests grip strength, shoulder stability, and core endurance, and is generally one of the quickest stations in the race.

The penultimate station is the Sandbag Lunges. The end of the race is approaching but you’re likely extremely fatigued at this point and must now face 100 metres of walking lunges with a weighted sandbag on your back!

Athletes knee must touch the floor with every rep. It very much tests the quads and glutes, but there is also an element of strain on the arms and shoulders as you aren’t allowed to place the sandbag down on the floor at any point.

Nearly there! The final station is the wall balls. Here competitors must squat down with the ball, then explode up, throwing the ball to hit a target for a total of 100 reps. After the ball is caught, the motion is repeated. The height of the target, and the weight of the ball, differs depending on gender and division.

Proper squat form / depth, and accuracy with the ball throw (to the centre of the target), are crucial here as judges will ‘no rep’ if necessary which results in not just added time but also added fatigue.

It is very much a station that tests not just your physical abilities (challenging the legs, shoulders, and cardiovascular system all at once) but also your mental strength and concentration.

Repetitions: 100 Wall Balls

Yes, I know I said there were 8 stations but consider this one a bonus!

There is also the Roxzone to consider – an incredibly important section of the race that often doesn’t get the attention from athletes that it perhaps deserves.

The Roxzone is the transition area between the running course and the workout stations. The size will vary by event but on average you need to cover a total of 700 metres across the duration of your race within the Roxzone. Therefore, you can’t afford to slow down more than necessary (i.e. look to maintain your running speed) or get lost in the Roxzone (looking for the workout station you’re meant to be doing) if you want to go as fast as possible.