HYROX stations explained: weights, technique and pacing

What are the 8 HYROX stations in order?

The eight stations always run in the same sequence, and each one comes straight after a 1 km run. That fixed format is what makes HYROX times comparable between cities and seasons: everyone covers 8 km of running plus the same eight workouts.

Between the run course and each station you pass through the Roxzone, the transition area where the clock keeps ticking. Moving through it briskly is a skill in its own right.

What weights are used in each HYROX division?

Open is the standard division for most first-timers; Pro uses heavier loads; Doubles splits the work between two people and generally uses Open weights for the pair's category. The figures below are the loads widely published for recent seasons. Sled weights include the sled itself. HYROX does adjust standards between seasons, so always confirm in the rulebook for your event before you train at race weight.

Wall ball targets are 9 ft (about 2.7 m) for women and 10 ft (about 3 m) for men.

• SkiErg, rowing and burpee broad jumps have no external load, so they are the same in every division.
• If you are deciding between Open and Pro for your first race, choose Open. You can always step up once you know your station times.

How do you do each station with good technique?

Good station technique is mostly about wasting less energy, not lifting more. These cues are the ones that make the biggest difference for age-groupers.

• SkiErg: hinge from the hips and let your body weight drive the handles down; arms finish the pull. Breathe out on every pull.
• Sled push: arms long or bent, hips low, body at roughly 45 degrees, short fast steps on the balls of your feet. Don't stop mid-lane; restarting a heavy sled costs more than moving slowly.
• Sled pull: stand in the box, sit low, and pull hand over hand with your back and legs, then walk backwards to reset. Keep the rope tidy so it doesn't tangle.
• Burpee broad jumps: step back and up instead of jumping if your heart rate is spiking. A steady rhythm beats fast-then-stop.
• Rowing: legs, then lean, then arms; reverse on the way back. A damper around 5–7 suits most people better than 10.
• Farmers carry: stand tall, squeeze the handles, take quick short steps. Grip is the limiter, so put the bells down before they fall.
• Sandbag lunges: bag high on the shoulders, knee touches the floor each rep, push through the front heel.
• Wall balls: full squat depth, catch the ball high and ride it into the next rep. Plan sets from the first rep, for example 10 × 10 or 20-15-15-10-10-10-10-10.

Which HYROX station is the hardest?

For most age-groupers the hardest stations are the sled push and the wall balls, with sandbag lunges close behind. The sled push is the heaviest single effort of the race and arrives when you are still fresh enough to overdo it. Wall balls come last, when your legs are already full of lunges and seven runs.

Which station feels hardest for you depends on your background. Runners often struggle with the sleds and lunges; gym-goers often find the SkiErg and rower easy but fall apart on the runs between them. Train your weakest station twice a week and you will usually gain more time than polishing a strength.

How should you pace each HYROX station?

Pace every station so you can start the next run at your planned race-run pace within the first 200 metres. That usually means working at about 7 out of 10 effort on the machines and carries, and accepting a slower but continuous pace on the sleds and lunges.

On the SkiErg and rower, hold a split you have rehearsed in training rather than chasing the athlete beside you; a heart rate around your threshold zone from the heart rate zone calculator is a sensible ceiling. On burpee broad jumps and lunges, pick a rhythm you could hold for 4–6 minutes. On wall balls, take short planned breaks of two or three breaths; unplanned failures cost far more.

• Use your training log to set a target time for every station, then race to those numbers.
• Our HYROX pace calculator turns your 5 km time into easy, threshold, interval and race-run paces.

How long does HYROX take to finish?

Most first-time Open racers finish somewhere between about 75 and 110 minutes, with plenty taking longer, and elite Pro athletes finish in under an hour. Roughly half of your total time is running, and the rest is split between the eight stations and the Roxzone.

A useful planning number: if your 1 km race runs average 6 minutes, your running alone takes about 48 minutes. Add station time and transitions and you can see why steady pacing matters more than one fast station.

How do you train for the HYROX stations?

Train stations in three ways: strength work that builds the muscles they use, technique practice at moderate loads, and compromised runs where you go straight from a station into 1 km at race pace. The last one teaches your legs what race day feels like.

Mixing running and strength in one programme is well supported; a 2022 meta-analysis found that adding endurance work did not reduce gains in muscle size or maximal strength, although explosive strength gains were smaller, especially when both were done in the same session. Most first-timers do well on 3–5 sessions a week for 8–16 weeks.

If your gym has no sled or SkiErg, you can still prepare: push a loaded plate or box on turf, use band pulls walking backwards, or swap the ski for band pulldowns with the same work time. The HYROX training plan builds these swaps into every week, and the plan builder dates each session back from your race.

Frequently asked questions