Hyrox training plan for beginners: how to prepare for your first race

The format

Run 1 km, do a station, run again, eight times over. The order never changes. Open division weights (men / women):

• 1. SkiErg: 1000 m
• 2. Sled push: 50 m (152 / 102 kg, sled included)
• 3. Sled pull: 50 m (103 / 78 kg)
• 4. Burpee broad jumps: 80 m
• 5. Rowing: 1000 m
• 6. Farmer's carry: 200 m (2 × 24 / 2 × 16 kg)
• 7. Sandbag lunges: 100 m (20 / 10 kg)
• 8. Wall balls: 100 reps (6 / 4 kg)

How long do you need to prepare?

Allow 8 to 12 weeks if you already run a little and lift weights. If you're starting from zero on the running side, give yourself 12 weeks and begin with three easy runs a week before adding the stations.

Running makes up more than half of your total time: build it first. The stations are quick to learn; the kilometres aren't.

A sample training week

Build up gradually: four rounds of 500 m at first, then six rounds, then a full simulation three to four weeks before race day. Ease off in the final week.

• One “run + stations” session: 4 to 8 rounds of 1 km followed by a station. This is the key workout: it teaches you to run on heavy legs.
• Two easy runs, at a pace where you can hold a conversation.
• One threshold or interval session, for speed.
• One or two strength sessions: lunges, squats, Romanian deadlifts, rows, loaded carries.

Mistakes that cost you

• Going out too fast on the first kilometre: the adrenaline makes you pay for it at the sled.
• Neglecting the running in favour of the stations.
• Trying to do all 100 wall balls unbroken: split them into sets of 10 to 15 from the start, before you're spent.
• Never practising the run-to-station transition: it's what surprises people the most.
• Meeting the sled for the first time on race day: its weight and the floor change everything, so try one at a gym.

No SkiErg or sled at your gym?

Not a problem for training. Use band pull-downs or burpees instead of the SkiErg, walking lunges or pushing against a wall instead of the sled, and thrusters or jump squats instead of wall balls. Still try to find a fully equipped gym for one or two sessions before the race.