HYROX RACE GUIDE

How to race Hyrox, from run 1 to the last wall ball

A Hyrox race is eight rounds of a 1 km run and one workout station, always in the same order, and our advice is to race it as one long effort. Run each kilometre at an even pace, treat the SkiErg (a ski machine with two handles) as part of your warm-up, hold back on the sleds and use the row as a breather. We think brick sessions, a station and a run back to back, are the best way to prepare, because in the race you go straight from each run into a station and back out.

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What a Hyrox race is

A Hyrox race has eight rounds. In each round you run 1 km and then do one workout station, so you finish with 8 km of running and eight stations done in a fixed order. Depending on the venue, a run may be split into laps, but the eight runs always add up to 8 km.

Between the run and each station you pass through the Roxzone, the transition area around the stations. You enter and leave each station through marked IN and OUT arches, and every station must be completed in full.

HYROX Singles Rulebook 26/27 (official PDF) checked 18 Oct 2026
HYROX: The Fitness Race (official site) checked 18 Oct 2026

How we think about Hyrox training

We think about Hyrox training in four steps, in this order.

First, the aerobic base. Easy zone 2 work (a pace where you can still talk in full sentences) on a run, a rower or a bike builds the engine (your stamina for steady effort) every athlete needs anyway. We think it is also the easiest way to get faster at the SkiErg and the row.

Second, more running and plyometrics (jumps and bounds). Eight of the sixteen parts of the race are runs, so a more efficient runner gains on all eight.

Third, brick sessions, which have their own section below.

Fourth, a smart race strategy on the day, set out in the table below.

Why we train with brick sessions

A brick session is a station and a run back to back, in the order the race puts them. Apart from run 1, you start each part of a Hyrox race on legs coming off the part before.

Training that switch teaches your legs to run straight after a sled, a carry or a set of lunges. It also shows you the pace you can hold into the next station.

We think brick sessions are the best way to train for Hyrox, so we build them into Complete’s Hyrox plans.

Our advice: train specific race segments, such as a run, the sled push and a run, or the row, a run and the farmers carry. Several station guides have a session that practises two stations with a run between them.

Pacing the runs

Our advice is to run all eight kilometres at an even pace. Run 1 feels easy because you are fresh, and a fast first run costs you later. Pick a pace you could still hold on run 8, and run each kilometre at it.

The stations decide whether you can keep that pace. Hold back on the sleds, and use the row to bring your breathing down, so the runs that follow them stay at your pace.

The race in order, with our advice

Each station follows a 1 km run. The weights depend on your division, the group you race in, and each station guide lists them. The advice in the table is our coaching view.

Part of the race	What you do	Our advice
Run 1, SkiErg, run 2	1 km, then 1,000 m on the SkiErg, then 1 km	Run both kilometres at your even pace and ski steady, and together they warm you up for the sled push. Ski hard enough to get warm and steady enough to reach the sled ready.
Sled push	50 m, as four lengths of 12.5 m	Do not blow up here. Six runs and six stations still follow, so push at a pace you can hold to the last length.
Sled pull	50 m, as four lengths of 12.5 m	Hold back here too, as on the push. Brace with your legs, keep the rope moving and leave enough to run.
Burpee broad jumps	80 m	Find a rhythm you can repeat from the first jump to the last.
Row	1,000 m	Use the row to control your heart rate. Hold a strong, steady stroke, let your heart rate come down toward zone 2 or 3 (easy to moderate) and take it as a breather.
Farmers carry	200 m with a kettlebell in each hand	Set your shoulder blades back and down before you pick up the kettlebells, then lock in, brace, and walk to the rests you planned.
Sandbag lunges	100 m with a sandbag on your shoulders	Pick a lunge pace you can hold, because the wall balls need your legs.
Wall balls	100 reps	Nothing comes after them but the finish. Break the set the way you planned and spend what you have left.

HYROX Singles Rulebook 26/27 (official PDF) checked 18 Oct 2026

Hyrox in Complete

Complete starts from your long-term goals, and a Hyrox race can be one of them. Any workout that reaches Apple Health counts, so station and run training fit wherever you do them. If you sign up for a Hyrox race, the plan Complete writes trains the stations as well as the runs. Roads are Complete’s ladders of targets, which you take on next to your friends, and each Hyrox station has its own, moved by your official race results.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best way to race Hyrox?

Our advice is to run each kilometre at an even pace, treat the SkiErg as part of your warm-up, hold back on the sled push and pull, and use the row as a breather. Hold a lunge pace that leaves your legs for the wall balls, then spend what you have left there.

What is a brick session in Hyrox training?

A brick session is a station and a run back to back, such as a sled push followed by a run. We think brick sessions are the best way to train for Hyrox, because in the race you start almost every part on legs coming off the one before.

What is the Roxzone in Hyrox?

The Roxzone is the transition area around the stations, where you move between running and working. You enter and leave each station through marked IN and OUT arches.

How should I train for my first Hyrox race?

We think the order matters. Build your aerobic base first, then add more running and plyometrics (jumps and bounds) to run more efficiently, then add brick sessions. Plan your race strategy before race day.

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By Paul Schmidt, founder of Complete · Last reviewed 18 Oct 2026