IMPROVE · HYROX STATION 8
How to get faster at the Hyrox wall balls
You get faster at the Hyrox wall balls by building squat and shoulder endurance, making every rep count so that none is wasted as a no rep (a rep the judge does not count), and planning your breaks before your form slips. Fixed sets of 20 reps to a consistent target teach the rhythm. Without a wall, a medicine ball, air squats (squats with only your bodyweight) and thrusters (a squat that ends with a press overhead) train the same pattern.
How to get faster at the wall balls
The wall balls are station 8 of 8 in a Hyrox race: you do 100 reps, and each rep is a full squat followed by a throw that strikes a target. The weight depends on your division, the group you race in. The ball weighs 4 kg for Women, 6 kg for Women Pro and Men, and 9 kg for Men Pro.
Only valid reps count, so a rep you have to repeat is the most expensive one. Speed here comes from squats that reach full depth, throws that hit the target, and breaks you chose in advance. A fast set with a no rep in it is slower than a steady one without.
This page covers what to train, the drills that help, a simple week, a session you can run, and what to do without a wall. The rules and technique are on the station guide linked below.
- HYROX Singles Rulebook 26/27 (official PDF) checked 18 Oct 2026
What the wall balls ask of your body
Hyrox gives no muscle note for the wall balls beyond calling them the final station, with the finish line in sight. The table below rates how much each quality matters. The ratings are coaching judgement, with no measurements behind them.
| Quality | How much the wall balls need it | What it does for you |
|---|---|---|
| Squat endurance (thighs and glutes) | Most | Repeats a full-depth squat 100 times, after the lunges have used the same muscles. |
| Shoulder and arm endurance | High | Gets the ball to the target on every rep without the throw dropping short. |
| Engine (breathing and heart rate) | High | Keeps you working through the set instead of stopping to catch your breath. |
| Throw accuracy and rhythm | High | Turns each squat into a valid rep and avoids repeats. |
| Hip and ankle mobility | Medium | Lets your hips go lower than your knees without your heels lifting. |
- HYROX: The Fitness Race (official site) checked 18 Oct 2026
Wall ball drills
Depth check. Squat to a box or bench set at the depth where your hips go lower than your knees, or film a set from the side. Depth is the first thing to drift when you are tired.
Target line. Put tape on a wall at the target height for your division, 2.70 m for Women and Women Pro and 3.00 m for Men and Men Pro. Count only the throws that hit it.
Planned breaks. Choose your set sizes before you start, such as sets of 20 with a few breaths between them, and take the break before your squats get shallow.
Catch or bounce. Practise both: catch the ball off the target, or let it bounce and reset standing tall. Use the one that suits you late in a set, and never catch after a bounce and carry straight on.
Catch and absorb. Catch the ball at your chest with your elbows in and drop straight into the next squat, so the catch becomes part of the squat.
Wall balls after lunges. Do a set of lunges or a run, then go straight to the wall. In the race the wall balls come after the sandbag lunges and a 1 km run.
A weekly approach for the wall balls
Wall balls repeat one movement many times, so the work is in your legs, shoulders and breathing. Add reps in small steps.
| Day | What you do |
|---|---|
| Main day | Fixed wall ball sets, such as the session below. Keep the target and the depth the same from the first set to the last. |
| End of each session | A short wall ball set at the end of each training session, on tired legs. Keep the depth and the target strict, and keep the set short on the days around the main day. |
| Leg strength | Squats and single-leg work (exercises on one leg at a time) you may already do. This is the base each rep draws on. |
| Engine day | Runs or intervals (hard efforts with rests between) you already do. A bigger engine (stamina for steady effort) lets you work through a set. |
| Race practice | Now and then, lunge and then do wall balls back to back, the way the race ends. The station guide has a session for the last three stations. |
| Day before and after | Keep these easy for the legs and shoulders. Tired shoulders drop the throws short, and tired legs make the squat shallow. |
A wall ball session to try
This session is built around exact sets that keep one target and one depth. Effort runs from 1 (very easy) to 10 (all out). A lighter version is 4 sets of 12 reps with 120 seconds of rest and a ball you can handle. A harder version is 6 sets of 25 reps with 75 seconds of rest, keeping the target accuracy.
| Block | What you do |
|---|---|
| Warm-up | 2 sets of 10 air squats (bodyweight squats). Groove full depth before you add the ball. |
| Main | 5 rounds, resting 90 seconds between rounds. Each round: wall balls 20 reps at effort 8. These are five exact 20-rep sets to a consistent target. Break early enough to keep every throw accurate. |
| Cool-down | 1 set of 10 air squats at effort 2, then reset your breathing. |
Train the wall balls without the equipment
A wall ball rig is not in every gym. Use the options below in the weeks in between, and try a real wall ball and target at least once before your race, because the height and the catch are specific to it.
| Option | What it trains | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine ball at a wall | The whole movement | Pick a ball close to your race weight, mark the target height with tape, and squat and throw to the mark. |
| Air squats with a pause | Depth and squat endurance | Squat below parallel, pause for a moment at the bottom and stand tall each rep. |
| Dumbbell thrusters | The squat-to-press pattern | Hold a dumbbell at your chest, squat, then stand and press it overhead in one movement. |
| Goblet squats | Depth under load | Hold a weight at your chest and squat until your hips are lower than your knees. |
Working on the wall balls in Complete
Complete starts from your long-term goals, so a wall ball block sits next to the rest of your training. Log the weight and reps of each set in the app, or bring the workout in from Apple Health. Roads are Complete’s ladders of targets, which you take on next to your friends, and the wall balls have a Road of their own that your official race results move.
Frequently asked questions
How should I pace 100 wall balls in Hyrox?
Choose set sizes you know you can finish with full depth and a hit on the target, and rest standing tall with the ball in your hands before your squats get shallow. Decide the plan before the race.
Should I catch the ball or let it bounce in the Hyrox wall balls?
Both are allowed. If you let it bounce, start again from standing tall, and never catch it after a bounce and carry on. Try both late in a training set and keep the one you can repeat.
How often should I train for the Hyrox wall balls?
One focused session a week is a sensible start, plus the leg and engine work you already do. Add reps in small steps.
Can I train the Hyrox wall balls without a wall?
You can build the pattern with air squats (squats with only your bodyweight), goblet squats (squats holding one weight at your chest) and dumbbell thrusters (a squat that ends with a press overhead), and a medicine ball and a taped line on any wall. Try the real target at least once before your race.