HYROX · 8 WEEKS · 50:50 RUN:STRENGTH · 5 SESSIONS/WK

HYROX Training Plan: Beginner, 8 Weeks

Beginner track New runner — building your first base

You are newer to running or rebuilding a base, and Hyrox is the goal. The priority is finishing strong and uninjured — consistency beats intensity.

How this plan works

A 50/50 build that puts the aerobic base first. We start with easy running and general strength, then layer in the HYROX-specific work — station skills, and, when the runway allows, compromised-run bricks and a race simulation. Generous rest is built in — you adapt on the easy days.

Eight weeks is a focused sharpening block — best if you already have a running base and some strength. Two base weeks, a build, a peak, then a simulation and race week.

This plan trains the same way whatever division you race — only your race-day target loads change. Your band (your running level) sets the training; your division sets the weights below. Station performance is uncorrelated with running fitness in the first Hyrox study (Brandt et al. 2025, a small n=11 sample) — a strong engine does not carry the stations. Train them directly.

Your race-day loads by division
Station OpenProDoubles · Men OpenProDoubles · Women
Sled Push 152 kg202 kg 102 kg152 kg
Sled Pull 103 kg153 kg 78 kg103 kg
Farmers Carry 2 × 24 kg2 × 32 kg 2 × 16 kg2 × 24 kg
Sandbag Lunges 20 kg30 kg 10 kg20 kg
Wall Balls 6 kg · 3 m9 kg · 3 m 4 kg · 2.7 m6 kg · 2.7 m

Doubles uses the same individual loads as Open — you and your partner split the reps and distance, not the weight. Train the full Open loads so race day feels lighter.

Race-day standards from the HYROX Singles Rulebook 26/27. Training loads in the plan build up to these — you do not lift race weight from day one.

Training Schedule
WEEK 1 Base
Day Workout Purpose
Day 1
Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 5 km
Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 2
Squat Strength Back Squat 3×8 @RPE 7Walking Lunge 3×20 totalCore 3 x 30 s plank
Heavy back squat plus loaded lunges. The leg strength that turns the sled and wall balls from a wall into a station.
Day 3 Rest
Day 4
Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 5 km
Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 5
Station Skills Circuit Wall Balls 3 x 15 @4 kgBurpee Broad Jumps 3 x 8Sandbag Lunges 40 m @10 kg
Drill wall balls, burpees and lunges for clean reps. Standards (depth, full reps) are practised here, not on race day.
Day 6 Rest
Day 7
Long Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 8 km
Steady aerobic distance. Your weekly endurance anchor — run by feel, not pace.
WEEK 2 Base
Day Workout Purpose
Day 1
Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 5 km
Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 2
Deadlift Strength Deadlift 3×6 @RPE 7Romanian Deadlift 3×10Loaded Carry / Grip 3 x 30 m
Posterior chain plus grip carries — directly arms the sled pull and farmers carry, the two stations that expose runners.
Day 3 Rest
Day 4
Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 5 km
Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 5
Sled Conditioning Sled Push 4 x 12.5 m @50 kg / walk backSled Pull 4 x 12.5 m @40 kg
Push and pull intervals. Builds the specific leg and back endurance the two sleds demand.
Day 6 Rest
Day 7
Long Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 8 km
Steady aerobic distance. Your weekly endurance anchor — run by feel, not pace.
WEEK 3 Build
Day Workout Purpose
Day 1
Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 5 km
Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 2
Lower-Body Power Front Squat 3×6Sled Push 4 x 12.5 m @50 kg
Front squats paired with heavy sled pushes. Strength that transfers straight to the heaviest load of race day.
Day 3
400 m Repeats Intervals 6 x 400 m 5k / 90 s
Sharp speed at 3k-5k effort. Trains turnover and the ability to surge out of a station.
Day 4 Rest
Day 5
Wall Ball + Lunge Block Wall Balls 5 x 20 @4 kgSandbag Lunges 4 x 20 m @10 kg
High-volume wall balls and loaded lunges — the back-end of the race, where runners lose the most time.
Day 6 Rest
Day 7
Long Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 8 km
Steady aerobic distance. Your weekly endurance anchor — run by feel, not pace.
WEEK 4 Build
Day Workout Purpose
Day 1
Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 5 km
Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 2
Full-Body Strength Back Squat 3×8Deadlift 3×6Core 3 rounds core circuit
Squat, deadlift and core in one session. General strength base for runners with little lifting history.
Day 3
Lunge-to-Run Set Compromised Run 4 x 600 m tempoWalking Lunge 20 reps (after each run)
Lunges before each run rep so you practise the signature skill: running on pre-fatigued legs.
Day 4 Rest
Day 5
Pull + Grip Block Sled Pull 4 x 12.5 m @40 kgFarmers Carry 4 x 50 m @32 kgLoaded Carry / Grip 3 x dead hang 20 s
Sled pull, farmers carry and dead hangs. Hardens the grip and upper back that fail first for pure runners.
Day 6 Rest
Day 7
Long Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 8 km
Steady aerobic distance. Your weekly endurance anchor — run by feel, not pace.
WEEK 5 Peak
Day Workout Purpose
Day 1
Tempo Intervals Tempo Run 2 x 8 min tempo
Threshold pace — comfortably hard. Raises the pace you can sustain once the legs are tired.
Day 2
Squat Strength Back Squat 3×8 @RPE 7Walking Lunge 3×20 totalCore 3 x 30 s plank
Heavy back squat plus loaded lunges. The leg strength that turns the sled and wall balls from a wall into a station.
Day 3
Roxzone Transitions Compromised Run 500 m race paceSkiErg 250 mRow 250 m
Race-pace run straight into the ergs. Trains the transition that runners overlook — the clock never stops in the Roxzone.
Day 4 Rest
Day 5
Erg Power Intervals SkiErg 4 x 250 m / 60 sRow 4 x 250 m / 60 s
SkiErg and row intervals. Upper-body conditioning your runs never build — train it directly.
Day 6 Rest
Day 7
Long Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 8 km
Steady aerobic distance. Your weekly endurance anchor — run by feel, not pace.
WEEK 6 Peak
Day Workout Purpose
Day 1
1 km Intervals Intervals 4 x 800 m 5k / 2 min jog
VO2max work at 5k-10k effort. Lifts the ceiling your compromised race runs sit under.
Day 2
Deadlift Strength Deadlift 3×6 @RPE 7Romanian Deadlift 3×10Loaded Carry / Grip 3 x 30 m
Posterior chain plus grip carries — directly arms the sled pull and farmers carry, the two stations that expose runners.
Day 3
Compromised Sled Brick Compromised Run 400 m tempoSled Push 12.5 m @50 kgCompromised Run 400 m tempoWall Balls 20 reps @4 kg
Run-sled-run-wall-balls without rest. The truest rehearsal of how Hyrox actually feels — pace the first run.
Day 4 Rest
Day 5
Station Skills Circuit Wall Balls 3 x 15 @4 kgBurpee Broad Jumps 3 x 8Sandbag Lunges 40 m @10 kg
Drill wall balls, burpees and lunges for clean reps. Standards (depth, full reps) are practised here, not on race day.
Day 6 Rest
Day 7
Long Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 8 km
Steady aerobic distance. Your weekly endurance anchor — run by feel, not pace.
WEEK 7 Simulation
Day Workout Purpose
Day 1
Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 5 km
Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 2
Lower-Body Power Front Squat 3×6Sled Push 4 x 12.5 m @50 kg
Front squats paired with heavy sled pushes. Strength that transfers straight to the heaviest load of race day.
Day 3
Run + Wall Ball Brick Compromised Run 600 mWall Balls 25 reps @4 kg
Alternating runs and wall balls. Teaches you to break the wall-ball set and keep moving on tired legs.
Day 4 Rest
Day 5
400 m Repeats Intervals 6 x 400 m 5k / 90 s
Sharp speed at 3k-5k effort. Trains turnover and the ability to surge out of a station.
Day 6 Rest
Day 7
Full Race Simulation Compromised Run 8 x 1000 m race paceSkiErg 1000 mSled Push 25 m @75 kgSled Pull 25 m @50 kgBurpee Broad Jumps 40 mRow 1000 mFarmers Carry 100 m @32 kgSandbag Lunges 50 m @10 kgWall Balls 50 reps @4 kg
The complete 8-run, 8-station race. The community's number-one readiness check — nothing predicts your time better.
WEEK 8 Race Week
Day Workout Purpose
Day 1
Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 5 km
Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 2
Recovery + Mobility Easy Run (Zone 2) 3 km recoveryCore 15 min mobility flow
Very easy run and a mobility flow. Active recovery — you adapt on the easy days, not the hard ones.
Day 3
Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 5 km
Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 4 Rest
Day 5
Easy Aerobic Run Easy Run (Zone 2) 5 km
Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 6 Rest
Day 7 RACE
Coaching Notes
C
Compromised running is the whole skill. Running on legs pre-fatigued by a station feels nothing like a fresh run — the brick sessions are where you learn it. Pure runners who skip this overestimate their time by 10-15 minutes.
S
Run a full simulation before race day. The community's number-one readiness check — nothing predicts your finish better than the real 8-run, 8-station sequence.
R
Drill the standards in training. Wall balls below the line and full-depth lunges done fresh become no-reps under fatigue. Practise the standard, not just the movement.
1
Consistency over intensity. Three or four sessions you actually complete beat five you cannot recover from. Build the habit first.
2
Earn the bricks with a base. Compromised running is hard on fresh, unprepared legs — the aerobic base comes first, and a short runway means holding to easy work rather than forcing the hard stuff.
HYROX · 8 WEEKS · 50:50 RUN:STRENGTH · 5 SESSIONS/WK
HYROX Training Plan: Beginner, 8 Weeks
Beginner track New runner — building your first base
Training Schedule
Phase Base
W1
Easy run
5 km
~35 min
Squat
3×8 @RPE 7
~40 min
Rest
Easy run
5 km
~35 min
Stations
3 x 15 @4 kg
~35 min
Rest
Long run
8 km
~55 min
W2
Easy run
5 km
~35 min
Deadlift
3×6 @RPE 7
~40 min
Rest
Easy run
5 km
~35 min
Sleds
4 x 12.5 m @50 kg / walk back
~30 min
Rest
Long run
8 km
~55 min
Phase Build
W3
Easy run
5 km
~35 min
Power
3×6
~35 min
400s
6 x 400 m 5k / 90 s
~30 min
Rest
WB + lunge
5 x 20 @4 kg
~30 min
Rest
Long run
8 km
~55 min
W4
Easy run
5 km
~35 min
Strength
3×8
~45 min
Comp. run
4 x 600 m tempo
~35 min
Rest
Pull/grip
4 x 12.5 m @40 kg
~30 min
Rest
Long run
8 km
~55 min
Phase Peak
W5
Tempo
2 x 8 min tempo
~35 min
Squat
3×8 @RPE 7
~40 min
Roxzone
3× · 500 m race pace
~24 min
Rest
Erg power
4 x 250 m / 60 s
~28 min
Rest
Long run
8 km
~55 min
W6
Intervals
4 x 800 m 5k / 2 min jog
~35 min
Deadlift
3×6 @RPE 7
~40 min
Sled brick
2× · 400 m tempo
~18 min
Rest
Stations
3 x 15 @4 kg
~35 min
Rest
Long run
8 km
~55 min
Phase Simulation
W7
Easy run
5 km
~35 min
Power
3×6
~35 min
WB brick
3× · 600 m
~25 min
Rest
400s
6 x 400 m 5k / 90 s
~30 min
Rest
Full SIM
8 x 1000 m race pace
~95 min
Phase Race Week
W8
Easy run
5 km
~35 min
Recovery
3 km recovery
~30 min
Easy run
5 km
~35 min
Rest
Easy run
5 km
~35 min
Rest
RACE
C Practise running on tired legs
S Run a full sim first
R Drill standards so reps count
1 Consistency over intensity
2 Earn the bricks with a base
Rest Easy run Long run Tempo Intervals Strength Stations Compromised Sim / Race

FAQ

Can a runner do Hyrox without much gym experience?
Yes — that is exactly who this plan is for. Your running engine decides roughly half the race; the stations are a strength and skill gap you close with the strength and brick sessions here. The first Hyrox study (Brandt et al. 2025, n=11) found station performance is uncorrelated with running fitness, so the work is specific but learnable.
How many days a week is this Hyrox plan?
Around five to six sessions a week, with at least one full rest day and easy days built in for recovery. The exact mix depends on your track — the beginner plan has more rest, the strong-runner plan more strength.
Do I need a full gym for this plan?
You need access to the Hyrox stations or close equivalents — a sled, wall balls, sandbags, kettlebells, a SkiErg and a rower — plus a barbell for the strength days. Many sessions can be adapted with substitutions, but the closer to the real equipment, the better the transfer.
What is the difference between Open, Pro and Doubles?
The training is the same; only race-day loads differ. Open is the standard division, Pro uses heavier sleds, sandbags, lunges and a 9 kg wall ball (men), and Doubles uses the Open loads but you split the reps and distance with a partner. The load table on each plan shows your exact weights.
How long should a runner train for their first Hyrox?
If you already have a running base and some strength, eight to twelve weeks is enough to be ready. Building strength from scratch, give yourself sixteen weeks. Only four weeks out with a race already booked? The 4-week is a sharpen, not a build — it assumes you already train, and if you have never run a full simulation that is your signal to take a longer plan. Pick the runway you actually have.