You already have the engine — a sub-3:30 marathon or sub-1:40 half — and you are new to the stations. Hyrox will not be won on the runs; it will be decided on the sled, the wall balls and the lunges.
This plan is deliberately 30% running, 70% strength and stations. You do not need more aerobic volume — you need load. We maintain your engine with two quality runs and a long run, and spend the rest building the strength that turns the heaviest stations from a wall into a station you can run between.
Sixteen weeks suits a true from-scratch build. Four base weeks, five build weeks, a three-week peak, two simulation weeks, then taper 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.
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 25/26. Training loads in the plan build up to these — you do not lift race weight from day one.
Training Schedule
WEEK 1Base
Day
Workout
Purpose
Day 1
Squat StrengthBack Squat 4×5 @75-80% 1RM · Walking Lunge 3×24 total @20 kg · Core 3 x 45 s plank + side
Heavy back squat plus loaded lunges. The leg strength that turns the sled and wall balls from a wall into a station.
Day 2
Easy Aerobic RunEasy Run (Zone 2) 7 km
Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 3
Station Skills CircuitWall Balls 4 x 20 @6 kg · Burpee Broad Jumps 4 x 10 · Sandbag Lunges 60 m @20 kg
Drill wall balls, burpees and lunges for clean reps. Standards (depth, full reps) are practised here, not on race day.
Day 4
Rest
Day 5
Compromised Sled BrickCompromised Run 800 m tempo · Sled Push 25 m @100 kg · Compromised Run 800 m tempo · Wall Balls 35 reps @6 kg
Run-sled-run-wall-balls without rest. The truest rehearsal of how Hyrox actually feels — pace the first run.
Day 6
Grip + CoreLoaded Carry / Grip 5 x 50 m farmers @24 kg · Core 4 rounds core
Loaded carries and core circuit. Cheap insurance against the grip and bracing failures that cost late-race time.
Day 7
Long RunEasy Run (Zone 2) 12 km
Steady aerobic distance. Your weekly endurance anchor — run by feel, not pace.
WEEK 2Base
Day
Workout
Purpose
Day 1
Deadlift StrengthDeadlift 4×5 @75-80% 1RM · Romanian Deadlift 3×8 · Loaded Carry / Grip 4 x 40 m farmers @24 kg
Posterior chain plus grip carries — directly arms the sled pull and farmers carry, the two stations that expose runners.
Day 2
Easy Aerobic RunEasy Run (Zone 2) 7 km
Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 3
Sled ConditioningSled Push 5 x 25 m @100 kg / 60 s · Sled Pull 5 x 25 m @75 kg
Push and pull intervals. Builds the specific leg and back endurance the two sleds demand.
Day 4
Rest
Day 5
Run + Wall Ball BrickCompromised Run 1000 m · Wall Balls 50 reps @6 kg
Alternating runs and wall balls. Teaches you to break the wall-ball set and keep moving on tired legs.
Day 6
Recovery + MobilityEasy Run (Zone 2) 4 km recovery · Core 20 min mobility flow
Very easy run and a mobility flow. Active recovery — you adapt on the easy days, not the hard ones.
Day 7
Long RunEasy Run (Zone 2) 12 km
Steady aerobic distance. Your weekly endurance anchor — run by feel, not pace.
WEEK 3Base
Day
Workout
Purpose
Day 1
Lower-Body PowerFront Squat 4×5 @70-75% 1RM · Sled Push 4 x 25 m @100 kg
Front squats paired with heavy sled pushes. Strength that transfers straight to the heaviest load of race day.
Day 2
Easy Aerobic RunEasy Run (Zone 2) 7 km
Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 3
Wall Ball + Lunge BlockWall Balls 5 x 30 @6 kg · Sandbag Lunges 4 x 25 m @20 kg
High-volume wall balls and loaded lunges — the back-end of the race, where runners lose the most time.
Day 4
Rest
Day 5
Run + Lunge BrickCompromised Run 1000 m · Sandbag Lunges 100 m @20 kg
Runs into loaded lunges. Rehearses the late-race quad burn that wrecks unprepared runners.
Day 6
Grip + CoreLoaded Carry / Grip 5 x 50 m farmers @24 kg · Core 4 rounds core
Loaded carries and core circuit. Cheap insurance against the grip and bracing failures that cost late-race time.
Day 7
Long RunEasy Run (Zone 2) 12 km
Steady aerobic distance. Your weekly endurance anchor — run by feel, not pace.
Squat, deadlift and core in one session. General strength base for runners with little lifting history.
Day 2
Lunge-to-Run SetCompromised Run 5 x 800 m tempo · Walking Lunge 30 reps (after each run)
Lunges before each run rep so you practise the signature skill: running on pre-fatigued legs.
Day 3
Wall Ball + Lunge BlockWall Balls 5 x 30 @6 kg · Sandbag Lunges 4 x 25 m @20 kg
High-volume wall balls and loaded lunges — the back-end of the race, where runners lose the most time.
Day 4
Run + Lunge BrickCompromised Run 1000 m · Sandbag Lunges 100 m @20 kg
Runs into loaded lunges. Rehearses the late-race quad burn that wrecks unprepared runners.
Day 5
Rest
Day 6
Easy Aerobic RunEasy Run (Zone 2) 7 km
Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 7
Long RunEasy Run (Zone 2) 12 km
Steady aerobic distance. Your weekly endurance anchor — run by feel, not pace.
WEEK 9Build
Day
Workout
Purpose
Day 1
Squat StrengthBack Squat 4×5 @75-80% 1RM · Walking Lunge 3×24 total @20 kg · Core 3 x 45 s plank + side
Heavy back squat plus loaded lunges. The leg strength that turns the sled and wall balls from a wall into a station.
Day 2
Tempo IntervalsTempo Run 3 x 10 min tempo
Threshold pace — comfortably hard. Raises the pace you can sustain once the legs are tired.
Day 3
Pull + Grip BlockSled Pull 5 x 25 m @75 kg · Farmers Carry 4 x 100 m @48 kg · Loaded Carry / Grip 3 x dead hang 40 s
Sled pull, farmers carry and dead hangs. Hardens the grip and upper back that fail first for pure runners.
Day 4
Run-Station PyramidCompromised Run 1000-1000-800-600 m · Burpee Broad Jumps 12 after each run reps
Descending runs with burpees between. Builds the transition fitness the Roxzone quietly eats.
Day 5
Rest
Day 6
Easy Aerobic RunEasy Run (Zone 2) 7 km
Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 7
Long RunEasy Run (Zone 2) 12 km
Steady aerobic distance. Your weekly endurance anchor — run by feel, not pace.
WEEK 10Peak
Day
Workout
Purpose
Day 1
Deadlift StrengthDeadlift 5×3 @82-88% 1RM · Romanian Deadlift 4×8 · Loaded Carry / Grip 4 x 50 m farmers @32 kg
Posterior chain plus grip carries — directly arms the sled pull and farmers carry, the two stations that expose runners.
Day 2
Roxzone TransitionsCompromised Run 1000 m race pace · SkiErg 1000 m · Row 1000 m
Race-pace run straight into the ergs. Trains the transition that runners overlook — the clock never stops in the Roxzone.
Day 3
Erg Power IntervalsSkiErg 6 x 500 m / 60 s · Row 6 x 500 m / 60 s
SkiErg and row intervals. Upper-body conditioning your runs never build — train it directly.
Day 4
Rest
Day 5
Station Block SimulationSkiErg 1000 m · Sled Push 50 m @152 kg · Sled Pull 50 m @103 kg · Farmers Carry 200 m @48 kg · Sandbag Lunges 100 m @20 kg · Wall Balls 100 reps @6 kg
All six loaded stations back to back, no runs. Stress-tests grip, legs and standards under accumulated fatigue.
Day 6
Easy Aerobic RunEasy Run (Zone 2) 8 km
Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 7
Long RunEasy Run (Zone 2) 16 km
Steady aerobic distance. Your weekly endurance anchor — run by feel, not pace.
WEEK 11Peak
Day
Workout
Purpose
Day 1
Lower-Body PowerFront Squat 5×4 @75-80% 1RM · Sled Push 4 x 25 m @125 kg
Front squats paired with heavy sled pushes. Strength that transfers straight to the heaviest load of race day.
Day 2
Compromised Sled BrickCompromised Run 1000 m tempo · Sled Push 50 m @125 kg · Compromised Run 1000 m tempo · Wall Balls 50 reps @6 kg
Run-sled-run-wall-balls without rest. The truest rehearsal of how Hyrox actually feels — pace the first run.
Day 3
Station Skills CircuitWall Balls 5 x 20 @6 kg · Burpee Broad Jumps 4 x 12 · Sandbag Lunges 100 m @20 kg
Drill wall balls, burpees and lunges for clean reps. Standards (depth, full reps) are practised here, not on race day.
Day 4
Rest
Day 5
Half SimulationCompromised Run 4 x 1000 m race pace · SkiErg 1000 m · Sled Push 50 m @125 kg · Burpee Broad Jumps 80 m · Wall Balls 100 reps @6 kg
Four runs and four stations at race effort. A manageable test of pacing and transitions before a full sim.
Day 6
Easy Aerobic RunEasy Run (Zone 2) 8 km
Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 7
Long RunEasy Run (Zone 2) 16 km
Steady aerobic distance. Your weekly endurance anchor — run by feel, not pace.
Squat, deadlift and core in one session. General strength base for runners with little lifting history.
Day 2
Run + Wall Ball BrickCompromised Run 1000 m · Wall Balls 75 reps @6 kg
Alternating runs and wall balls. Teaches you to break the wall-ball set and keep moving on tired legs.
Day 3
Sled ConditioningSled Push 6 x 25 m @125 kg / 45 s · Sled Pull 6 x 25 m @100 kg
Push and pull intervals. Builds the specific leg and back endurance the two sleds demand.
Day 4
Rest
Day 5
Station Block SimulationSkiErg 1000 m · Sled Push 50 m @152 kg · Sled Pull 50 m @103 kg · Farmers Carry 200 m @48 kg · Sandbag Lunges 100 m @20 kg · Wall Balls 100 reps @6 kg
All six loaded stations back to back, no runs. Stress-tests grip, legs and standards under accumulated fatigue.
Day 6
Easy Aerobic RunEasy Run (Zone 2) 8 km
Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 7
Long RunEasy Run (Zone 2) 16 km
Steady aerobic distance. Your weekly endurance anchor — run by feel, not pace.
WEEK 13Simulation
Day
Workout
Purpose
Day 1
Squat StrengthBack Squat 5×5 @80-85% 1RM · Walking Lunge 4×24 total @24 kg · Core 4 x 60 s loaded carry hold
Heavy back squat plus loaded lunges. The leg strength that turns the sled and wall balls from a wall into a station.
Day 2
Wall Ball + Lunge BlockWall Balls 5 x 40 @6 kg · Sandbag Lunges 4 x 25 m @30 kg
High-volume wall balls and loaded lunges — the back-end of the race, where runners lose the most time.
Day 3
Run + Lunge BrickCompromised Run 1000 m · Sandbag Lunges 100 m @30 kg
Runs into loaded lunges. Rehearses the late-race quad burn that wrecks unprepared runners.
Day 4
Rest
Day 5
Tempo IntervalsTempo Run 4 x 10 min tempo
Threshold pace — comfortably hard. Raises the pace you can sustain once the legs are tired.
Day 6
Grip + CoreLoaded Carry / Grip 6 x 50 m farmers @32 kg · Core 5 rounds weighted core
Loaded carries and core circuit. Cheap insurance against the grip and bracing failures that cost late-race time.
Day 7
Full Race SimulationCompromised Run 8 x 1000 m race pace
The complete 8-run, 8-station race. The community's number-one readiness check — nothing predicts your time better.
WEEK 14Simulation
Day
Workout
Purpose
Day 1
Deadlift StrengthDeadlift 5×3 @82-88% 1RM · Romanian Deadlift 4×8 · Loaded Carry / Grip 4 x 50 m farmers @32 kg
Posterior chain plus grip carries — directly arms the sled pull and farmers carry, the two stations that expose runners.
Day 2
Pull + Grip BlockSled Pull 6 x 25 m @103 kg · Farmers Carry 4 x 100 m @48 kg · Loaded Carry / Grip 4 x dead hang 45 s
Sled pull, farmers carry and dead hangs. Hardens the grip and upper back that fail first for pure runners.
Day 3
Run-Station PyramidCompromised Run 1000 m x 4 · Burpee Broad Jumps 15 after each run reps
Descending runs with burpees between. Builds the transition fitness the Roxzone quietly eats.
Day 4
Rest
Day 5
1 km IntervalsIntervals 6 x 1000 m 10k / 75 s jog
VO2max work at 5k-10k effort. Lifts the ceiling your compromised race runs sit under.
Day 6
Recovery + MobilityEasy Run (Zone 2) 5 km recovery · Core 20 min mobility flow
Very easy run and a mobility flow. Active recovery — you adapt on the easy days, not the hard ones.
Day 7
Full Race SimulationCompromised Run 8 x 1000 m race pace
The complete 8-run, 8-station race. The community's number-one readiness check — nothing predicts your time better.
WEEK 15Taper
Day
Workout
Purpose
Day 1
Lower-Body PowerFront Squat 4×5 @70-75% 1RM · Sled Push 4 x 25 m @100 kg
Front squats paired with heavy sled pushes. Strength that transfers straight to the heaviest load of race day.
Day 2
Erg Power IntervalsSkiErg 5 x 500 m / 75 s · Row 5 x 500 m / 75 s
SkiErg and row intervals. Upper-body conditioning your runs never build — train it directly.
Day 3
Easy Aerobic RunEasy Run (Zone 2) 7 km
Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 4
Rest
Day 5
400 m RepeatsIntervals 8 x 400 m 3k-5k / 75 s
Sharp speed at 3k-5k effort. Trains turnover and the ability to surge out of a station.
Day 6
Rest
Day 7
Roxzone TransitionsCompromised Run 1000 m race pace · SkiErg 500 m · Row 500 m
Race-pace run straight into the ergs. Trains the transition that runners overlook — the clock never stops in the Roxzone.
WEEK 16Race Week
Day
Workout
Purpose
Day 1
Easy Aerobic RunEasy Run (Zone 2) 7 km
Conversational Zone 2. Builds the aerobic base that decides roughly half of Hyrox — keep it genuinely easy.
Day 2
Station Skills CircuitWall Balls 4 x 20 @6 kg · Burpee Broad Jumps 4 x 10 · Sandbag Lunges 60 m @20 kg
Drill wall balls, burpees and lunges for clean reps. Standards (depth, full reps) are practised here, not on race day.
Day 3
Lunge-to-Run SetCompromised Run 5 x 800 m tempo · Walking Lunge 30 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
Easy Aerobic RunEasy Run (Zone 2) 7 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
Resist adding running volume. Your engine is built — extra easy miles will not lower your Hyrox time. The 70% strength bias is the point.
2
Get strong on the sled and wall balls. These are decided by leg strength and squat endurance, which respond fast for a runner who has never trained them.
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. The plans match those timelines — pick the runway you have.