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The HYROX LAB Training Blueprint
Train Anywhere, Conquer Race Day
An Exclusive Guide to HYROX Training Using Everyday Gym Equipment
A NOTE FROM YOUR COACHes!
We've put this guide together for you because we know the biggest hurdle to crushing Hyrox for most athletes isn't the training itself … it's figuring out how to prepare when you don't have access to the official race-day equipment.
With this guide we're solving that problem SO many Hyrox Athletes face.
Inside, you'll find a breakdown of every HYROX station, explaining exactly what it tests and the best alternative exercises you can use to get stronger, faster, and more resilient.
We have personally selected these alternatives to ensure they work the muscles in the right way to prepare your body for the demands of race day.
Read it, use it in your training, and log your workouts.
Let's get you to that finish line.
Loz and Jonathan
The Hyrox Lab
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Train the Movement, Not the Machine
Our approach to your HYROX training is built on one core principle: the specific machine doesn't matter as much as the movement pattern it tests.
A sled is just a tool to test your ability to generate horizontal power. A SkiErg is a tool to test your full-body pulling endurance.
By understanding the fundamental challenge of each station, we can select exercises that build the exact strength, power, and endurance you need.
The goal of this program is to prepare you for "compromised running" which is the ability to maintain your running pace even when your muscles are screaming from the previous station.
Every workout we do will be designed with this in mind because this is how you build the engine to not just finish, but to finish strong.
THE STATIONS - SKIERG
Station 1: The SkiErg (1000m)
The race starts with a full-body cardio assault designed to tax your lungs, back, and grip right from the beginning.
What It's Really Testing:
  • Full-Body Power-Endurance: A unique test of your ability to generate explosive power from your hips and transfer it through your core and upper body, repeatedly.
  • Lactate Tolerance: Your ability to perform while your muscles are burning.
  • Core & Grip Stamina: The foundation for everything that follows.
Top Training Alternatives: On mobile? swipe left on the table
Coach's Tip:
The power for the SkiErg comes from a rhythmic whole-body "crunch," not from frantically pulling with your arms. Focus on the explosive hip drive in your kettlebell swings; this is what builds the engine you need for the ski.
THE STATIONS - SLED PUSH
Station 2: The Sled Push (50m)
This is a pure test of grit and lower-body strength. It's designed to burn out your legs with no opportunity for rest.
What It's Really Testing:
  • Concentric Leg Strength: You are only pushing the weight away (concentric), with no recovery phase from lowering it (eccentric).
  • Quad and Glute Endurance: A deep, unforgiving muscular burn.
  • Core Stability: Your ability to transfer power from your legs to the sled.
Top Training Alternatives: On mobile? swipe left on the table
Coach's Tip:
Stay low. Power is lost the moment you stand up tall. Whether you're doing lunges or a treadmill push, maintain a forward lean and a low hip position to keep the pressure on your quads and glutes.
THE STATIONS - SLED PULL
Station 3: The Sled Pull (50m)
After the push comes the pull. This station shifts the focus to your entire posterior chain - think back, glutes, and hamstrings - and challenges your grip strength like nothing else.
What It's Really Testing:
  • Total Body Pulling Strength: Using your entire back and leg structure to move a heavy, static weight.
  • Grip Endurance: The thick rope is designed to fatigue your hands quickly.
  • Postural Control: Maintaining a strong, stable back under a heavy pulling load.
Top Training Alternatives: On mobile? swipe left on the table
Coach's Tip:
The pull is a full-body movement. Anchor your feet firmly and think about driving with your legs and leaning back with your entire torso. Don't try to simply arm-wrestle the weight.
THE STATIONS - BURPEE BROAD JUMPS
Station 4: Burpee Broad Jumps (80m)
This station is a notorious test of full-body endurance and explosive power, designed to spike your heart rate and challenge you mentally when you're already fatigued.
What It's Really Testing:
  • Cardio Capacity: Your ability to work at a super high heart rate for a sustained period.
  • Explosive Leg Power: Requiring a powerful, horizontal jump, repeated dozens of times.
  • Full-Body Endurance: Every muscle is working, leaving you nowhere to hide.
Top Training Alternatives: On mobile? swipe left on the table
Coach's Tip:
Your focus on race day is efficiency. This means you should prioritize horizontal distance on your jumps, not vertical height. Don't waste energy jumping up when you need to be moving forward.
THE STATIONS - THE ROWER
Station 5: The Rower (1000m)
A classic test of your body's "engine." The rower demands full-body power, cardiovascular endurance, and, most importantly, smart pacing.
What It's Really Testing:
  • Full-Body Strength-Endurance: Using over 85% of your muscles in a single, coordinated movement.
  • Mental Discipline & Pacing: Your ability to find a hard but sustainable pace and not "fly and die."
  • Cardiovascular Engine: A pure test of your heart and lungs.
Top Training Alternatives: On mobile? swipe left on the table
Coach's Tip:
A rowing stroke is always Legs -> Core -> Arms. The power comes from a massive push with your legs. Your core transfers this power, and your arms finish the movement. Never pull early with your arms.
THE STATIONS - FARMER'S CARRY
Station 6: The Farmer's Carry (200m)
A really simple, but classic test of grip and core strength. This station challenges your grip, your core stability, and your will to keep moving while under a heavy load.
What It's Really Testing:
  • Grip Strength Endurance: This is the primary challenge. Your hands will be on fire.
  • Core and Upper Back Stability: Your entire torso need to work as one solid unit to stop you from wobbling and getting bent out of shape.
  • Postural Endurance: Your ability to maintain a strong, upright posture under load and fatigue.
Top Training Alternatives: On mobile? swipe left on the table
Coach's Tip:
Now this one is important, your posture is your armour. Before you even lift the weights, brace your core as if you're about to be punched, and pull your shoulder blades back and down. Hold this tension for the entire 200m.
THE STATIONS - SANDBAG LUNGE
Station 7: The Sandbag Lunge (100m)
A brutal test of lower body endurance and core strength, placed late in the race to challenge you when you are already running on fumes.
What It's Really Testing:
  • Anterior Core Strength: The front-loaded weight constantly tries to pull your chest down, forcing your core to work overtime (a perfect example of this is the lady in the the top left of the image.)
  • Single-Leg Strength & Endurance: 100 metres of lunges demands serious muscular endurance.
  • Mental Toughness: The will to keep lunging when every muscle is screaming.
Top Training Alternatives: On mobile? swipe left on the table
Coach's Tip:
Keep your chest up. The moment your shoulders round forward, you've lost the core engagement this exercise is designed to build. It is always better to use a lighter weight with perfect, upright posture so if you need to, go lighter and progress the weight.
THE STATIONS - WALL BALLS
Station 8: The Wall Balls (100 reps)
The grand finale. This is a test of full-body endurance, rhythm, your ability to stay 100% dialled in and entirely focused under extreme fatigue.
What It's Really Testing:
  • Fatigue Resistance: Combining a squat and a press for 100 reps when you have nothing left in the tank.
  • Rhythm and Pacing: Finding a sustainable rhythm is the key to avoiding burnout.
  • Accuracy Under Pressure: Hitting a 10-foot target when your body is shaking.
Top Training Alternatives: On mobile? swipe left on the table
Coach's Tip:
Use your legs to save your shoulders. The power to get the ball to the target comes from the explosive drive out of your squat. Think of it as "throwing" the ball with your legs, not "pressing" it with your arms.
THE X-FACTOR - THE RUN
The Heartbeat of HYROX: The Run
Never forget that HYROX is a running race. The 8km of running is what separates the field, and your success is determined by your ability to run well when you are tired.
Your Training Focus: Compromised Running
The most critical workouts involve compromised running. This means you will perform a station-focused strength block, and then immediately follow it with a run. This teaches your body to recover on the move and hold your pace even when your legs and lungs are burning.
Cant get a run in? here are some Cardio Alternatives: On mobile? swipe left on the table
STRUCTURING YOUR WORKOUTS
Your Training Plan
Here are three types of workouts you can look at incorporating into your program. This will help you develop the specific strength, endurance, and race-day stamina to smash it across the finish line.
Workout A: Strength Focus
This workout pairs a run with a single station alternative to build strength and practice compromised running.
Example:
  • Run 1km at a steady pace.
  • Complete 4 sets of 12 heavy Dumbbell Front Rack Lunges. Rest 90 seconds between sets.
  • Run 1km at a steady pace.
Workout B: Endurance Circuit
This workout combines 3-4 station alternatives to build muscular endurance and practice transitioning between movements.
Example: Complete 3 rounds of:
  • 500m Row (or 25/18 Calorie Air Bike)
  • 40m Heavy Farmer's Carry
  • 15 Medicine Ball Slams
  • Rest 2 minutes between rounds.
Workout C: Race Simulation
As we get closer to the event, we will do longer workouts that simulate a large portion of the race.
Example: Complete 1 round of:
  • Run 1km
  • 1000m SkiErg Alternative (e.g., 75 Kettlebell Swings)
  • Run 1km
  • 50m Sled Push Alternative (e.g., 50m Heavy Walking Lunges)
  • Run 1km
  • 50m Sled Pull Alternative (e.g., 50m Rope Pulls or 20 Heavy Bent-Over Rows)
PRINTABLE WORKOUT LOG
Your Workout Log
"What gets measured gets managed." Use this log for every session.
FINAL WORD & NEXT STEPS
Your Path Forward
This guide provides you with the "what" and the "why" of your HYROX training alternatives. The final ingredient is your consistency and effort.
You have the tools and the plan. Trust the process, execute each workout with focus, and log your progress. We know you have the dedication to not only cross that finish line but to do it with a performance you can be proud of.
Your Next Actions:
  1. Build out and review your training schedule for this week and identify what your focus will be throughout the week.
  1. If you haven't got one already, use the Workout Log for every single training session.
  1. GET AFTER IT!
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