Free Hyrox training plan for beginners
To get ready for your first Hyrox, train 3-4 days a week for at least 8 weeks, and this free DO IT plan sets out every session: two run-focused, one strength and one "compromised" session that mixes running with Hyrox stations. It needs no signup and assumes you can already run about 5 km without stopping and do basic gym movements.
If you can't run 5 km yet, spend 4-6 weeks building to that first, then start week 1.
What you're training for
A Hyrox race is 8 x 1 km runs. After each run you do one station, always in this order:
| # | Station | Distance or reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SkiErg | 1,000 m |
| 2 | Sled push | 50 m |
| 3 | Sled pull | 50 m |
| 4 | Burpee broad jumps | 80 m |
| 5 | Row | 1,000 m |
| 6 | Farmers carry | 200 m |
| 7 | Sandbag lunges | 100 m |
| 8 | Wall balls | 100 reps |
1
- Station
- SkiErg
- Distance or reps
- 1,000 m
2
- Station
- Sled push
- Distance or reps
- 50 m
3
- Station
- Sled pull
- Distance or reps
- 50 m
4
- Station
- Burpee broad jumps
- Distance or reps
- 80 m
5
- Station
- Row
- Distance or reps
- 1,000 m
6
- Station
- Farmers carry
- Distance or reps
- 200 m
7
- Station
- Sandbag lunges
- Distance or reps
- 100 m
8
- Station
- Wall balls
- Distance or reps
- 100 reps
Between run and station you pass through the Roxzone (transition area). Weights depend on your division; check the official HYROX rulebook for your category.
Running takes about half your race time or more, so running fitness matters most. In seven seasons of PRO and ELITE results (about 39,700 race records), running was about 50% of total time, and faster running accounted for most of the improvement in the top 100 times (Rappelt et al., 2026). In a small simulated open-division race with 11 recreational athletes, the runs took 51 of 86.5 minutes, close to 60% (Brandt et al., 2025). The stations punish weak legs and grip, and the real skill is running well on tired legs.
The weekly structure
| Day | Session | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Easy run | Aerobic base. Conversational pace. |
| 2 | Strength | Legs, pulling, grip, core. |
| 3 | Rest or walk | Recovery. |
| 4 | Intervals | Running at and slightly faster than race pace. |
| 5 | Rest | Recovery. |
| 6 | Compromised session | Run + stations back to back. |
| 7 | Rest or optional easy run/mobility | Recovery. |
1
- Session
- Easy run
- Purpose
- Aerobic base. Conversational pace.
2
- Session
- Strength
- Purpose
- Legs, pulling, grip, core.
3
- Session
- Rest or walk
- Purpose
- Recovery.
4
- Session
- Intervals
- Purpose
- Running at and slightly faster than race pace.
5
- Session
- Rest
- Purpose
- Recovery.
6
- Session
- Compromised session
- Purpose
- Run + stations back to back.
7
- Session
- Rest or optional easy run/mobility
- Purpose
- Recovery.
Three days a week works too: drop the easy run in weeks 1-4 and keep strength, intervals and the compromised session.
The 8-week plan
Weeks 1-2: Base
- Easy run: 25-30 min.
- Strength (3 rounds): goblet squat x10, walking lunges x10/leg, dumbbell or barbell row x10, farmers carry 40 m, plank 30-45 s.
- Intervals: 5 x 3 min at a "comfortably hard" pace, 2 min walk/jog between.
- Compromised: 3 rounds of 1 km run + 500 m row (or 500 m SkiErg) + 20 wall balls (or air squats with a press).
Weeks 3-4: Build
- Easy run: 30-35 min.
- Strength (4 rounds): add heavy sled push 4 x 20 m if your gym has one (no sled: push a treadmill with the motor off, holding the handles, as a fallback), and 10 burpee broad jumps.
- Intervals: 6 x 1 km at target race pace, 90 s rest. Use the Hyrox split calculator to find that pace from your target finish time.
- Compromised: 4 rounds of 1 km run + one station (rotate stations week to week), half race distance.
Week 5: Lighter week
- Same sessions, about 30% shorter. Let your body catch up.
Weeks 6-7: Race specific
- Easy run: 35-40 min.
- Strength: keep the main lifts; add sandbag or dumbbell walking lunges 4 x 25 m and wall balls 3 x 25.
- Intervals: 4 x 2 km at race pace, 2 min rest.
- Compromised: a half simulation. Runs 1-4 with stations 1-4 at full distance (or 5-8 in week 7), at race effort. Note your splits.
Week 8: Taper and race
- Cut volume by about half; keep a little intensity (for example 4 x 1 km at race pace early in the week).
- Last hard session 4-5 days before race day.
- Two days out: rest or 20 min easy.
How to progress without getting hurt
- Increase running volume gradually, and avoid big jumps. "Add 10% a week" is a common rule of thumb, but in a randomised trial of 532 novice runners a 10%-rule program didn't produce fewer injuries than a faster 8-week program (20.8% vs 20.3%; Buist et al., 2008). Big spikes are the bigger risk: in 874 novice runners, those who raised weekly distance by more than 30% had more overuse injuries such as runner's knee, IT band pain and shin splints (Nielsen et al., 2014). Build steadily and take a lighter week every 3-5 weeks (week 5 here).
- Learn the stations before you go heavy. Sled push and pull technique, wall-ball rhythm and rowing pacing all save more time than raw strength.
- Practise the transitions. Coming off a sled into a 1 km run is the feeling to train. That's what the compromised session is for.
- Sleep and eat enough. Most beginner stalls are recovery problems, not plan problems.
Pain that changes how you move, chest pain, dizziness or anything that doesn't feel like normal training fatigue means stop and see a professional. This plan is general information, not coaching or medical advice. If you have a medical condition, check with your doctor before starting.
Race day pacing
The most common beginner mistake is running the first 1-2 km too fast and paying for it at the sleds and wall balls. Pick a realistic target time, then use our free Hyrox split calculator to get a printable pace card for all eight runs, the Roxzone and every station. It's free, with no signup.
For hydration and sodium before and during the race, read How much sodium do you need during Hyrox?.
Running this plan with an app
You don't need an app for this plan. A notebook works. If you want one that tells you what to do each day, DO IT is a free workout app with 67 exercises, demo videos, rest timers and progress tracking. It doesn't build Hyrox simulations, so use it for the strength days and this page for the run and compromised sessions.
FAQ
How long does it take to train for Hyrox as a beginner?
If you can already run 5 km, 8-12 weeks of consistent training (3-4 sessions a week) is enough to finish comfortably. Starting from zero, add 4-6 weeks of base running first.
How many days a week should I train for Hyrox?
3-4 is enough for a first race. More isn't better if you can't recover from it.
Do I need a gym for Hyrox training?
For sled, SkiErg and rower practice, yes, at least once a week. Running and much of the strength work can be done anywhere.
What's the most important thing to train for Hyrox?
Running. The eight 1 km runs make up about 50-60% of finish time in published race analyses, and being able to run on tired legs decides most beginner results.
What's a compromised run?
Running straight after a station, on tired legs, as you will in the race. It's the most Hyrox-specific session you can do.
Is there a free Hyrox pace calculator?
Yes. The DO IT Hyrox split calculator gives splits for every run, station and Roxzone from a target finish time.
Is there a free HYROX training app?
Yes: DO IT is a free HYROX-adjacent training app with no subscription, giving you 67 exercises across 9 categories and 7 pre-built daily workouts to run alongside this plan's strength days. It doesn't generate Hyrox-specific runs or station work, so pair it with this page: use DO IT for the strength sessions and this plan for the running, intervals and compromised sessions.
Sources and notes
- Race format (8 x 1 km runs, 8 stations in fixed order): HYROX Singles rulebook (official PDF). Check the current rulebook for division weights.
- Running share of race time, PRO/ELITE: Rappelt L, Wiedenmann T, Held S, et al. Longitudinal performance development in PRO and ELITE HYROX competitions across the first seven competitive seasons. Frontiers in Physiology, 2026. doi:10.3389/fphys.2026.1847569
- Running share, recreational open division: Brandt T, Ebel C, Lebahn C, Schmidt A. Acute physiological responses and performance determinants in Hyrox, a new running-focused high intensity functional fitness trend. Frontiers in Physiology, 2025. doi:10.3389/fphys.2025.1519240. A simulated race with 11 athletes, so treat it as indicative.
- 10% rule: Buist I, et al. No effect of a graded training program on the number of running-related injuries in novice runners: a randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2008. doi:10.1177/0363546507307505
- Volume spikes: Nielsen RØ, et al. Excessive progression in weekly running distance and risk of running-related injuries. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 2014. doi:10.2519/jospt.2014.5164
- Pacing split (about half the race on runs, about 40% on stations, the rest in the Roxzone) is the model used by our split calculator; real races vary by division and venue.
Unofficial guide. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to HYROX. DO IT is a free workout app that also sells a creatine and electrolyte powder; you don't need it to follow this plan.