SkiErg
A standing cardio machine that mimics the double-pole action of cross-country skiing, driven by pulling two handles down from overhead. It opens every Hyrox® race, so pacing here sets the tone for the whole event.
A valid effort is complete once the monitor registers the full 1000 m; both feet must stay on the base plate throughout.
Station 1 of 8, raced after the opening 1 km run. Distance is 1000 m for every division with no added load, so the target is identical for Hyrox® Open men and women and Hyrox Pro men and women. In Doubles, partners split the 1000 m however they choose, swapping on and off the machine.
- 01Set your feet hip-width on the base plate and grip the handles high, arms nearly straight overhead.
- 02Hinge at the hips and drive the handles down by crunching through your torso, letting your arms follow.
- 03Finish each pull with hands passing the hips and a slight knee bend, squeezing the stroke out.
- 04Rise back to full extension in a smooth, controlled recovery, arms leading up to reset.
- 05Settle into a steady damper setting and stroke rate rather than sprinting the first 200 m.
- · Pulling with the arms only and ignoring the powerful hip hinge and core crunch.
- · Standing too upright so the stroke has no range and stalls on the monitor.
- · Ripping the first few hundred metres and blowing up before the sleds.
- · Letting the feet slide or lift off the base plate, which can draw a penalty.
- · Drop to shorter intervals (e.g. 4 x 250 m) and build volume toward the full 1000 m.
- · Lower the damper and focus on a longer, cleaner stroke before chasing speed.
- · Practise transitioning straight from a run into the SkiErg to train the leg-to-upper-body switch.
- · Substitute banded lat pull-downs or double-under skipping when no machine is available.
- · Because it comes first, hold back slightly and treat it as a warm-up you can breathe through.
- · Drive from the legs and hips to spare your arms for the sled pull and wall balls later.
- · Aim for a repeatable split you could hit again fresh, not a personal best.
HYROX® is a registered trademark of its owner; it is used here nominatively to describe the race and its stations. Sweatlas is not affiliated with or endorsed by HYROX®.