12 Week HYROX Training Plan for Beginners (with Printable PDF Version)

If you’ve signed up for HYROX, or you’re thinking about signing up, you’re probably feeling two things at once:

1. Excited.
   
2. Mildly concerned that sleds might ruin your life.
   

You’re not alone. HYROX looks intimidating on paper: eight 1 km runs broken up by eight stations that get progressively spicier.

But here’s the good news: with the right approach, you can build the engine, strength, and confidence to finish strong, and even enjoy the process.

This 12-week HYROX training plan is built specifically for beginners training three days per week. It respects your time, builds your capacity intelligently, and avoids the classic rookie mistakes like “doing too much sled work too soon” or “randomly sending it on wall balls after a long day at work.”

Let’s set the scene, break down what HYROX really demands from you, and then walk through a clean, progressive training plan that gets you ready without breaking you.

What You’re Actually Training For (HYROX in Plain English)

HYROX is beautifully simple on paper:

Run 1 km → Do a station → Repeat 8 times.

The stations go like this:

1. SkiErg
   
2. Sled push
   
3. Sled pull
   
4. Burpee broad jumps
   
5. Row
   
6. Farmer’s carry
   
7. Sandbag walking lunges
   
8. Wall balls
   

Translation: You need a reliable aerobic base, durable legs, a grip that doesn’t abandon you halfway through the farmer carry, and the ability to move well while tired.

But here’s the bigger truth: HYROX is about sustained effort, not hero moments. Everyone can push a heavy sled once. HYROX demands that you push it after running, before running again, and while remembering you still have burpees and wall balls later.

So instead of training for “max everything,” this plan focuses on:

• Repeatability (consistent effort over 60–90+ minutes)
  
• Compromised running (running after stations that make your legs feel like soup)
  
• Technique (ski/row efficiently, push the sled properly, wall-ball like an adult)
  
• Strength that transfers (hinge, squat, carry, core)
  
• Progression (light → moderate → heavy → race-ready)
  

This is a no-drama, no-ego plan. It’s designed so you finish your first HYROX saying:
“That was hard, but manageable. I’d actually do that again.”

Let’s get into it.

The Structure of This 12-Week Plan

You’ll train three days per week:

• Day A – Engine + Technique
  
• Day B – Strength & Sleds
  
• Day C – Race-Specific Bricks
  

Each 4-week phase has a purpose:

• Weeks 1–4: Base → Build your engine and learn the skills
  
• Weeks 5–8: Build → Increase volume and intensity
  
• Weeks 9–11: Peak/Specific → Simulations, race pace, and sharpening
  
• Week 12: Taper → Fresh legs, calm mind, confident body
  

Throughout the article you’ll find Coach’s Tips—those little details that make a big difference. Think of them as the friendly nudge from someone who cares enough to stop you from blowing up halfway through the sled push.

WEEKS 1–4: Building the Base (You’ll Thank Yourself Later)

The goal here is simple: get consistent, build good habits, and learn the HYROX movements without rushing load or speed.

Day A — Engine + Skill

Start with gentle intervals to build aerobic conditioning without frying yourself.

Week 1 sample:

• Run: 6 × 400 m @ comfortable pace
  
• SkiErg: 6 × 250 m (smooth technique, long strokes)
  

As the weeks progress, you’ll increase volume slightly—maybe 7×400 m, then 5×600 m, then 4×800 m. Don’t overthink it. What matters is consistency.

Coach’s Tip – Most beginners run too fast. You should finish every interval thinking, “I could do one more.” That’s how you build real engine.

Day B — Strength & Sleds (Technique First)

This is where beginners often go wrong. They either avoid the sled entirely (because it’s terrifying) or they load it with their entire life savings on Week 1.

Here we go lighter, smoother, more controlled.

Week 1 sample:

• Sled push: 6 × 15–20 m @ ~60% of manageable load
  
• Sled pull: 6 × 15–20 m @ ~60%
  
• Goblet squat: 3 × 10–12
  
• DB Romanian deadlift: 3 × 10–12
  
• Farmer hold: 3 × 30–40s
  

Week 2 will go heavier. Week 3 back to lighter and faster. Week 4 heavier again.

This alternating pattern keeps you fresh and builds strength without beating you up.

Coach’s Tip – If pushing the sled feels like a two-hour emotional journey, you’re pushing too heavy. You should move well before you move heavy.

Day C — Brick Work (Taste of HYROX Without the Trauma)

A “brick” is simply running → station → running → station.

Early on, keep it short:

Week 1 sample:
3 rounds:

• 600 m run
  
• 10 burpee broad jumps
  
• 300 m row
  
• 2–3 min walk
  

By Week 4 you’ll add more running, longer carries, and lighter wall balls.

Coach’s Tip – These early bricks teach you how your legs feel when you run after doing something spicy. Learning that sensation is one of the biggest competitive advantages in HYROX.

WEEKS 5–8: The Build Phase (More Volume, More Strength, More Confidence)

Now things start to feel more “real.” Not scary. Not overwhelming. Just a steady progression into becoming the person who finishes a HYROX with their dignity intact.

Day A — Pick Up the Pace

This is where race-pace intervals begin.

Week 5 sample:
5 × 1 km @ race effort (RPE 7–8)
Skill: burpee broad jumps 4 × 12–14 smooth reps

This pace should feel like:

• Controlled breathing
  
• Focused but not dying
  
• A pace you could maintain for a long time if needed
  

Weeks 6–8 cycle between race-pace 1 km efforts, 800 m repeats, and run–erg combos.

Day B — Strength & Sleds (Heavier Touches Start Here)

By now you understand the sled. You respect it. You no longer fear it. This is when we introduce heavier touches—not weekly —just strategically.

Week 6 sample (heavier):

• Sled push: 4 × 20 m @ 80–85%
  
• Sled pull: 4 × 20 m @ 80–85%
  
• Trap-bar deadlift: 5 × 3 (RPE 8)
  
• Split squat: 3 × 6/leg
  

Coach’s Tip – HYROX is not a sled-pushing competition—it’s a fatigue management competition. Move the sled with solid form, then recover like a pro before the next run.

Day C — Bricks With More Station Density

Now you’re practicing 2–3 stations per session.

Week 7 sample:
2 rounds:

• 1 km run
  
• 15 burpee broad jumps
  
• 500 m row
  
• 3 min walk
  

In Week 8, you’ll do a smooth “half simulation”: run + Ski, run + sled, run + sled, run + row. Very manageable, very helpful.

Mid-Cycle Benchmarking

At Week 8, repeat three tests:

• 1 km run time
  
• Max wall balls in 2 minutes
  
• Dead hang time
  

These tell you what’s improving and what still needs attention.

Coach’s Tip – Most beginners see grip jump the most after 8 weeks. Don’t be surprised if your dead hang improves by 20–40 seconds.

WEEKS 9–11: Peak Phase (Race-Specific Work & Simulations)

This is where training starts to feel like HYROX. You’ll practice pacing, station order, transitions, and mental strategy.

But don’t worry—we’re not doing full race efforts until later, and even then, never at 100%.

Day A — Race-Pace Emphasis

Week 9 sample:
4 × 1 km @ race pace
Wall balls: 5 × 12–15 @ race ball

You’ll keep sessions pretty short but very intentional. These are the workouts where your confidence grows.

Coach’s Tip – When in doubt, ease into your km pace. A steady km is always better than a fast km followed by regret.

Day B — Strength Lightens, Power Stays

We keep sleds and strength, but not as heavy.

Week 9 sample:

• Sled push: 4 × 20 m @ 75–80%
  
• Sled pull: 4 × 20 m @ 75–80%
  
• Trap-bar deadlift: 4 × 3
  
• Core work
  

The sled should feel “manageable but honest.” Save the legs for the simulation days.

Day C — Simulations

Here’s where the magic happens.

Week 9: ¾ simulation
Week 11: Full simulation (at 80–90% effort)

A typical ¾ simulation looks like:

• 1 km run → 1,000 m Ski
  
• 1 km run → moderate sled push
  
• 1 km run → moderate sled pull
  
• 1 km run → burpee broad jumps
  

This teaches you:

• Pacing
  
• Station cadence
  
• How your legs respond after each station
  
• What transitions feel like
  

By Week 11, you’ll run the full order at a controlled effort (not a race).

Coach’s Tip – Your simulation days should feel like “hard training,” not “my first attempt at death.” The goal is confidence, not collapse.

WEEK 12: Taper (Fresh Legs = Fast Legs)

Congratulations—you made it.

Now your only job is to not ruin it. That means:

• Reducing volume 40–60%
  
• Keeping short bursts at race pace
  
• Avoiding anything that makes you sore
  
• Sleeping more
  
• Eating well
  

Day A:
3 × 800 m @ race pace
Wall balls 3 × 10

Day B:
Light sled touches + mobility

Day C:
Mini-brick early in the week
2 days out = rest
1 day out = optional 20–30 min shakeout

Coach’s Tip – Nothing you do in the final five days will make you fitter—but you can harm your freshness. Less is more.

Extra Tips to Make HYROX Feel Easier

1. Master pacing early

HYROX rewards restraint. You don’t want to win the first kilometer and lose the last four.

2. Break wall balls before they break you.

Sets of 10–15 are king.

3. Keep your runs calm after hard stations.

Aim for controlled breathing before speed.

4. Get friendly with the SkiErg + Row.

Small technique fixes = big pacing gains.

5. Learn your sled rhythm.

Short steps. Upright torso. Push from the legs, not the arms.

6. Grip is your secret weapon.

Farmer holds, dead hangs, suitcase carries. Grip makes stations feel easier and keeps your running form relaxed.

Bottom Line

HYROX is one of those events where crossing the finish line feels genuinely emotional. Not because it’s the hardest thing in the world—but because it’s the kind of challenge that asks you to show up with consistency, humility, and effort.

This 12-week HYROX training plan is designed to give you all the tools you need to train smart, avoid burnout, and show up on race day feeling prepared—not panicked.

Stick to the sessions. Respect the recovery. Build the engine. Learn the stations. Enjoy the process.

And when you get to that final wall-ball station on race day, just remember—your legs are lying to you. You’ve done the work. You’ve got this.

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