Sandbag lunges are deceptively simple: pick up a heavy bag, walk, and try not to quit.
But in the crucible of a HYROX race, they become the “Great Equalizer.” They occur at Station 7… just when your legs are screaming and your lungs are searching for air they can’t find.
Whether you’re chasing a sub-70-minute finish or just looking to build functional lower-body armor, the sandbag lunge is non-negotiable.
In this article, we’ll break down exactly how to do sandbag lunges with great form, how they benefit your body, how they fit into hybrid fitness and HYROX prep, and how you can build workouts around them so they’re less dreaded and more fun, effective, and transferable to race day.
What are Sandbag Lunges?
A sandbag lunge is a walking lunge performed while carrying a sandbag across your shoulders or upper back. The weight increases the demand on your legs, core, and upper body stability, turning a basic lunge into a full-body strength–endurance challenge.
In HYROX competitions, athletes perform 100 metres of sandbag lunges under strict standards: the sandbag must stay on your shoulders at all times, and the back knee must clearly touch the ground each step.
The Rules of Engagement for HYROX:
- The Weight: Men’s Pro/Open use 30kg/20kg; Women’s Pro/Open use 20kg/10kg.
- The Contact: Your trailing knee must clearly touch the ground. No “hover lunges” allowed.
- The Carry: The bag stays on the shoulders. If it slips to your neck or back, you’re looking at a “No Rep.”
How to Perform Sandbag Lunges Properly
Setup
- Place the sandbag evenly across your upper back, resting securely on your shoulders.
- Stand tall with feet about hip-width apart and chest up.
- Brace your core as if preparing to be hit in the stomach.
Execution
- Step forward with your right foot, landing heel first.
- Lower into a lunge until your back knee lightly grazes the floor or touches it.
- Push through the front heel to stand back up.
- Bring the back leg forward and repeat on the other side.
- Continue alternating as you cover your distance or reps.
Technique Cues
- Keep your torso tall and eyes facing forward.
- Don’t let the front knee drift past your toes.
- Step with control rather than sprawling for distance.
- Find a rhythm with breathing: inhale as you step forward, exhale as you drive up.
HYROX Training plan
If you’re new to HYROX, check out our new 12 week HYROX training plan for a structured plan to help you prepare for a HYROX event.
Sandbag Lunge Benefits
Powerful Leg Development
Because lunges are unilateral, they build strength in each leg independently, fixing imbalances that often limit athletic performance.
Core and Stability Gains
With weight on your shoulders and one foot forward at a time, your core must continually fire to keep your posture upright.
Functional Movement
Walking lunges replicate real-world motion patterns – think climbing stairs fully loaded or stepping down rough terrain.
Conditioning Under Load
In HYROX and hybrid workouts, sandbag lunges teach you how to stay efficient under fatigue and manage breathing during intense transitions.
Mental Toughness
A set of sandbag lunges feels long. The discomfort trains patience, rhythm, and the mental grit needed in long workouts or races.
Common Pitfalls (And How to Dodge Them)
| Mistake | The Result | The Fix |
| The “Short Step” | Knee shear and poor balance. | Aim for a 90-degree angle in both knees at the bottom. |
| Soft Core | “Snake-backing” or rounding the spine. | Brace your abs before you take the first step. |
| The Pavement Pounder | Bruised knees from slamming the floor. | Control the descent. “Kiss the floor, don’t break it.” |
How to Improve Sandbag Lunges
If sandbag lunges feel like they fall apart halfway through a set, you are not alone. They expose everything. Weak glutes. Poor pacing. Wobbly balance. Questionable life choices. The good news is they are highly trainable. Here are six ways to make yours stronger, smoother and far more race ready.
Master Your Setup First
Before you worry about speed or distance, lock in your starting position. The sandbag should sit securely across your upper back, not pulling you backwards. Stand tall, ribs stacked over hips, core braced.
If your setup is sloppy, every step becomes a fight. A stable starting position means less wasted energy and better transfer of force through the front heel when you drive up.
Shorten Your Stride Slightly
Many athletes overstride when fatigue hits. Big lunges look powerful, but they cost more energy and increase instability.
Instead, take controlled, repeatable steps. Aim for consistency over distance. A slightly shorter stride allows you to keep your torso upright and maintain rhythm, especially when covering longer distances like in HYROX.
Build Unilateral Strength Separately
If your sandbag lunges crumble, your single leg strength probably needs attention.
Add exercises like Bulgarian split squats, reverse lunges and single leg Romanian deadlifts into your training. These movements build the glutes and quads independently, ironing out imbalances that become obvious under load.
Stronger individual legs equal more stable lunges under fatigue.
Train Under Fatigue
Sandbag lunges rarely happen when you are fresh, especially in hybrid workouts. They usually follow running or high intensity stations.
Practice this. Pair lunges with 400 to 800 metre runs, sled pushes or rowing intervals. Learn how your breathing changes. Learn how to keep posture when your heart rate is high. This is where real progress happens.
Improve Your Core Endurance
Your legs may feel like the limiter, but your core is often the silent weak link. When your torso collapses forward, everything becomes harder.
Add loaded carries, front rack holds and plank variations. The goal is not just strength but endurance. You need to stay braced for minutes, not seconds.
Practice Pacing and Rhythm
The biggest mistake with sandbag lunges is going out too hard. The first 20 metres feel easy. The next 80 do not.
Find a sustainable cadence. Inhale as you step, exhale as you drive up. Keep your gaze fixed forward. Smooth and steady almost always beats aggressive and erratic.
Improve these six areas and your sandbag lunges stop feeling like punishment. They become a weapon.
Bottom Line
Sandbag lunges are one of those movements that reward patience. You cannot bluff your way through them. They demand strength in each leg, control through your core, and the ability to stay composed when your heart rate climbs.
The key is to treat them as a skill, not just a conditioning tool. Refine your setup. Dial in your stride length. Build single leg strength away from the movement itself. Then layer in fatigue and pacing so your technique holds when it matters most. Over time, what once felt unstable and exhausting starts to feel controlled and repeatable.
Do that consistently and sandbag lunges shift from being a weakness you dread to a strength you rely on.
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