What Is HYROX? A Beginner's Guide to the Fitness Race

If your gym has started clearing space for sled pushes and your friends keep talking about wall balls, HYROX has probably reached you. It looks intimidating from the outside, but the format is simple, and it was built for everyday gym-goers as well as elite athletes.

Here is how a race works, what the eight stations are, which division suits you, and how to start training.

HYROX at a Glance

How a Race Works

HYROX describes itself as fitness racing: you run 1km, complete one functional workout station, and repeat that eight times. Races are held indoors in large exhibition halls, so spectators can follow you from start to finish.

Because the format is the same across the globe, results feed global leaderboards and a World Championships at the end of each season.

The Eight Stations, in Order

Our guide to the 8 HYROX stations covers each one in more detail.

Which Division Suits You?

• Open: The standard HYROX. HYROX calls it a challenge, but an achievable one.
• Pro: Heavier weights for experienced racers. Men's Pro, for example, pushes a 202kg sled and carries a 30kg sandbag.
• Doubles: You and a partner run every kilometre together and split each workout station however you choose.
• Relay: A team of four splits the race, with each teammate completing two of the run-and-station legs.

HYROX's own advice is that its level questionnaire is only an indication: you can enter any division you like.

The hard part is not the 1km or the sled. It is the 1km straight after the sled.

How HYROX Differs from Other Fitness Classes

The stations are pushing, pulling, carrying, jumping, lunging and throwing, plus two rowing-style machines. There are no Olympic lifts or gymnastics skills to learn first. And because the distances, reps and weights are fixed, you know exactly what you are training for.

How to Start Training

Most first-timers find the stations manageable on their own. What catches them out is running a kilometre on legs that have just pushed a sled or done 100m of lunges. Build three things:

1. Your Running Base: Regular easy running, so 8km feels routine.
2. Station Strength: Lunges, sled work, carries and squats, so the loads do not empty your legs.
3. Running After Stations: Sessions that pair a station with a run straight after it, so you learn to settle into your stride while tired.

Our guide on how to train for HYROX has a sample week. To compare gyms and groups, see HYROX gyms and training clubs in Singapore. Ready to pick a race? Our guide to AIA HYROX Singapore 2026 has the details.

Start Your HYROX Training with STR Fitness Club on ATHLO+

STR Fitness Club's HYROX Complete ($200) is a 12-week plan combining station conditioning, strength and running. If you want to focus on one area, HYROX Build ($150) is a 12-week block built around station conditioning, strength or running. STR sends your plan as a PDF within 3 working days, and you can train wherever you like.