HYROX Station Techniques and Tips (5-8, Part 2)
BEFORE you compete in a race, make sure you are familiar with stations: this includes movement standards to avoid penalties, as well as the best techniques to reduce time, effort and fatigue. These techniques are applicable to all categories (single, double, relay), and to both training and the actual race.
4. Row, 1000m
TECHNIQUE:
Drive phase: hold the handles, keeping your core braced with a straight back, leaning forwards slightly, with your arms straight. Initiate with a leg drive back: when your legs reach half extension, open your hips so that when your legs are extended, you end up leaning back slightly, and finally pull with your arms to end with the handle just under the chest.
Think 60% power from leg drive, 25% from your core as you lean back, and the last 15% from your arms at the end to finish, in that order.
Recovery phase: think of this as the slow reverse of the drive phase - arms straighten, hip closes, legs bend until your shins are almost vertical.
TIPS:
Think of your body position as leaning between 10 and 2 on a clock face. Don't overlean as it puts too much tension on your abs and lower back.
Exhale on the way back, and take a relaxed inhale on the way forward; you can take an extra breath here if you need it.
Damper setting: as for the ski erg, this is preset to 5 for women, 6 for men / women pro, 7 for men pro. You are allowed to change this at any time. If you're a bigger or more powerful athlete, go for 7-8; if you're a smaller or more aerobically-fit athlete, go for 5-6. Try out what works best for you in training. If it's too light, you're not stable at the end of a powerful stroke; if it's too heavy, you run out of energy quickly.
Strokes per minute: you should be in the range of 20-30 SPM. More powerful athletes should be at the lower end; smaller athletes can be near the higher end.
Mistakes to avoid: knees bending before your body has fully moved back (make sure you are fully extended); overreaching or overleaning; pulling handles above your chest (make sure you pull in a straight line).
6. Farmers Carry, 200m
TECHNIQUE:
Grab the kettlebells from just outside the station arch, and walk/run as fast as you can with the kettlebells down by your side. Engage your core, lock your lats and pull your shoulders down to reduce bouncing of kettlebells - this will reduce fatigue from the kettlebells bouncing and pulling on your traps. Return the kettlebells to the same area.
TIPS:
Chalk your hands before picking up the kettlebells - this is pretty essential as the handles get slippery.
Move as fast as you can: the longer you hold the kettlebells, the more your arms, core and traps fatigue. If you drop the kettlebells, count one or two breaths max before going again.
Grab the front corner of the handles (the curved part) so that they hook around your hand: this gives more support than the centre of the handles (straight part), so you have to squeeze less.
7. Sandbag Lunges, 100m
TECHNIQUE:
Either sling the sandbag around your shoulders, or shoulder press it above your head from your chest to your shoulders. You can hold onto any of the handles or the sandbag itself.
Start with both feet behind the line and lunge forward with alternating legs, making sure your knees touch the ground. Either step through directly to the next lunge, or take a step at the top (a pause with two feet together). Your last lunge has one foot over the finish line.
You can stay upright (more quad-intensive) or lean forward (more glute-intensive). Keep your core tight and keep breathing to flush out lactic acid in your legs.
TIPS:
The last two stations are leg-intensive, so stay mentally engaged [tips on mindset here: HYROX Race Mindset]. Set small, achievable goals for yourself, take a deep breath while standing up as a short pause, and go again.
Try out both longer strides (more glute intensive, requires more power) and shorter strides (more quad-intensive, requires less power, but you will need to do more reps) in training.
Don't get penalised:
Make sure your knees touch the ground.
Fully extend your hips at the top.
Don't take steps in between.
Don't put the sandbag down.
8. Wall Balls, 100 reps
TECHNIQUE:
From a standing position, pick the ball up. The movement starts with a full squat (your hips must be in line with or below the knees), holding the ball in front of you. Then drive through your feet and hips to stand up, pushing the ball up to bounce the ball off the target (9 ft for women, 10 ft for men). Catch the ball with your palms under the ball, fingers on the side of the ball, and repeat the movement.
You can keep your arms up or open them to the side to relax your shoulders while the ball is touching the target.
Keep the ball close to your body, resting it between your palms and your chin - this reduces fatigue on your shoulders and arms.
TIPS:
Focus on breathing: inhale when you receive, brace when you squat, and exhale when you throw the ball.
Squat while you receive the ball, not afterwards, so that it is a smooth motion.
Set small targets to avoid going to failure. It's better to do sets of 10, than get to failure with a bigger set and then struggle to do more than 4-5 reps at a time after that.
When you take a break, stay next to the ball and take three to five deep breaths, and then go again. Stay focused - the finish line is almost there!
If you need more help, reach out to me for online coaching or get in contact for more information:
