HYROX Machine Guide: Every Race and Training Machine Explained

Ask any HYROX athlete which station scares them most and the answer is almost always a machine. The SkiErg, the rowing machine, and the sled are the three pieces of equipment that separate a controlled race from a blown-up one. Unlike the running kilometers, these stations reward technique and pacing over raw effort, which means understanding the machines themselves is just as important as training on them.

This guide breaks down every HYROX machine you will see on race day, plus the training machines top athletes use to prepare, so you know exactly what to expect and how to build a setup around it. For the full gear breakdown including sandbags, kettlebells, and wall balls, see the HYROX training equipment list.

What Machines Are Used in HYROX?

HYROX races use four machines on the competition floor: the Concept2 SkiErg (Station 1), the sled for both push and pull (Stations 2 and 3), and the Concept2 RowErg (Station 5). Every one of these is standardized — the exact same equipment and monitor greet you whether you race in Chicago, London, or Cape Town, which is why practicing on the real machines matters more in HYROX than in almost any other race format.

Outside of race day, athletes train on a wider set of machines — the assault bike, Echo bike, BikeErg, curved treadmill, stair climber, and VersaClimber — to build the specific engines each race machine demands, even though none of these ever appear in competition.

HYROX race machines at a glance

Machine	Station	Distance	Resistance Type	Monitor
Concept2 SkiErg	1	1,000 m	Air resistance (flywheel + damper)	PM5
Sled Push	2	50 m (4 × 12.5 m shuttle)	Sled weight dragged across turf	None
Sled Pull	3	50 m (4 × 12.5 m shuttle)	Sled weight dragged across turf	None
Concept2 RowErg	5	1,000 m	Air resistance (flywheel + damper)	PM5

Both Concept2 ergometers run on the same PM5 performance monitor, preset to a damper setting of 6 for all divisions per the official HYROX rulebook. If you already train on a Concept2 SkiErg or RowErg at your gym, the display, damper feel, and pacing numbers on race day will be identical to what you already know.

Official HYROX Race Machines

These four are the only machines you will physically touch during a HYROX race. Everything else in the eight stations — wall balls, kettlebells, the sandbag, farmer’s carry handles — is loaded equipment rather than a machine, since it has no resistance mechanism of its own.

Concept2 SkiErg (Station 1)

The SkiErg is the first station of every HYROX race, arriving right off the opening 1 km run while your heart rate is already elevated. It’s a vertical, standing machine that mimics the double-pole motion of cross-country skiing, and the way you handle its opening meters sets the tone for the rest of the race.

Why HYROX Uses This Machine

The SkiErg tests full-body pulling power under cardiovascular load at the exact moment fatigue starts to compound. Because it’s standardized worldwide, it also gives HYROX a way to compare performance across every venue on identical equipment — something a bodyweight movement can’t offer.

How the Machine Works

The SkiErg uses the same flywheel-and-air-resistance system as a Concept2 rower, just turned vertical. Pulling the handles down spins a flywheel inside a housing; a spiral damper controls how much air enters that housing, which changes how quickly the flywheel decelerates between pulls. The PM5 monitor reads that deceleration to calculate pace, distance, and power output in real time.

SkiErg Race Specifications

Distance: 1,000 m (500 m per athlete in Doubles)
Damper: preset to 6 for all divisions, adjustable by the athlete at any point
Both feet must stay on the platform for the duration of the effort
A judge resets the monitor before the athlete starts

Difficulty Level

Moderate. The movement itself isn’t complex, but it’s easy to turn into an arm-only exercise that burns energy you’ll need later. Most athletes need several sessions before the hip-hinge pattern feels automatic.

Muscles Worked

Lats, triceps, and shoulders drive the pull, while the core (obliques and rectus abdominis) transfers force from a hip hinge rather than a squat. The glutes and hip flexors contribute through that hinge, and grip endurance becomes a factor over the full 1,000 m.

Common Beginner Mistakes

Squatting into every pull instead of hinging at the hips, which turns the SkiErg into a leg workout
Sprinting the first 200 m and fading hard by the halfway mark
Pulling with the arms alone and ignoring the lats and core
Standing too far from or too close to the machine, shortening the effective range of motion

Technique Tips

Hinge at the hips on every pull rather than bending the knees deeply
Initiate the drive with the lats and core, letting the arms finish the movement
Settle into a sustainable stroke rate rather than chasing your fastest possible split early
Keep the recovery relaxed so the next pull starts from a tall, athletic position

How to Master the SkiErg for HYROX · HYROX Training Equipment List

HYROX Sled Push (Station 2)

Overview

The sled push comes immediately after the SkiErg and is the station most first-time athletes fear. It combines heavy resistance with a technique demand that no amount of running or machine work fully prepares you for.

Why HYROX Uses This Machine

It’s a pure test of leg power and force production under fatigue, arriving early enough in the race that poor pacing on the SkiErg gets punished immediately. There’s no way to fake your way through a sled push with technique alone — it requires genuine lower-body strength.

Why HYROX Uses This Machine

How the Machine Works

A HYROX sled is a metal frame loaded with weight plates that sits on two runners. Athletes drive it forward by pushing against upright poles or handles, and the resistance comes almost entirely from friction between the sled’s runners and the competition turf — which is noticeably slower than a smooth gym floor, catching many athletes off guard on race day.

Sled Push Race Specifications

Distance is 50 m total, broken into four 12.5 m lengths, for every division. Total sled weight (including the sled itself) varies by division:

Division	Total Weight
Open Women	102 kg
Open Men / Pro Women	152 kg
Pro Men	202 kg

Doubles and Relay generally follow the Open standards for the athlete completing the station. HYROX updates weight standards periodically, so confirm the current numbers on the official HYROX rulebook before race day.

Difficulty Level

High. This is a strength-and-technique combination that surprises even strong athletes the first time they push on race-day turf instead of a gym floor.

Muscles Worked

Quads, glutes, and calves generate the drive, while the core and shoulders work isometrically to keep the arms locked and transfer force through the frame rather than absorbing it in the joints.

Common Beginner Mistakes

Standing too upright instead of taking a low, forward-leaning position
Taking short, choppy steps that stall momentum instead of continuous drive
Locking the knees out fully between steps, which kills power transfer
Stopping when the sled feels stuck rather than resetting the lean and driving through

Technique Tips

Take a low, forward lean with the hips underneath the shoulders
Lock the arms straight so force travels through the frame instead of the shoulders
Drive through the whole foot with short, powerful, continuous steps
Keep moving even at a reduced pace — stopping and restarting costs more time than slowing down

HYROX Sled Pull (Station 3)

Overview

The sled pull follows immediately after the push, using the same sled but a completely different movement pattern. Where the push tests raw leg power, the pull tests posterior-chain strength and grip endurance at the exact moment your arms and back are already tired.

Why HYROX Uses This Machine

It balances the pushing demand of the previous station with a pulling pattern, and it’s deliberately placed right after the push so athletes have to manage compounding fatigue rather than resting between the two sled efforts.

How the Machine Works

A rope is attached to the same weighted sled used for the push. The athlete leans back, walks backward using leg drive, and pulls the rope hand over hand to bring the sled toward them. Resistance still comes from turf friction under the sled’s weight, but the pulling angle shifts the load toward the back, hamstrings, and grip.

Sled Pull Race Specifications

Distance is 50 m total, broken into four 12.5 m lengths, matching the push. Total sled weight by division:

Division	Total Weight
Open Women	78 kg
Open Men / Pro Women	103 kg
Pro Men	153 kg

As with the push, confirm current weights on the official HYROX rulebook, since standards are reviewed each season.

Difficulty Level

High. Grip and lat fatigue tend to fail before the legs do, and coordinating a backward walk while maintaining rope tension takes real practice.

Muscles Worked

Hamstrings and glutes drive the backward walk, while the lats, rhomboids, and forearms handle the pulling and grip demand. The core stabilizes the leaned-back position throughout.

Common Beginner Mistakes

Pulling with the arms alone instead of driving the walk with the legs
Standing too upright rather than leaning back into the rope
Losing tension on the rope between pulls, which wastes distance and effort
Resetting hand position too slowly, breaking rhythm

Technique Tips

Lean back at a controlled angle before starting each pull
Drive the walk backward with the legs; let the arms finish the pull
Keep constant tension on the rope rather than pulling in jerky bursts
Keep the chest up to protect the lower back under load

Sled Pull Equipment Overview · HYROX Training Equipment List

Concept2 RowErg (Station 5)

Overview

The RowErg sits at the midpoint of the race, arriving after the sled push, sled pull, and burpee broad jumps. By this point most athletes’ legs are already fatigued, which makes the RowErg’s seated, full-body demand feel very different from the standing SkiErg.

Why HYROX Uses This Machine

Where the SkiErg leans on upper-body pulling with a hip-hinge assist, the RowErg shifts more of the load toward the legs and hips before the arms finish the stroke. Training only one of the two ergometers leaves a real gap at the other, which is exactly why HYROX includes both.

How the Machine Works

The RowErg uses the same flywheel and air-resistance system as the SkiErg, just in a seated, horizontal orientation. Driving the legs, then hips, then arms pulls a chain that spins the flywheel; the damper again controls airflow into the flywheel housing, and the PM5 monitor calculates pace from how quickly the flywheel decelerates between strokes.

RowErg Race Specifications

Distance: 1,000 m (500 m per athlete in Doubles)
Damper: preset to 6 for all divisions, adjustable by the athlete at any point
Feet must stay strapped in for the entire effort
A judge resets the monitor before the athlete starts, and confirms completion before the athlete leaves the seat

Difficulty Level

Moderate. The stroke sequence itself is simple to learn, but managing effort here — arriving with tired legs, mid-race — is a genuine pacing skill.

Muscles Worked

Quads, glutes, and hamstrings drive the stroke, the lats and rhomboids finish the pull, and the biceps and core assist throughout. Grip endurance also plays a role over the full 1,000 m.

Common Beginner Mistakes

Pulling with the arms and back before the legs finish driving
Rushing the recovery instead of controlling the slide back up the rail
Choosing a stroke rate that’s too high and burning energy needed for later stations
Spending too long adjusting foot straps before starting

Technique Tips

Sequence the drive as legs, then hips, then arms — and reverse that order on the recovery
Hold a stroke rate you can sustain for the full distance rather than sprinting early
Set foot straps snugly but quickly to avoid wasting time at the start
Keep the shoulders relaxed on the recovery to conserve energy for the stations ahead

How to Master the Row for HYROX · HYROX Training Equipment List