Guide · intermediate
Training without the kit
If your gym has no sled, SkiErg or wall ball target, you can still prepare. This guide covers what to swap in and what a swap cannot replace.
Most gyms do not have every piece of race equipment. You can adapt your training around that. The aim of a substitute is to train the same muscles and the same kind of effort, so that the real station feels familiar when you meet it.
Sensible swaps
| Station | If you do not have it | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| SkiErg | Rowing machine for the same distance, or banded straight-arm pulldowns alternated with ball slams | A hinging, pulling effort for the lats and trunk |
| Sled Push | Pushing a weight plate along turf or carpet, or a slow, steep treadmill walk after heavy goblet squats | Sustained leg drive under load |
| Sled Pull | Pulling a loaded plate or kettlebell towards you with a rope or towel, or heavy rows followed by walking backwards | Pulling strength and grip, then backwards steps |
| Rowing | SkiErg for the same distance, or the same time on a bike or air bike | A continuous whole-body effort |
| Farmers Carry | Dumbbells, a trap bar or two loaded bags | The grip and posture demand is the same |
| Sandbag Lunges | A dumbbell or kettlebell held at the chest, a barbell on the back, or a loaded backpack | Loaded walking lunges are the point, not the bag |
| Wall Balls | Dumbbell or kettlebell thrusters for the same reps | The same squat-to-press pattern |
Burpee broad jumps need only floor space.
What a swap cannot do
Substitutes build fitness. They do not teach the feel of the real thing. A sled on race carpet, the rhythm of a SkiErg and the accuracy of a wall ball throw are skills. If you can, visit a gym that has the equipment a few times before your race, and use those visits for the stations you have been replacing. Our guide to training for the sleds without a sled goes into more detail on the push and pull.
Let the planner do it
Tell the training planner what equipment you have. Every session that calls for something you are missing is rewritten with the swap from this table, and marked so you can see what changed.
Sources
- 01The Fitness Race: format, stations and weights, HYROX. Checked Invalid Date.
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