Complete beginners who can't yet run 5 km
16-Week HYROX Training Plan for Complete Beginners
Couch to finish line. Starts with run/walk intervals and technique, ends with a full simulation. Your first hybrid race, start to finish line: steady runs, station technique, strength, then a full race simulation.
- Length
- 16 weeks, 64 sessions
- Days a week
- 4
- Session length
- 40–75 min
- Level
- Couch
- Equipment
- A gym with sleds, SkiErg, rower, kettlebells and wall balls (e.g. a HYROX-affiliated gym)
- Race standard
- HYROX 2026/27 rulebook, Open division loads
What's in it
- Run/walk intervals build to a continuous 6.5 km long run
- Full race simulation two weeks before race day
- A lighter deload week every 4th week so you recover
- Real sleds, SkiErg and wall balls at Open race loads
Week 1, in full
Every session of the first week, exactly as it appears in the app.
Run / Walk
- Run / WalkRun 1 min, walk 1 min, repeat for 20 min · Zone 2 · 60–70% max HR · conversational paceKeep every run segment conversational. Walking is part of the plan, not a failure.
Strength · Lower
- Warm-up8 min easy jog, bike or row, then leg swings, hip openers and 2 × 10 air squats
- Goblet Squat3 × 12 reps · Light · RPE 6 · 3–4 reps in reserve
- Romanian Deadlift3 × 12 reps · Light · RPE 6 · 3–4 reps in reserve
- Rest90 sec
- Walking Lunges (each leg)3 × 12 reps · Light · RPE 6 · 3–4 reps in reserve
- Step-Ups (each leg)3 × 12 reps · Light · RPE 6 · 3–4 reps in reserve
- Plank3 × 20 s
Benchmark Test
- Warm-up12 min easy jog, bike or row, then leg swings, hip openers and 2 × 10 air squats
- 1 km Time Trial1 km · Hard but controlled, about 8/10, not a sprint. Record the time · Zone 4 · 80–90% max HR · threshold, comfortably hardWalk for a few seconds if you need to; it's a starting point, not a race.
- Rest5 min
- Wall Balls50 reps, target 2.70 m (W) / 3.00 m (M); break into sets before you fail · 4 kg (W) · 6 kg (M)For time. Record it and your set breaks.
- Rest5 min
- 1 km Run1 km · Target pace 7:00–7:30 /km · Zone 4 · 80–90% max HR · threshold, comfortably hardCompare this km with the first, the gap is your compromised-running cost.
- Cool-down5–10 min easy walk or jog, then stretch calves, hips and upper back
Long Run / Walk
- Long Run / WalkRun 1 min, walk 1 min for 25 min · Zone 2 · 60–70% max HR · conversational paceSlower than you think. Time on feet is the goal, not pace.
The whole plan, by the numbers
64 sessions over 16 weeks, building to race day. Every session after week 1, with distances, sets, reps, loads and heart-rate zones, is in the Cheetah app.
- 29
- runs
- 15
- strength sessions
- 8
- station sessions
- 5
- compromised runs
- 4
- race simulations
- 2
- benchmark tests
- 3
- lighter recovery weeks
Why 16 weeks
Pick 16 weeks if you are newer to training or want a gentler build. The extra month means more easy running, more technique work before loads go up, and more recovery weeks.
The race loads this plan builds to
This version trains on the real equipment: sleds, SkiErg, rower and wall balls. Station days start light for technique and build to these loads before the race simulation.
| Station | Women (Open) | Men (Open) and Women Pro | Men Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| SkiErg, 1,000 m | No load | No load | No load |
| Sled Push, 50 m (4 × 12.5 m) | 102 kg (225 lb) | 152 kg (335 lb) | 202 kg (445 lb) |
| Sled Pull, 50 m (4 × 12.5 m) | 78 kg (172 lb) | 103 kg (227 lb) | 153 kg (337 lb) |
| Burpee Broad Jumps, 80 m | No load | No load | No load |
| Rowing, 1,000 m | No load | No load | No load |
| Farmers Carry, 200 m | 2 × 16 kg (2 × 35 lb) | 2 × 24 kg (2 × 53 lb) | 2 × 32 kg (2 × 71 lb) |
| Sandbag Lunges, 100 m | 10 kg (22 lb) | 20 kg (44 lb) | 30 kg (66 lb) |
| Wall Balls, 100 reps | 4 kg (9 lb) | 6 kg (13 lb) | 9 kg (20 lb) |
Races you can still make with 16 weeks
Start on the Monday shown and week 16 lands on race week. Later than that, pick a shorter plan.
| Race | Dates | Start this plan by |
|---|---|---|
| HYROX Chicago 2027 | Feb 11–15, 2027 | Mon, Oct 26, 2026 |
| HYROX Phoenix 2027 | Feb 25–28, 2027 | Mon, Nov 9, 2026 |
| HYROX Glasgow 2027 | Mar 10–14, 2027 | Mon, Nov 23, 2026 |
| HYROX Las Vegas 2027 | Mar 12–14, 2027 | Mon, Nov 23, 2026 |
| HYROX Miami Beach 2027 | Mar 26–28, 2027 | Mon, Dec 7, 2026 |
| HYROX Houston 2027 | Apr 1–4, 2027 | Mon, Dec 14, 2026 |
| HYROX Ottawa 2027 | Apr 21–25, 2027 | Mon, Jan 4, 2027 |
| HYROX Atlanta 2027 | Apr 23–25, 2027 | Mon, Jan 4, 2027 |
Follow the 16-week plan in Cheetah
Every session written out, logged at race weights, with Apple Watch and heart-rate zones.