Beginners at a commercial gym without race equipment
12-Week HYROX Training Plan for Your First Race Without a Sled
For gyms without a sled or SkiErg: incline walks, cable pulls and rows stand in. Your first hybrid race, start to finish line: steady runs, station technique, strength, then a full race simulation.
Download on theApp Store12 weeks · 4 days a week · Regular gym, no sled or SkiErg
- Length
- 12 weeks, 48 sessions
- Days a week
- 4
- Session length
- 40–75 min
- Level
- Beginner
- Equipment
- A regular gym with a rower, dumbbells, kettlebells, cables and a treadmill, no sled or SkiErg
- Race standard
- HYROX 2026/27 rulebook, Open division loads
What's in it
- Two runs, one strength day and one station day each week
- Long run builds from 5 km to 8 km
- Full race simulation two weeks before race day
- Incline walks, cable pulls and rows stand in for the sled and SkiErg
Week 1, in full
Every session of the first week, exactly as it appears in the app.
Mon
Easy Run
- Easy Run3 km · Relaxed and even · Zone 2 · 60–70% max HR · conversational paceIf you can't hold a conversation, slow down or walk briefly.
Tue
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
Thu
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 6:15–7:00 /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
Sat
Long Run
- Long Run5 km · The week's aerobic backbone; finish feeling you could go on · Zone 2 · 60–70% max HR · conversational paceFuel and hydrate as you would on race day.
The whole plan, by the numbers
48 sessions over 12 weeks, building to race day. Every session after week 1, with distances, sets, reps, loads and heart-rate zones, is in the Cheetah app.
- 23
- runs
- 11
- strength sessions
- 5
- station sessions
- 4
- compromised runs
- 2
- race simulations
- 2
- benchmark tests
- 2
- lighter recovery weeks
Why 12 weeks
12 weeks is the standard length for a first race: enough time to build your running and learn every station at race weight without rushing, with room for a deload or two.
What stands in for each station
This version is built for a regular gym with a rower, dumbbells, kettlebells, cables and a treadmill, no sled or SkiErg. Here is what it uses in place of each HYROX station.
| Station | Swap: a regular gym (no sled or skierg) |
|---|---|
| 1. SkiErg | Cable straight-arm pull-downs. Hinge at the hips and drive down, about 1 rep for every 12 m of SkiErg. |
| 2. Sled Push | Weighted incline walk. Treadmill at 12 to 15% incline in a 20 to 30 kg vest or backpack, driving the knees. About 2.4 s per metre of sled. |
| 3. Sled Pull | Heavy seated cable row. Heavy, about 4 reps for every 5 m of sled. |
| 4. Burpee Broad Jumps | Burpee broad jumps. No swap needed. Short on space? Do the same count as burpees plus broad jumps in place. |
| 5. Rowing | Rowing. Most regular gyms have a rower, so no swap. |
| 6. Farmers Carry | Dumbbell farmers carry. Race weight dumbbells if your gym has them, tall posture, quick steps. |
| 7. Sandbag Lunges | Walking lunges. Dumbbells or a sandbag, back knee touches every rep. |
| 8. Wall Balls | Wall balls. Use the race ball and scale the reps, not the weight. Most gyms have one. |
Races you can still make with 12 weeks
Start on the Monday shown and week 12 lands on race week. Later than that, pick a shorter plan.
| Race | Dates | Start this plan by |
|---|---|---|
| HYROX Manchester 2027 | Jan 20–31, 2027 | Mon, Nov 2, 2026 |
| HYROX Chicago 2027 | Feb 11–15, 2027 | Mon, Nov 23, 2026 |
| HYROX Phoenix 2027 | Feb 25–28, 2027 | Mon, Dec 7, 2026 |
| HYROX Glasgow 2027 | Mar 10–14, 2027 | Mon, Dec 21, 2026 |
| HYROX Las Vegas 2027 | Mar 12–14, 2027 | Mon, Dec 21, 2026 |
| HYROX Miami Beach 2027 | Mar 26–28, 2027 | Mon, Jan 4, 2027 |
| HYROX Houston 2027 | Apr 1–4, 2027 | Mon, Jan 11, 2027 |
| HYROX Ottawa 2027 | Apr 21–25, 2027 | Mon, Feb 1, 2027 |
Follow the 12-week plan in Cheetah
Every session written out, logged at race weights, with Apple Watch and heart-rate zones.
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