Station swaps

HYROX station substitutes

No sled, no SkiErg, or no gym at all? Here's what to do instead of each of the eight stations: the same swaps the Cheetah plans use.

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.

Station	Swap: home (dumbbells, a band, a backpack)
1. SkiErg	Band pull-downs. Band anchored high, hinge at the hips, about 1 rep for every 12 m.
2. Sled Push	Loaded push. Push a loaded box or bag across a hard floor, or walk a hill with a 10 to 25 kg backpack.
3. Sled Pull	Band rows. Heaviest band, fast and continuous, about 6 reps for every 5 m.
4. Burpee Broad Jumps	Burpee broad jumps. No swap needed. Short on space? Burpees plus broad jumps in place.
5. Rowing	Kettlebell swings. 12 to 24 kg, about 1 swing for every 16 m of rowing.
6. Farmers Carry	Farmers carry with dumbbells or water jugs. Heaviest pair you own. Short on space? Carry for 60 s per 50 m.
7. Sandbag Lunges	Backpack walking lunges. Backpack loaded to 10 to 20 kg. No space? Alternate in place, 1 rep per metre.
8. Wall Balls	Dumbbell thrusters. Light dumbbells, 4 to 8 kg, same rep count.

Station	Swap: nothing (no equipment at all)
1. SkiErg	Squat thrusts and high knees. Alternate 20 s of each, about 1 minute for every 250 m.
2. Sled Push	Hill or stair sprints. Hard uphill for the same time the sled would take, walk back down.
3. Sled Pull	Towel door rows. Towel looped round a solid door handle, lean back and row.
4. Burpee Broad Jumps	Burpee broad jumps. No swap needed. Short on space? Burpees plus broad jumps in place.
5. Rowing	Jump squats. About 1 rep for every 30 m of rowing.
6. Farmers Carry	Suitcase carry. Any two heavy bags. Short on space? Carry for 60 s per 50 m.
7. Sandbag Lunges	Walking lunges. Bodyweight, or a backpack if you have one. Back knee touches every rep.
8. Wall Balls	Squat to overhead reach. Full depth and fast, same rep count.

Making swaps work

Match the time, not the distance. A first-timer's sled push takes roughly 2.4 s per metre, so train a swap for about that long.
Run straight off the swap. Running on tired legs is the point of a station day.
Keep wall balls at race weight if you can. Scale the reps, not the ball.
Try a real sled once or twice before race day, at a HYROX-affiliated gym or a class drop-in.

Want the whole plan built around your equipment? See the regular gym plan, the home plan and the no-equipment plan.

Most Cheetah plans come in gym and home versions, with the swaps built in.