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HYROX Guide · Ozwell Fitness

What Is HYROX? A Beginner's Guide to the Race

8 runs. 8 stations. One clock.

HYROX is the world's fastest-growing fitness race: you run 1 km, hit a functional workout station, and repeat — eight times, against the clock. This guide breaks down the format, the stations, who it's for, and how to train for your first race — including how we do it at Ozwell, an Official HYROX Training Club in Carmel, IN.

Start your $99 week HYROX at Ozwell
Athletes running a full HYROX race simulation on the Ozwell Fitness training floor in Carmel, Indiana

What is HYROX, exactly?

HYROX is a fitness race that pairs running with functional workout stations. The format never changes: you run 1 km, complete a workout station, and repeat — until you've done eight runs and eight stations, all against the clock. That adds up to roughly 8 km of running woven between eight stations, and because the stations are the same at every event worldwide, your finish time travels with you from race to race.

The eight stations, in race order:

  • 1,000 m SkiErg — a full-body pull on the ski ergometer
  • 50 m Sled Push — drive a weighted sled down the lane
  • 50 m Sled Pull — haul it back the other way, hand over hand
  • 80 m Burpee Broad Jumps — burpee, jump forward, repeat
  • 1,000 m Row — back on a machine to reset the legs
  • 200 m Farmers Carry — a heavy carry, one weight in each hand
  • 100 m Sandbag Lunges — walking lunges with a sandbag on your shoulders
  • 100 Wall Balls — the famous finisher: squat, throw, catch, repeat

There's a lane for every level, too. You can enter Pro or Open as a single, race Doubles with a partner — you split the station work but run every round together — or join a Relay team of four, where each teammate runs 2 × 1 km and takes two stations.

Is HYROX good for beginners?

Yes — arguably more than most fitness competitions. Every movement in the race is something you can learn and practice in a regular gym: pushing a sled, rowing, carrying, lunging, throwing a ball at a wall. There are no highly technical lifts to master, and the divisions exist precisely so first-timers and competitors can share the same start line. If you can train in a gym, you can train for HYROX.

Newer athletes usually start in the Open division, or split the work in Doubles or a Relay while they build fitness. The runs can be run, jogged, or a mix of both — the clock doesn't care how you get there.

How do you train for HYROX?

HYROX rewards a blend most gym-goers are already building, whether they know it or not: a running engine strong enough for 8 km in broken segments, plus the strength and conditioning to move through eight stations without falling apart. In practice, that means a weekly mix of runs, station skill work, and strength training — done consistently, not crammed into the month before a race.

At Ozwell, that mix is programmed for you. As an Official HYROX Training Club, we coach HYROX year-round — not just before a race — with coached HYROX classes built on race fundamentals as part of our 70+ weekly strength and HIIT classes. Coaches scale every movement to your level, first class or fifth race. Can't make a class? The week's HYROX workout is posted on the board — knock it out solo during open gym, 1–5 PM, Monday–Friday.

What is a HYROX simulation?

A simulation is a practice run of the full race format inside the gym — the best way to know what race day will feel like before you're standing in a start corral. We run the complete format on our floor as the Ozwell HYROX Simulation: eight stations, a 1 km run before each, every movement scaled to your level. Do it in class, or on your own time during open gym.

New to it? Start with a half simulation — four stations — and build up. Coaches scale weights and reps for everyone, first race to fifth.

How does Ozwell fit in?

Ozwell Fitness is an Official HYROX Training Club in Carmel, IN — minutes north of Indianapolis. HYROX classes are on the weekly schedule, full Ozwell HYROX Simulations run on our floor, and training here points somewhere: every year we pick a HYROX race and roll in deep — one gym, one crew, one start line. This year it's Nashville, December 10–13, with a dedicated prep block before the race and a whole weekend in Music City — athletes, partners, and fans included.

HYROX training is included with any Ozwell membership, and the $99 one-week trial gets you every class on the schedule — HYROX included.

HYROX FAQ

How much running is in a HYROX race?
Roughly 8 km total, broken into eight 1 km segments with a workout station after each. You never run more than 1 km at a time.
Do I need to be fit before I start HYROX training?
No — you have to start, not be ready. Classes and simulations at Ozwell are scaled for first-timers and sharpened for competitors, and beginners can start with a half simulation of four stations and build up.
Can I do HYROX with a partner or a team?
Yes. Doubles lets two athletes split the station work while running every round together, and a Relay team of four splits the full race — each teammate runs 2 × 1 km and takes two stations.
How can I try HYROX training at Ozwell?
Start the $99 one-week trial — unlimited access to every class on the schedule, HYROX included — or book a tour and see the floor where the simulations happen.

Train it. Simulate it. Race it.

The fastest way to find out if HYROX is for you is a week on the floor. Explore HYROX at Ozwell, read up on this year's Nashville race trip, or see membership options — HYROX training is included on every plan.

Start your $99 week HYROX at Ozwell

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