One hundred metres of walking lunges with a sandbag on your shoulders, arriving at station seven when your quads are already destroyed by two sleds and six kilometres. This is the station that ends more first Hyrox races than any other.
The standards
Bag across the shoulders or upper back, back knee making contact with the floor on every rep. Open women carry 10kg, Open men and Pro women 20kg, Pro men 30kg. The knee touch is judged, and it is easy to get lazy with it when tired.
Carrying the bag
Across the top of your shoulders and upper traps, not the back of your neck. Hold it in place with both hands and keep it tight to your body. A bag that slides forward drags your chest down and turns every lunge into a good morning.
Some people prefer it slightly off to one side. Fine, as long as it is stable, but practise it beforehand rather than experimenting mid-race.
Technique
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Short steps. Long lunges look impressive and cost far more. Step just far enough to get the back knee down.
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Stay upright. Chest up, weight through the front heel.
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Touch, do not crash. Control the back knee to the floor. Dropping onto it hurts and wastes energy.
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Breathe on a rhythm. One breath per lunge, no breath-holding.
Break strategy
Plan breaks at fixed distances, typically every 20 or 25 metres, and take them before you need them. Standing up under the bag for five seconds is cheap. Putting the bag down and picking it up again is expensive, and getting it back onto your shoulders when you are exhausted is genuinely hard.
Training it
Weighted walking lunges are the obvious answer, but the specific thing to practise is lunging with a bag on your shoulders. Dumbbells at your sides are a completely different position: the bag compresses your breathing and shifts your balance forward.
Do them at the end of a session when your legs are already tired. That is when the technique problems appear.
Where kit matters
This is the station where a poorly fitting waistband gets found out. Repeated deep flexion under load is exactly what makes lightweight shorts travel. A heavier knit that holds its shape is the difference between focusing on the lunges and constantly hitching your kit up.
Frequently asked
Can I put the bag down? Yes, but only in the designated way at your event, and it costs more than a standing break.
Do the knees need to touch every rep? Yes, and judges do watch.
Should I use a pad on my shoulders? No, you race with what is provided.
Racing soon? Our compression tights for Hyrox use 15-20 mmHg graduated compression in a 225 GSM knit built to hold shape through sled and sandbag work, and our compression race socks run at 25-30 mmHg. Free UK delivery over £50.
Hyrox Sandbag Lunges: The Station That Breaks People
One hundred metres of walking lunges with a sandbag on your shoulders, arriving at station seven when your quads are already destroyed by two sleds and six kilometres. This is the station that ends more first Hyrox races than any other.
The standards
Bag across the shoulders or upper back, back knee making contact with the floor on every rep. Open women carry 10kg, Open men and Pro women 20kg, Pro men 30kg. The knee touch is judged, and it is easy to get lazy with it when tired.
Carrying the bag
Across the top of your shoulders and upper traps, not the back of your neck. Hold it in place with both hands and keep it tight to your body. A bag that slides forward drags your chest down and turns every lunge into a good morning.
Some people prefer it slightly off to one side. Fine, as long as it is stable, but practise it beforehand rather than experimenting mid-race.
Technique
Break strategy
Plan breaks at fixed distances, typically every 20 or 25 metres, and take them before you need them. Standing up under the bag for five seconds is cheap. Putting the bag down and picking it up again is expensive, and getting it back onto your shoulders when you are exhausted is genuinely hard.
Training it
Weighted walking lunges are the obvious answer, but the specific thing to practise is lunging with a bag on your shoulders. Dumbbells at your sides are a completely different position: the bag compresses your breathing and shifts your balance forward.
Do them at the end of a session when your legs are already tired. That is when the technique problems appear.
Where kit matters
This is the station where a poorly fitting waistband gets found out. Repeated deep flexion under load is exactly what makes lightweight shorts travel. A heavier knit that holds its shape is the difference between focusing on the lunges and constantly hitching your kit up.
Frequently asked
Can I put the bag down? Yes, but only in the designated way at your event, and it costs more than a standing break.
Do the knees need to touch every rep? Yes, and judges do watch.
Should I use a pad on my shoulders? No, you race with what is provided.
Racing soon? Our compression tights for Hyrox use 15-20 mmHg graduated compression in a 225 GSM knit built to hold shape through sled and sandbag work, and our compression race socks run at 25-30 mmHg. Free UK delivery over £50.