The ski erg is station one, which makes it the most over-raced part of a Hyrox. You are fresh, the crowd is loud, and it is very easy to spend energy here that you desperately want at run five.
Technique
The pull comes from your hips and lats, not your triceps. Start tall with arms high, hinge at the hips and drive down, finishing with your hands past your thighs. Then stand back up and reset. It is a hinge, not a pulldown.
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Full extension at the top. Reach up and let the handles come high before starting the next stroke.
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Hinge hard. Your hips generate the power. Your arms just transmit it.
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Long strokes, not fast ones. A lower stroke rate with strong pulls beats frantic short chopping.
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Soft knees. Slight bend, but this is not a squat.
Pacing
Target something you could hold for 2000m even though you only have to do 1000m. If you finish the ski erg breathing hard and needing recovery, you have paced it wrong.
The cost of overcooking this station does not show up immediately. It shows up two runs later, which is precisely why people keep making the mistake.
Damper setting
Most people are best somewhere in the middle. Too high and it becomes a strength exercise that shreds your lats. Too low and you spin without moving the fan. If in doubt, mid-range and focus on stroke quality.
Why it matters more than it looks
The ski erg uses your lats and trunk heavily, and those same muscles are working during the sled pull two stations later. Fresh arms at the sled pull are worth more than 15 seconds saved here.
Training it
Intervals at race pace, ideally 4 x 500m with short recoveries, plus straight-arm lat pulldowns for the pulling pattern. If your gym has no ski erg, heavy rope pulls and lat work are reasonable substitutes.
Frequently asked
What is a good ski erg time? Around 4 minutes is strong for men, around 4:45 for women, but treat these as context rather than targets in a race you have to pace.
Should I go hard because it is early? No. This is the classic first-timer error.
Arms or legs? Hips. If your arms are burning, your technique is wrong.
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 Ski Erg: Technique and Pacing for the Opener
The ski erg is station one, which makes it the most over-raced part of a Hyrox. You are fresh, the crowd is loud, and it is very easy to spend energy here that you desperately want at run five.
Technique
The pull comes from your hips and lats, not your triceps. Start tall with arms high, hinge at the hips and drive down, finishing with your hands past your thighs. Then stand back up and reset. It is a hinge, not a pulldown.
Pacing
Target something you could hold for 2000m even though you only have to do 1000m. If you finish the ski erg breathing hard and needing recovery, you have paced it wrong.
The cost of overcooking this station does not show up immediately. It shows up two runs later, which is precisely why people keep making the mistake.
Damper setting
Most people are best somewhere in the middle. Too high and it becomes a strength exercise that shreds your lats. Too low and you spin without moving the fan. If in doubt, mid-range and focus on stroke quality.
Why it matters more than it looks
The ski erg uses your lats and trunk heavily, and those same muscles are working during the sled pull two stations later. Fresh arms at the sled pull are worth more than 15 seconds saved here.
Training it
Intervals at race pace, ideally 4 x 500m with short recoveries, plus straight-arm lat pulldowns for the pulling pattern. If your gym has no ski erg, heavy rope pulls and lat work are reasonable substitutes.
Frequently asked
What is a good ski erg time? Around 4 minutes is strong for men, around 4:45 for women, but treat these as context rather than targets in a race you have to pace.
Should I go hard because it is early? No. This is the classic first-timer error.
Arms or legs? Hips. If your arms are burning, your technique is wrong.
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.