One hundred wall balls, after 8km of running and seven stations. This is the last thing standing between you and the finish, and it is where more races fall apart than anywhere else.
The standards
Hips below the knee crease at the bottom, ball hitting the target at the top. Open women throw 4kg to 2.7m, Open men and Pro women throw 6kg, Pro men throw 9kg to 3.0m. Judges will no-rep a shallow squat, and a no-rep at rep 80 is soul-destroying.
Technique that saves your legs
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Use your legs, not your arms. The ball should be launched by hip and knee extension. Arms guide it. If your shoulders are burning before your quads, you are pressing it.
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Catch it high and ride it down. Receive the ball with soft arms above your head and let it travel with you into the squat. Catching low and heavy costs energy every rep.
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Stand close to the wall. Roughly an arm's length. Too far away and you are throwing forward instead of up.
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Breathe at the top. One breath per rep at full extension.
The pacing mistake everyone makes
Going unbroken until failure. It feels efficient and it is the slowest possible approach. You get 30 or 35 reps, blow up, and then grind out singles for eight minutes while your heart rate refuses to come down.
Plan your sets from rep one. Sets of 20 with ten seconds rest, or sets of 15 if you are struggling. Five sets of 20 with short breaks will beat unbroken-then-singles almost every time.
Practise the break pattern
Whatever pattern you intend to use, rehearse it in training when tired. Doing 100 wall balls fresh tells you very little. Do them after a run and a set of lunges and you will find out what is actually sustainable.
If you are getting no-repped
Almost always depth. Fatigue makes you cut the squat short without noticing. Exaggerate the depth deliberately in the last 30 reps, because what feels deep at rep 90 is usually not.
Frequently asked
Can I drop the ball between reps? Yes, but the reset costs time. Better to hold and breathe.
Does a wall ball technique differ from a thruster? Similar pattern, but the catch and the target height change the rhythm. Practise the actual movement.
What if my shoulders fail before my legs? You are arm-pressing. Get more leg drive into it.
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 Wall Balls: Technique, Standards and Pacing
One hundred wall balls, after 8km of running and seven stations. This is the last thing standing between you and the finish, and it is where more races fall apart than anywhere else.
The standards
Hips below the knee crease at the bottom, ball hitting the target at the top. Open women throw 4kg to 2.7m, Open men and Pro women throw 6kg, Pro men throw 9kg to 3.0m. Judges will no-rep a shallow squat, and a no-rep at rep 80 is soul-destroying.
Technique that saves your legs
The pacing mistake everyone makes
Going unbroken until failure. It feels efficient and it is the slowest possible approach. You get 30 or 35 reps, blow up, and then grind out singles for eight minutes while your heart rate refuses to come down.
Plan your sets from rep one. Sets of 20 with ten seconds rest, or sets of 15 if you are struggling. Five sets of 20 with short breaks will beat unbroken-then-singles almost every time.
Practise the break pattern
Whatever pattern you intend to use, rehearse it in training when tired. Doing 100 wall balls fresh tells you very little. Do them after a run and a set of lunges and you will find out what is actually sustainable.
If you are getting no-repped
Almost always depth. Fatigue makes you cut the squat short without noticing. Exaggerate the depth deliberately in the last 30 reps, because what feels deep at rep 90 is usually not.
Frequently asked
Can I drop the ball between reps? Yes, but the reset costs time. Better to hold and breathe.
Does a wall ball technique differ from a thruster? Similar pattern, but the catch and the target height change the rhythm. Practise the actual movement.
What if my shoulders fail before my legs? You are arm-pressing. Get more leg drive into it.
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.