The easiest way to test your HYROX SkiErg pace is to get on the machine fresh and ski 1,000m. It gives you a useful benchmark, but it does not feel quite the same as reaching the station after the opening run with most of the race still ahead of you.
A useful training block needs both. You need enough fresh work to improve your pace and technique, then some practice holding them when your breathing is already up. I have kept this plan to two main SkiErg sessions each week so that it can sit alongside the running and strength work needed for the rest of HYROX.
It is aimed at a first-time or intermediate athlete who can already ski 1,000m continuously with a repeatable technique. Use the sessions in place of similar erg work in your current programme rather than adding them to an already full week.
Start with your own 1,000m pace
After a normal warm-up, ski 1,000m from fresh and record the average pace shown by the PM5 in minutes and seconds per 500m. If the full distance takes 4:20, the average split is 2:10/500m.
That average becomes your benchmark split for the distance sessions. It is more useful than a generic beginner or intermediate target because it starts from what you can currently produce on the machine.
Your HYROX split may be slower. The SkiErg is the first workout station, but you still reach it after running 1km. The week-three run-to-SkiErg session will give you a better idea of what you can hold in that position without turning every workout into a race simulation.
Concept2 uses benchmark pace in its own SkiErg World Sprints training plan. If the original split is clearly out of reach on a particular day, ease it enough to finish the session with a consistent movement rather than forcing the number and losing your technique.
The five-week plan
Warm up for at least five minutes before the core sessions. Start easily and include a few short increases in pace so that the first working interval is not doing the rest of your warm-up for you. Finish with at least five minutes of easy movement.
Hard in the table means a pace you can repeat across every interval without a large drop in the final efforts. Sustainable should feel conversational and stay easy enough that it does not interfere with the rest of your training.
| Week | First core session | Second core session | Optional session or race |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fresh 1,000m benchmark. Record the average 500m split. | 2 x 500m at benchmark split, with 3 minutes' rest. | 15 minutes sustainable. |
| 2 | 5 x 250m at benchmark split, with 60 seconds' rest. | 650m at benchmark split, 3 minutes' rest, then 500m at benchmark split. | 20 minutes sustainable. |
| 3 | 5 x 250m at benchmark split, with 40 seconds' rest. | Controlled 1km run straight into 1,000m SkiErg at intended race effort. | 15 minutes sustainable. |
| 4 | 800m at benchmark split, 3 minutes' rest, then 500m at benchmark split. | 10 x 30 seconds hard, 30 seconds easy. | 20-25 minutes sustainable. |
| 5 | 4 x 30 seconds hard, with 60 seconds easy between efforts. | 10 minutes easy, concentrating on technique. | Fresh 1,000m retest or race. |
The individual distances draw on Concept2's benchmark-led sprint plan. I have arranged them into a five-week HYROX block and added the run-to-SkiErg session, so this is not an official HYROX or Concept2 programme.
Fitting the sessions into the rest of your week
Two hard SkiErg sessions placed next to your hardest runs and strength days can quickly become more work than the table suggests. I would leave at least two clear days between the core sessions and treat the sustainable session as the first thing to remove when the wider week is already demanding.
One possible arrangement would be:
| Day | Training focus |
|---|---|
| Monday | Strength or normal HYROX programme |
| Tuesday | SkiErg core session one |
| Wednesday | Easy run or recovery |
| Thursday | Strength or normal HYROX programme |
| Friday | SkiErg core session two |
| Saturday | Wider HYROX training or recovery, depending on load |
| Sunday | Optional sustainable SkiErg session or rest |
You do not need to copy those days. The useful part is leaving enough space between the two core sessions.
Technique you can hold for the full station
A powerful first 200m is not much help if your arms are doing most of the work and your movement falls apart before the monitor reaches 1,000m.
Concept2's SkiErg technique guidance starts with the handles slightly above eye level and the elbows partly bent. Engage the core, hinge at the hips and bend the knees to a comfortable depth as your body weight helps bring the handles towards your hips. Stand and return the handles smoothly for the next pull.
I would keep an eye on five things as the sessions get harder:
- Start the pull with the trunk and hips, then let the arms finish it.
- Keep the elbows softly bent rather than locking the arms at the top.
- Bring the handles towards the pockets, not well below the waist.
- Use a knee bend you can repeat for 1,000m.
- Let the handles return to the same starting position without rushing them.
Reaching well behind the hips adds movement without necessarily adding useful work. A deep squat on every stroke also means lifting your body weight back out each time. The 250m sessions are a good place to notice either habit before fatigue makes it harder to change.
Test damper 6 before the race
The damper controls how much air reaches the flywheel and changes the feel of each pull. A larger number is not automatically faster. Concept2's getting started guidance recommends beginning between 3 and 5, then adjusting for the athlete and the work.
HYROX has its own starting point. The current Season 26/27 Singles Rulebook says the SkiErg damper is preset to 6 for every division, although you are allowed to change it during the station.
Use 6 for at least one of the longer sessions even if you normally prefer another setting. If you plan to change it at the event, practise doing that after the run so you already know the number and do not have to make the decision whilst out of breath.
Practise the first run into the SkiErg
The run in week three should feel like the opening kilometre of your HYROX race, not a standalone 1km time trial. Move straight to the SkiErg, adjust the damper if needed and settle onto the effort you intend to hold without chasing a quick split through the first 200m.
Record your average pace and how evenly you held it. If the split drops sharply, start a little more steadily next time. Concept2 gives the same warning in its HYROX SkiErg advice: going out too quickly here can make the work still to come much harder.
The current SkiErg station rules
The current singles rulebook sets out the following requirements:
- The SkiErg is the first workout station and covers 1,000m.
- A judge resets the monitor before you begin.
- The damper starts at 6, but you may adjust it.
- Both feet must stay on the SkiErg base. You can lift them, but they must land back on the base rather than the surrounding floor.
- Once the monitor reaches the distance, stay on the platform, raise an arm and wait for the judge to confirm completion.
Check the latest official rulebook before your event, as the movement standards and event rules can change between seasons.
Week five and your final 1,000m
The final week removes most of the volume. If your event is at the end of that week, use the race as your final 1,000m rather than completing another all-out test shortly beforehand.
If the race is still some way off, complete the fresh retest and record the new average 500m split. You can use that number to update the next block, but I would return to the wider programme rather than repeating the hardest weeks without accounting for everything else you are training.
If you are new to hard interval training, returning from injury or have a health condition affected by intense exercise, get appropriate professional advice before completing the benchmark. Stop if you feel pain, dizziness or anything beyond normal hard-exercise discomfort.
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