Everything You Need to Know about The HYROX 1000 Meter Row

Welcome to workout station number 5, the HYROX 1000 meter row.

The 1,000 meter row comes after you have run 5 kilometers and completed the SkiErg, Sled Push, Sled Pull, and Burpee Broad Jump stations. You may well be feeling quite tired by the time you get to this station, but for many the row is a nice change from the raw strength and power required to get through stations two, three, and four. Plus you get to sit down!

Let’s examine how to approach the row on race day and how to prepare properly for this station in advance.

Firstly, here are the HYROX rules (page 17) to complete the 1000 Meter Row station successfully and with no penalties:

• When you approach the rowing machine the monitor must be (re)set by a referee before you begin.
• You must place your feet in the foot holders of the rowing machine before you take hold of the rowing machine.
• You cannot remove your feet from the foot holders until you have completed the workout.
• When you finish, raise an arm and a referee will confirm 1,000 meters have been covered. Do not leave the machine until the referee has given their confirmation.
• If any of these conditions are not met the Head Judge will issue a time penalty based on the violation.

Something else to keep in mind is that the damper setting will be preset as follows:

• Women: 5
• Women Pro and Men: 6
• Men Pro: 7

You can however change it before beginning the workout to match your preference.

What Makes the Rowing Station Difficult?

1. Fatigue

On its own rowing 1,000 meters is not a massive challenge. You could be pretty out-of-shape and cruise out a kilometer without too much bother. The challenge in a HYROX row is its position past the halfway point in the race. 

You will be tired at this station and once again you are tasked with an exercise that stresses both the aerobic (endurance) and anaerobic (strength) systems.

2. Technique

The row is a full-body movement that utilises your legs, core, upper body, and arms. To be efficient in the row requires proper technique and coordination from head to toe. If you are relatively new to the exercise that can place an added mental strain, especially if you feel under time pressure to keep up your pace.

3. It’s a real test of grip and forearm strength

Rowing requires a strong grip and activates the forearm muscles. The forearms can be neglected in general fitness training and given that they are a smaller muscle group they can quickly become fatigued when placed under stress. If you feel your forearms fading you also need to think about pacing yourself as the Farmer’s Carry station is still to come and you will definitely need your grip to work for that one.

You’ll notice in our training tips that we place emphasis on training our forearms and grip to be ready for this station.

HYROX 1000 Meter Row: Training

1. If you have access to a rowing machine

We keep it simple and rotate the following two workouts on the rowing machine to get ready for HYROX. Try to build your schedule so you can do both every seven days for at least two months before your race.

How far can you row?

Settle into the machine. Find a comfortable position for your feet and the right damper setting. Turn on a podcast and row for 30 minutes at a pace that feels fine for you. At the end of 30 minutes key stats to note down are how far you’ve rowed, your stroke rate per minute and your average 500 meter split.

Those will be your benchmarks for future workouts.

500 meter interval training

Do 500 meters at a light pace just to get your heart rate up and the blood flowing. Then do 500 meters at max effort. Do this for 20 minutes.

This is a great way to train your body to recover quickly while still exercising and to adapt to varied pacing, just like you will need in a HYROX.

2. If you don’t have access to a rowing machine

Given the amount of muscles used on the rowing machine almost any workout can have some benefit. Here are two that I like:

Forearms and grip

Hang from a pull up bar for 60 seconds or as long as you can. Tense your core to hold still and focus on your grip and the burn in your forearms.

After a 60-second break continue with a Farmer’s Carry. I like to do 30kgs for 60 seconds. 

Then take another 60 seconds and go back to hanging from the pull up bar. Do this 5 times.

Swimming

This is perhaps not an obvious one but swimming is a great alternative if you don’t have access to a rowing machine.

• It’s a full-body workout
• You have to focus on your breathing (I try to breathe like a swimmer in the row – see our tips for success below)
• Swimming well requires balance and core strength, two things you also need to row well
• It is both aerobic and anaerobic exercise

Any workout will be hugely dependent on your swimming ability but a favourite of mine is 8*100 meters on 2 minutes intervals.

HYROX 1000 Meter Row: Race Strategy

The HYROX row is one of the workout stations with low results variability. In this respect it is similar to the SkiErg. You can put a huge amount of effort in and finish as one of the fastest competitors in this workout, but you won’t gain that much time on the rest of the field.

Check out these results from HYROX London. The Men’s Pro race was won by Jamie George. Here is how he did in the row:

Clearly this is an excellent result but by finishing in 03:55 he only gained 90 seconds on people who finished in the bottom 3% in the row.

For comparison here is his result in the Burpee Broad Jumps:

Again, this is an excellent result, but here he gained around 5 minutes on the bottom 3% at this station. This is what people mean when they say you can’t win your race at the rowing machine but you can lose it. 

Go really hard at this station and you can gain seconds, but if you don’t have energy for the other stations and the running you will lose minute after minute. For that reason we like to pace ourselves at this station. Find what feels good but around 70-80% of your max effort should see you get a solid time and have plenty of energy left for the rest of the race.

One more thing to look out for, if you start to feel your grip fade, you might want to reduce your stroke rate slightly. The next workout station is the Farmer’s Carry and you will need your forearms for that one.

Our Tips for Success in the HYROX 1000 Meter Row

1. Breathe like a swimmer. By this we mean be very rhythmic in your breathing. Try to align your breath with your strokes so when you pull you breathe out, and when you release you take a deep breath in.
2. Your first stroke should be a big powerful pull to immediately get up to speed and start benefiting from the momentum of the rower. Once up to speed immediately settle into your stroke rate.
3. Everyone’s slide will vary slightly but we aim to go far enough forward that our shins are vertical and then pull all the way back until our legs are straight.
4. Make sure your feet are properly fastened before starting this workout. It’s worth taking a second to get this right so as not to interrupt yourself in any way during the row.

HYROX 1000 Meter Row: Conclusion

Rowing is a fantastic low-impact workout which tests both your cardiovascular endurance and your strength. In a HYROX we like the mantra, slow is smooth and smooth is fast. By no means does the rowing machine offer you a break, but it is a place to get into a rhythm and, if necessary, enjoy a bit of active recovery before you tackle the final parts of your race.