Workout station number seven in a HYROX race is a burner! By the time you reach the HYROX Sandbag Lunges the end is almost in sight. You have run seven kilometers and completed six fatigue-inducing workout stations. Just 100 meters of burning thighs and you will enter the final kilometer of the running.
First off, let’s go over the rules (page 24). Follow these to complete the Sandbag Lunges successfully and with no penalties.
- It is your responsibility to select the correct weight for your race. Bags will be placed next to each other in a pickup zone.
- This station begins and ends when you pick up and return the sandbag from the marked area next to the start/finish line.
- You must lift the sandbag without assistance and it must stay on your shoulders for the duration of the station, including in areas designed for turning around.
- Both feet must be behind the line before beginning the first lunge.
- During each lunge the knee of your trailing leg must touch the ground.
- Each repetition ends with the racer standing tall with knees and hips fully extended.
- Lunges must be alternating with a different knee touching the ground in each repetition.
- You can lunge continuously, or you can stop between lunges with both feet parallel to each other.
- No steps or shuffles are allowed between reps.
- Your front foot must completely cross the line at the end of each lane, and at the finish line.
- You don’t need to lunge in any turning points (these are clearly marked with judges to guide you), but you don’t need to start the next lane once more with both feet behind the line.
- You must return your sandbag to the marked area at the end of this station. Only then are the Sandbag Lunges complete.
This is a strictly-judged movement in HYROX and judges can assess the following penalties:
- If you select the wrong weight you must complete the entire station again with the correct weight or you will be disqualified.
- The sandbag must remain on your shoulders throughout. If you drop it once you will receive a 15-second penalty. If you drop it a second time you will be disqualified.
- If you don’t return the sandbag to the correct area you will receive a 30-second penalty.
- Any other infringements (eg taking a step between lunges) will result in a formal warning. A second infringement will receive a 15-second penalty.
See the table below for the right weight for your category.
| Distance | 100 meters |
| Women | 10kg |
| Pro Women and Open Men | 20kg |
| Pro Men | 30kg |
What makes HYROX Sandbag Lunges hard?
Sandbag lunges are notoriously tough in a HYROX race. They combine unusual load distribution, instability, and cumulative fatigue from earlier race stations. Personally, in my first HYROX race I really struggled at this station. I needed more than 7 minutes to complete it and it was actually my grip that almost failed – something I had not prepared for. Let’s look at why they are so difficult.
- The sandbag requires constant core engagement
Having the sandbag sitting high across your shoulders shifts your center of gravity. In addition, the sandbag is not fixed in place, like a barbell. It moves with you. This means you are constantly making small adjustments to keep your balance and maintain motion.
Over 100 meters this extra strain builds up, particularly given the sandbag lunges come as the seventh station in the race, and you are no doubt already tired.
- The single leg movement pattern
As a unilateral exercise, each leg must support and stabilize your whole body, plus the sandbag. This sets your lower body on fire! Your glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves and hip stabilizers will all be working hard.
- Cardio and strength
Hyrox is about creating sustained power under fatigue. The sandbags are a double whammy – heavy enough to be a test of strength, long enough to hammer your cardio.
- Mental test
By this stage in the race, it’s a grind. Even if you take a rest there is nowhere to put your sandbag so that weight keeps bearing down on you. The Sandbag Lunges are an awkward and unstable movement and can bring out vulnerabilities that you had not even thought of.
In my case it was my grip. Five of the first six workout stations in a HYROX (the exception being the Burpee Broad Jumps) put sustained tension through the forearms and hands. This creates a ‘pump’ and meant my grip endurance was surprisingly depleted by the time I got to the lunges.
Even though the sandbag was lying across my shoulders I was still holding it to keep it balanced and my forearms were screaming after 25 meters. In one way this was a nice distraction from the pain my legs were going through, but in hindsight this station had exposed a weakness that I now need to work on.
HYROX Sandbag Lunges Technique
The most important thing to ensure efficient lunges is to maintain a stacked position with your trailing leg directly under your hips. That means that when your knee touches the ground you should be able to draw a straight line from your knee, through your hips, core and shoulders to the sandbag. Doing this ensures the sandbag stays close to your centre of gravity, giving you more control of the bag.
To achieve this your steps should not be too long. Aim for precise steps forward to keep weight distributed evenly across both legs and to maintain your balance. Steps that are too large will place unnecessary strain on your lower back and legs.
A good way to maintain the desired form is to keep your eyes forward and core and chest vertical. If you struggle to keep in this position then you are probably overstriding.
Try to let the sandbag lie across your shoulders and let your arms relax. You will see some people not gripping the sandbag at all but most will need to support the bag with at least one hand. Giving your arms a break will only help when you get to the Wall Balls.
One last tip before we get into the different approaches to the lunges – keep each foot in line with each shoulder. That wider stance will make balance easier. As a unilateral exercise it is easy to end up with the leading leg directly in front of the trailing leg and that can make you wobbly.
Now let’s look at the two techniques racers use at this station:
- The faster but harder technique – swing-throughs
This technique allows for a more continuous motion as your back leg moves to lead leg without stopping in the middle. Just remember you still need to stand tall as your feet pass each other.
- The slower but easier technique – step by step
This is when you bring your feet together at the end of each lunge before going into the next one. Doing this allows you to pause in the standing position and can let you get your breath back and pace yourself.
HYROX Sandbag Lunges – Training
There really is no shortcut with this one. To get better at the lunges you’re going to need lots of reps. If you’re starting from a low base then just aim to do 100 meters of unweighted lunges for time to see where you’re at. Then you’ll need to add some resistance.
If you don’t have a sandbag handy then kettle bells, barbells, and dumbbells can all emulate the weight you’ll need to carry. Even a gallon of water in each hand would do!
Then you can start mixing running into your lunge sets with workouts like this:
100 meter lunges
200 meter run
75 meter lunges
400 meter run
50 meter lunges
600 meter run
25 meter lunges
800 meter run
Do it for time and next week try to beat that time!
HYROX Sandbag Lunges – Race Strategy
The Sandbag Lunges are a workout station with a wide distribution of results. Check out these results from Harry Thomson, the Men’s Pro race winner at the 2025 World Champs in Chicago:
He completed the lunges in a phenomenal 2:34. That meant he gained more than 2 minutes on the average competitor at this station.
Compare that with his performance in the SkiErg:
He finished in 3:49 (also very good) but only gained around 20 seconds on the average finisher.
Crushing the lunges won’t be enough to hit your goal or beat your competition on its own, but a poor performance here can really set you back.
HYROX Sandbag Lunges – Conclusion
I know from personal experience that the sandbag lunges can be hellish if you don’t prepare properly for them. Make sure you know the rules, get your technique right, and then build your weighted lunge endurance. A strong performance in this station and you’ve only got a run and the Wall Balls between you and the finish line.
