Sandbag Lunges is the seventh station in a HYROX event. You need to complete 100m of lunges in total.
You will have already run 7km and have completed 6 functional stations (SkiErg, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jumps, rowing and farmers carries). Following the sandbag lunges, you will have a 1km run and the wall balls station left to complete.
The sandbag lunges primarily target the glutes and thighs. At this late stage in the race, they can feel particularly brutal (as can running 1km straight afterwards!).
The sandbags used for the lunges in HYROX are produced by Centr.
Below is a video from HYROX outlining the exercise…
HYROX Sandbag Lunges Requirements ( weights and distance)
The sandbag lunges requirements, by category, in HYROX are as follows:
Women: 100m with a 10kg sandbag
Women Pro: 100m with a 20kg sandbag
Men: 100m with a 20kg sandbag
Men Pro: 100m with a 30kg sandbag
Mixed Doubles: 100m with a 20kg sandbag
Women Doubles: 100m with a 10kg sandbag
Men Doubles: 100m with a 20kg sandbag
Women Relay: 100m with a 10kg sandbag
Men Relay: 100m with a 20kg sandbag
Mixed Relay: Female members 100m with a 10kg sandbag / Male members 100m with a 20kg sandbag
HYROX Sandbag Lunges Standards
During each lunge, the rear knee MUST touch the ground and lunges must be carried out using alternate knees. You cannot take any steps in between repetitions; however, you may stop after each lunge with both feet on the ground if you prefer this to continuous lunges.
Any violations will receive a warning, and a second warning will result in a 5 second penalty.
The athlete’s foot must completely cross all white lines, including the turning points and finishing line.
The sandbag MUST always remain on both shoulders. If you put the sandbag down, you will incur a 5 second penalty. If you put the sandbag down a second time, you will be disqualified. This is worth appreciating; while the exercise is obviously extremely tough on the legs, it can also be quite tough on the arms / elbows, as its quite a lot of weight to be carrying for a period of time.
Doubles – The resting partner walks behind the working partner. If the walking partner obstructs other participants, the team will be issued with a 10m distance penalty.
For more information on the rules around the lunges, you can check the HYROX rulebook for your division.
Training for the HYROX Sandbag Lunges
Sandbag lunges are one of the most misunderstood stations in HYROX. They aren’t especially technical, but they demand a mix of leg strength, aerobic fitness, joint tolerance, pacing, and the ability to keep moving under fatigue (which can be high this late into the race).
Training them appropriately is important but also a balancing act. Too little work and it costs you significant time and energy in the race, but too much (or incorrect) work and it can wreck recovery and lead to joint issues. The best approach is steady, progressive exposure with the right supporting work around it.
Nail the Movement Standard Early
A lot of fatigue in the lunges during HYROX comes from inefficient reps (not to mention potential lost time from time penalties if applied) Key cues include ensuring back knee touches the floor every rep, you don’t drop the bag at all (which can require grip strength), your front foot stays planted / stable, and you stay tall through the torso (don’t fold forward). Efficiency may feel unimportant for a simple lunge, but over 100m it adds up.
Progress Volume Gradually
HYROX lunges are mostly a muscular endurance problem (as opposed to an issue of pure strength). You need to be able to repeat quality steps for a long time without your legs shutting down. Rather than jumping straight into full race-distance sets, build volume over weeks. Overdoing it can lead to injury risk but also can have an impact on the rest of your training – too many lunges one day, for example, might impact your ability to run the next).
Race Specificity
Fresh lunges and HYROX lunges are two completely different things. They come late, after sleds, carries, and plenty of running. Therefore, some practice of lunging when in a fatigued state will be important so it’s not a huge shock on race day.
It’s also likely worth mentioning at this point that you still need to run 1km AFTER completing the lunges. So, practice in training, during certain sessions, moving from running into lunges and back into running.
Regarding fatigue, remember that pacing your race up to the lunges will be an important factor in your lunge performance, as will overall aerobic fitness. If you arrive at the lunge station too cooked, your lunge performance will be impacted regardless of how strong or how much muscular endurance you have. Solid aerobic work (Zone 2, threshold running, compromised intervals) supports better lunges more than many people realise.
Train the Upper Body Position
People often think lunges are “legs only,” but posture can be a factor too. If your trunk collapses under the sandbag, every step costs more. Therefore, useful accessories include front rack holds, Zercher carries, and heavy goblet holds while walking.
You also need to grip on to the sandbag for the duration of the station. Therefore, exercises such as farmers carries can actually carry over to help you to some extent here.
Build Joint Tolerance
Lunges load the knees, hips, and ankles through a long range of motion. If you don’t have good tolerance here, the movement can feel brutal and difficult to recover from.
Including a small amount of knee-friendly prep work each week can make a big difference:
- Deep range split squats or controlled lunges
- Heel-elevated squat patterns
- Step-up variations to strengthen the knee through range
Additionally, isometric work can be beneficial an underrated tool for lunges. Consider wall sits, holds in the bottom lunge position under load, and short hard pushes against an immovable object (3 to 5 seconds).
Potential Weekly Structure
A realistic approach might look like:
- 1 strength session with split squat work + isometrics
- 1 muscular endurance lunge session (progressive volume)
- Occasional compromised lunges inside HYROX-specific workouts
It can be enough to build confidence and consistency without destroying your legs every week, but obviously every person is different and you’ll need to assess how you feel, perform and recover to come up with an appropriate level for you. If you’d like help doing that, check out our coaching plans and our 12 week training plan.
