HYROX Sandbag Lunges: Weights, Rules & Training

The sandbag lunge is the seventh functional station in a HYROX race. Athletes must carry a sandbag across both shoulders while completing 100 metres of alternating walking lunges.

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.  If you want to see how the lunges fit into the full race, our beginner’s guide to HYROX breaks down the complete event format.

Sandbag lunges primarily work the quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings, while your core and upper body help support and stabilise the bag. Because the station comes after seven kilometres of running, the final one-kilometre run can feel particularly difficult!

The sandbags used for the lunges in HYROX are produced by Centr.

Below is a video from HYROX outlining the exercise…

HYROX Sandbag Lunge Rules and Movement Standards

The HYROX sandbag lunge station begins when you remove the sandbag from the marked area and ends after you return it following the full 100 metres.

Movement Standards

Before your first lunge, stand tall with both feet behind the start line. You must then lunge across the line to begin.

For every repetition:

• Your trailing knee must clearly touch the ground

• You must alternate which knee touches the ground

• You must finish standing tall with your knees and hips fully extended

• The sandbag must remain supported across both shoulders

• You cannot take additional steps or shuffle between lunges

You can perform the lunges continuously or pause between repetitions with both feet parallel on the ground.

At the end of each lane, your front foot must completely cross the white line. You do not need to lunge around the turning point, but you must restart with both feet behind the line and lunge across it.

The station is complete once your leading foot has completely crossed the final finish line. You must then return the sandbag to the correct marked area.

Sandbag Lunge Penalties

Your first movement-standard infringement results in a formal warning. A second infringement results in a 15-second penalty.

You can also receive:

• A 15-second penalty each time the sandbag is placed on the ground, a barrier, your feet or another surface to remove the load

• A 30-second penalty if you fail to return the sandbag to the correct area, unless you correct the mistake before leaving the Roxzone

• Disqualification if you use the wrong weight and fail to repeat the complete station using the correct sandbag

Additional Doubles Rules

Doubles partners can divide the 100 metres between them.

When changing athletes, the sandbag may be passed sideways or backwards, but it cannot be passed forwards. The resting partner must walk behind the working athlete and must not obstruct other competitors.

How to Train for 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 during the HYROX lunges comes from inefficient repetitions, while poor movement standards can also lead to penalties. Key cues include making sure your back knee touches the floor on every repetition, keeping the bag supported across both shoulders, planting your front foot securely and maintaining an upright torso. Efficiency may feel unimportant for a simple lunge, but it adds up over 100 metres.

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 increase your injury risk and affect the rest of your training. For example, too many lunges in one session may affect your ability to run the following day.

Pratise Sandbag Lunges Under Fatigue

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 Your 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 a beneficial and underrated tool for improving your lunges. Consider wall sits, holds in the bottom lunge position under load, and short hard pushes against an immovable object (3 to 5 seconds).

Example Weekly Training 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.