The Wall Ball station is the last station in a HYROX event. You’re nearly at the finish line, but there’s still a lot of work to do!
By the time you get here, you will have run a total of 8km, and completed 7 other functional stations (including ski erg, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jumps, rowing, farmers carries and walking lunges). So, you’ll likely be feeling a bit fatigued! I can only assume that the idea to require 100 wall balls at the end of what is already a gruelling event was some kind of crazy joke!
This guide covers everything you need to know about wall balls in HYROX – weights, standards, pacing, common mistakes, training strategies, and how to approach them on race day…
HYROX Wall Ball Requirements (reps, weights, and target height)
The wall ball requirements, by category, in HYROX are as follows:
Women: 100 Reps * 9lbs (4kg) ball – to 9-foot target
Women Pro: 100 Reps * 14lbs (6kg) ball – to 9-foot target
Men: 100 Reps * 14lbs (6kg) ball – to 10-foot target
Men Pro: 100 Reps * 20lbs (9kg) ball – to 10-foot target
Mixed Doubles: 100 Reps * 14lbs (6kg) ball – to 9-foot target
Women Doubles: 100 Reps * 9lbs (4kg) ball – to 9-foot target
Men Doubles: 100 Reps * 14lbs (6kg) ball – to 10-foot target
HYROX Wall Ball Standards
For each rep, you must throw the ball up to strike the centre of the designated target (9 feet high for women, 10 feet for men). Female athletes must hit the bottom of the two targets, male athletes must strike the top target.
Before the participant starts with the Wall Balls, the ball must be picked up from the ground and the athlete should stand in an upright position with hips and knees extended. He/she may then initiate the movement.
At the bottom of the squat, the participant’s knees must go below 90°. To help with this, the athlete can use a box that is placed behind them, and the judge will ensure that the athlete makes contact with the box, for each rep, to determine if the athlete is squatting deep enough.
At most HYROX events now there will be a screen showing your wall ball count. It will register a rep if you accurately hit the target with the ball, but the judge (who will be watching) can override that, and may give a “no rep” if, for whatever reason, you have not met the standard (such as lack of inappropriate squat depth).
Below is a HYROX video covering the wall ball standards…
What Balls are Used?
The weights of the balls are shown above. The actual ones used are similar to these.
HYROX Wall Balls Technique
Your technique with the wall balls can be very important. At a minimum you’ll need to ensure you are adhering to the standards and, in particular, are squatting deep enough with each rep. As already mentioned, if you struggle with this in the event, they can provide a box for you to make contact with on each rep. However, this is obviously something you want to be working on in training as much as possible in advance of your race
Aside from the depth of squat you should:
– try to maintain neutral spine position.
– position yourself approximately the length of one arm away from the rig
– widen your stance to give you a nice strong base to work from and allow for a deeper squat
– aim to not move your arms more often, or higher, than they need to for you to hit the target with the ball (the thinking here being that, for many people, the arms and shoulders are the weak points of the movement and likely to fail before the legs, though this will vary by athlete). Therefore, drive up with your legs, and think about guiding the wall with your arms.
– with each rep, on the concentric part of the movement, rather than just straightening your legs, some people like to go up on to their toes slightly, lifting their heels off the floor. This adds a little extra power and preserves energy elsewhere in the body. Note – this is a personal preference and can depend on your height to a certain extent as to whether you’ll find it better.
– when you have the ball in your hands, you want to keep it as close to the body as possible. Holding it out away from you will put extra pressure on the shoulders, and waste valuable energy.
– when catching the ball, try to have already just started the squat movement downward. This is much more efficient than catching the ball with straight legs, and then beginning your squat.
– do your best to control your breathing throughout. I like to breath in at the bottom of the squat (which almost happens fairly naturally), and then breath out at the top of the rep as you release the ball.
HYROX Wall Ball Training Tips
When training for the HYROX wall balls there are a lot of things to consider…
First things first, you want to ensure you have a ball of an appropriate weight to train with. My recommendation would be for most of your training to be with a ball that is at least the weight you’ll be using at HYROX. Anything less and it could be too much of a shock to the system, especially at the end of a long race.
You’ll also want to make sure you are throwing the ball to an appropriate height. Your gym may already have wall ball targets set up, but if not, you will want to measure the target you are throwing to and ensure it is preferably the same as which you’ll be throwing to at HYROX (9/10 feet, depending on category).
A large number of wall balls repetitions will test many muscles of your body. For example, you’ll be using your quads and glutes, with all the squatting, as well as your triceps and delts for the ball throwing element of the exercise. And obviously you’ll also be getting tested aerobically with so many reps required at the end of a long race. Therefore, practicing wall balls isnt the only way to train for them. Other exercises such as thrusters, over head pressing, and squats, can all carry over well to the wall ball movements.
When training for wall balls in isolation, there are obviously a variety of options in terms of sets, reps, and weight of ball you could use. An example session might be to do a 10 minute EMOM (every minute on the minute) of 15 reps with a slightly heavier wall than you will use in your race.
You’ll also want to be doing some compromised training with your wall balls. As you need to do these at the end of the race – when you’ll be fatigued – it is worth practicing your wall balls under fatigue as that’s when your technique is more likely to go out the window. So 100 wall balls at the end of a threshold running session, could be a great way to simulate how they might feel during the race.
For further HYROX training tips, check out this article.
Race Day Tips
Empty the Tank
The wall balls are an important station where there is a large variability in the times that athletes complete it in. But, unlike with other stations where that applies, you can push yourself to your absolute limit to get them done because it’s the end of the race. This is where leaving something in the tank goes out the window – by the time you reach the wall balls your tank will likely be almost empty, and you should use the wall balls to fully empty it!
Pacing
If you cant complete the 100 wall balls unbroken, then you may need to a strategy for how you will approach the reps. You dont necessarily want to push yourself to your very max in your first set if it means you are going to need to break for a long time afterwards before completing the remainder of the reps.
That said, I’ve found that doing too few in the first set can make the whole station feel like more of a mental battle. So I like to do a good chunk in that first set, with maybe 5-10 reps in reserve. This is something that Elite HYROX athlete Cole Learn touched on when I spoke with him on the Rox Lyfe podcast: “I know for myself, if I set the ball down, I’m toast. As soon as I set it down, that’s when all the fatigue comes in… you think you’re going to feel better going into that next set, but you feel a hundred times worse.”
Because of this, as you get closer to the event itself, it can be worth having some sessions where you try to work out how you want to break down the reps for the race itself. Obviously it’s hard to know exactly how you are going to feel at that point in the race, but having a plan in mind may help. One approach that some people like is to try and do 16 reps first set, then 15, then 14, and so on, down to 9 reps. That adds up to 100!
Mindset
There is a big mindset element that is involved in completion of the wall balls. Your body and mind are already very fatigued by the time you get here, and you must try to stay focused through the duration of the 100 reps.
It is an area that many athletes – including Elli Stenfors – have spoken about on the Rox Lyfe podcast – believing that the wall ball station is a far more mental challenge than a physical one. Elli has gone unbroken many times in HYROX at the wall balls. She said she tricks her mind and tells herself to just do one more rep: “Basically you want to get rid of them as fast as possible… so I tell myself one more rep, and then I can break if I need to. And then suddenly you are at ninety and you’re like, okay, I don’t need to break anymore. I can go unbroken now.” That approach may be easier said than done(!), but having a mental strategy that can work for you is worth thinking about in advance.
You also don’t want to let any no reps affect your mental state. If a judge gives you several no reps for your technique, it is far more productive on focusing on understanding and fixing that as quickly as possible, rather than arguing with your judge!
Gloves
Gloves are allowed under the HYROX rulebook, and some athletes choose to wear them throughout the race to protect their hands and improve grip.
Chalk is typically available at the sled pull and farmers carry stations, but it is rarely provided at the wall balls. By the final station, the ball is often sweaty and can become slippery.
Wearing gloves can provide a noticeable advantage here. A more secure catch means fewer fumbles, fewer no-reps, and less wasted energy chasing a dropped ball.
I personally love the gloves from The Rox Guyz. If you want to try them use that link to get a 15% discount applied at checkout.
Final Thoughts
Respect the placement of wall balls in the race. They are not just another station. They are the final test of pacing, posture, and composure.
Train them under fatigue. Practice your break strategy. Build aerobic capacity so your breathing stays controlled. Improve mobility so technique does not collapse.
If you arrive at the final station calm and confident, you will pass athletes who relied only on grit.
Wall balls do not reward chaos. They reward preparation.
I really hope that helps. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out, and please remember to sign up to our mailing list below so we can keep you up to date with any new articles and podcast episodes.
If you need any help with your training for HYROX, check out our personalised coaching plans here or our 12 week training plan.
