HYROX Erg Technique, Training Tools and Race Performance with Lars Rademaker

Lars Rademaker knows his way around a Concept2 machine.

The former competitive runner has accumulated around 3.5 million metres on his SkiErg in less than two years, recently produced 401 watts in a 20-minute BikeErg FTP test, and has become known for sharing detailed erg technique advice with the HYROX community.

He can perform too. At the time we spoke, Lars has a 59:26 HYROX Pro Singles PB and was the fastest athlete through the Roxzone at the 2026 HYROX World Championships.

In our conversation on the Rox Lyfe podcast, we went deep into SkiErg and RowErg technique, damper settings, how to use the BikeErg for HYROX training, the potential of the newer StrengthErg, and how Lars approaches the ergs differently when racing.

Here are some of the biggest takeaways from the conversation…

 

Stop Treating the Damper Setting Like Gears

One of the biggest SkiErg misconceptions Lars still sees is the belief that a higher damper automatically makes you faster.

The damper controls how much air enters the flywheel. Increasing it makes each stroke feel heavier, but that only translates into more speed if you can continue producing enough force at the required rhythm.

Lars believes your damper setting should therefore depend on the purpose of the session.

For a strength-focused SkiErg workout, he may use a high damper and perform hard 30-second intervals. But in a HYROX Pro Singles race, he takes a very different approach, and normally drops the damper to around one.

The reason is that the aim isn’t to produce your fastest possible 1,000m SkiErg. It’s to complete the station efficiently while protecting your running afterwards.

Trying to save three seconds on the SkiErg can require a disproportionate increase in effort. If that effort costs you more time during the following runs, it wasn’t worth it.

Doubles are different. Because athletes can split the work and recover between efforts, Lars and his partner may increase the damper to six or seven and attack short 125m sections with considerably more power.

 

Start the SkiErg and RowErg With Power, Not Frantic Strokes

Watch athletes begin the SkiErg or RowErg and you’ll often see several very short, rapid strokes as they try to get up to speed.

Lars thinks that’s a mistake.

The flywheel initially has no momentum, so your first objective should be getting it moving. Rather than taking lots of short strokes, he recommends two or three strong, long and powerful strokes.

This is particularly important on the rower, where you can use your legs to drive hard and accelerate the flywheel.

Once it’s moving at the required speed, you can settle into your normal race rhythm.

The number appearing on the monitor during those frantic opening strokes can also be misleading. The displayed 500m pace is a prediction based on maintaining your current output. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re accumulating metres as quickly as you think.

 

Small Technique Changes Can Save Energy for Later Stations

HYROX erg technique isn’t always identical to the technique you’d use if the erg itself was the entire competition.

The RowErg provides a good example.

Traditional rowing technique aims to make the handle path as efficient as possible. Lars deliberately makes a small adjustment because he knows the Farmers Carry comes immediately afterwards.

Instead of maintaining a tight grip throughout the stroke cycle, he relaxes his hands during the recovery and allows the handle to dip slightly.

He first learned the idea from an Olympic silver medal-winning rower, and says it helped him start completing his Farmers Carry unbroken.

You’re potentially sacrificing a tiny amount of pure rowing efficiency, but saving your grip for the next station.

It’s a useful way to think about HYROX technique generally. The goal isn’t necessarily to optimise every station in isolation. It’s to find the approach that produces the fastest overall race.

 

Your Roxzone Should Be Treated Like a Ninth Station

At the 2026 World Championships, Lars recorded the fastest Roxzone time in his race.

He credits some of that to his running background and the large amount of trail running he does in Menorca.

Around 80km of his weekly running can be on trails, where he constantly has to adjust to hills, descents and changes in terrain. Lars believes this has helped him become comfortable switching movement patterns without needing time to settle back into his running.

 

Use the BikeErg for More Than Easy Aerobic Work

Lars recently averaged 401 watts during a 20-minute BikeErg FTP test, after 11 previous attempts at breaking the 400-watt barrier.

He uses the BikeErg extensively, but not simply as another source of Zone 1 and Zone 2 volume.

One of his more interesting suggestions is using it to replicate some of the physical demands of the sled push.

He increases the damper to nine or ten and performs hard efforts of around 20-40 seconds with recovery between repetitions.  The resistance and single-leg force production create a very different stimulus from easy spinning.

 

The StrengthErg Could Be an Interesting HYROX Training Tool

Lars has also been experimenting with Concept2’s newer StrengthErg.

He doesn’t see it as a replacement for traditional strength training or sled work. Instead, he likes the ability to objectively measure force production and progressively overload movements with relatively little impact.

A major difference from traditional lifting is that the StrengthErg only loads the concentric portion of the movement. You’re producing force without the same eccentric loading you’d experience lowering a dumbbell or barbell.

That opens up some interesting possibilities for HYROX conditioning.

Lars has experimented with combining hard StrengthErg efforts with the BikeErg or HYROX movements, creating repeatable sessions where force output can be measured rather than estimated.

He’s still learning how best to use the machine, but sees considerable potential for athletes who enjoy using data to guide their training.

 

Efficiency Beats Ego

Perhaps the biggest theme running through Lars’ approach is that the fastest-looking option isn’t always the fastest way to race HYROX.

A higher damper isn’t automatically better. A faster SkiErg split isn’t necessarily worth the energy. Perfect rowing technique in isolation may not be ideal if it compromises your Farmers Carry.

Every decision needs to be considered in the context of the full race.

Lars has learned that through an extraordinary amount of repetition. He has spent so much time on the SkiErg that he says he can now estimate pace simply from the sound of the flywheel.

Most of us probably don’t need to accumulate 3.5 million metres.

But the principle behind it is useful: understand what you’re trying to achieve, practise deliberately, and use technique to make each metre cost you less rather than simply trying to produce more power.

You can hear the full conversation with Lars Rademaker on the Rox Lyfe podcast, or watch below…