Rowing technique for HYROX

The stroke, step by step

The rowing machine exercise guide covers the basics. For HYROX, focus on these phases:

1. The catch. Shins roughly vertical, arms straight, shoulders relaxed, body leaning slightly forward from the hips.
2. The drive. Push hard through your feet first, as if doing a leg press. Keep your arms straight while the legs extend.
3. The swing. As your legs near straight, lean back slightly by opening the hips.
4. The finish. Pull the handle to your lower ribs with elbows travelling back past your body. Legs straight, slight lean back.
5. The recovery. Arms extend first, then lean forward from the hips, then bend the knees and slide back to the catch.

The rhythm should be quick on the drive and unhurried on the recovery, roughly one count out and two counts back. That slower recovery is where you catch your breath.

Damper and stroke rate

The damper changes how heavy each stroke feels. A higher setting is not the same as more resistance in a useful sense; it mostly makes each stroke slower and more tiring on the legs. For HYROX, where your legs still have a lot of work to do, most people are better off somewhere around the middle of the range.

Stroke rate is how many strokes you take per minute, shown on the monitor. For a steady 1,000 m, many people do well somewhere in the mid to high twenties. Much higher than that and technique often breaks down into short, choppy strokes. Much lower and you are pushing very hard on each one, which again costs your legs.

Common rowing mistakes

• Arms first. Bending the elbows at the catch wastes your biggest muscles. Legs drive, arms wait.
• Shooting the slide. Your seat moves back but the handle does not, because your hips rise before the body is connected. Brace and push the handle with your legs.
• Over-reaching. Knees up by your armpits and a rounded back at the catch. Stop when your shins are vertical.
• Rushing the recovery. Charging back up the slide spikes your heart rate and shortens the next stroke.
• Gripping hard. A relaxed hook grip saves forearms you need for the farmers carry.

Most of these come down to sequencing. If in doubt, slow the rate right down and practise legs, body, arms, arms, body, legs until it feels automatic.

A simple check is the sound of the flywheel. A good stroke has a strong, even whoosh on the drive and quiet on the recovery. If the machine sounds like it is being yanked in short bursts, your sequence has fallen apart, and you are working harder for less distance.

Pacing the row and getting off it

Know your best 1,000 m row on fresh legs, then plan to race a few seconds per 500 m slower. Spend the first 100 m settling in rather than sprinting off the start. Hold your planned split through the middle, and use the last 200 m to prepare to run: keep the pace but loosen your shoulders and control your breathing.

Practise the foot straps. Fumbling with them costs time at both ends. Strap across the widest part of your foot, firmly but not tight, and rehearse getting in and out quickly in training. Stand up carefully after the row: your legs may feel wobbly, and the first few steps of the run should be controlled.

Heart rate matters here too. If you use a heart rate monitor, a row that brings your number down slightly from the burpees while maintaining pace is a well-judged row. The guide on heart rate training for HYROX explains how to use those numbers.

How to train rowing for HYROX

One or two rowing sessions a week alongside your running is enough for most people. Useful sessions:

• Rate-capped steady row: 15 to 20 minutes at a fixed, moderate stroke rate, focusing on length and sequence.
• Intervals: 4 x 500 m at race pace with 90 seconds rest.
• Race rehearsal: 40 m burpee broad jumps, 1,000 m row at race pace, then a 1 km run.
• Technique drill: pick drills such as legs only, then legs and body, then full stroke, for a few minutes each.

Strong hips and hamstrings make a big difference to your drive. Hinge work from posterior chain training carries over well. Because the next stages of the race are carrying and lunging on tired legs, your row practice should often be followed by a run, as in compromised running: how to train for it.

If you want coached conditioning built around the race, Lycan Strength runs Engine classes on Monday and Wednesday evenings and Friday mornings, plus Lycan Shred on Friday evenings.