- Carry the bag high across your upper back and shoulders, as race standards require.
- Step long enough that your front shin stays fairly upright.
- Touch the back knee lightly to the floor on every rep; do not slam it.
- Find a steady rhythm and keep moving rather than sprinting and stopping.
- Level
- Intermediate
- Trains
- Quadriceps, Glutes, Hamstrings, Adductors, Core, Upper back
- Kit
- Sandbag, Turf or a knee-friendly floor
What sandbag lunges train and why they are worth doing
Walking lunges work your quads and glutes hard, with your hamstrings and adductors helping and your core and upper back holding the bag and keeping you upright. Because each leg works on its own, they also build balance and expose side-to-side differences that squats can hide.
In HYROX, 100 m of sandbag lunges come near the end of the race, when your legs are already tired from seven runs and six stations. Training them builds the leg endurance that holds your running together in the final kilometres, a theme covered in the guide to HYROX leg endurance.
How to do a sandbag lunge
- Lift the sandbag from the floor to your chest, then onto your shoulders so it sits across your upper back, held securely with both hands.
- Stand tall, brace your trunk and look ahead.
- Step forwards into a lunge, long enough that your front shin stays fairly upright.
- Lower until your back knee lightly touches the floor. For racing, check the current official HYROX rulebook for the knee touch and bag position standards.
- Drive through your front foot to stand, bringing your back leg through into the next step.
- Keep alternating legs at a steady rhythm, breathing out as you drive up.
Common mistakes
- Slamming the knee. Dropping your back knee hard onto the floor hurts and can bruise. Lower under control and just kiss the ground.
- Stride too short. Short steps drive your front knee forwards and load it heavily. Step long enough to stay balanced.
- Leaning forwards. As you tire, your chest drops and the bag pulls you over. Stay tall and keep the bag high.
- Sprinting then stopping. Racing the first 30 m often leads to long pauses later. A steady rhythm is faster overall.
- Letting the bag slip. A bag sliding down your back pulls you out of position. Reset it if you need to.
Easier and harder versions
To make it easier, start with bodyweight walking lunges or stationary reverse lunges, which tend to be kinder to the knees, then add a light sandbag. Break the distance into shorter efforts of 10 to 20 m.
To make it harder, use a heavier bag, lunge longer distances, cut the rest, or do them straight after a hard row or run so you practise lunging on tired legs, as you will in a race. Holding the bag in a bear hug in front of your chest is a useful variation for general training, but for racing, train the position the rulebook requires.
How to programme sandbag lunges
For strength and endurance, do 3 to 4 sets of 20 to 40 m, once or twice a week, with 1 to 2 minutes of rest. As race day approaches, build up to 100 m unbroken, then practise it after a 1 km run or a 1000 m row. The sandbag lunges technique guide goes into race pacing.
Lunges are tough on the knees if you ramp up too quickly. If you get pain at the front of the knee that lingers after sessions, cut the volume and get your knee pain assessed.
Lycan Strength is an official HYROX affiliated gym, and its HYROX training builds the strength and conditioning you need for race day.
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Questions
How heavy is the HYROX sandbag?
It depends on your division, and standards can change. Check the current official HYROX rulebook for the weight you will race with.
Do I need to touch my knee to the floor on HYROX lunges?
Race standards generally require the back knee to touch the ground on each rep. Check the current rulebook, and practise a light, controlled touch in training.
General guidance for healthy adults. If you have a medical condition, injury or are pregnant, check with a health professional before changing your training or diet.
